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New CDs reviewed by Chris Parker

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Sara Colman  Ready

'A genuine feel for the elasticity and playfulness of swing phrasing and a true improviser's art' are the qualities Ian Shaw admires in Sara Colman's singing, and anyone who attended her recent Vortex gig would no doubt agree with him. She also has an excellent ear for a good rock/pop song, one that might profit from a jazz version, and thus begins her album with three such: the Rafferty/Egan (Stealer's Wheel) classic, 'Stuck in the Middle with You' (the intoxicated muddle of which she conveys wittily but tastefully); 'How Do You Stop' (a song written for James Brown by the late Dan Hartman, which resurfaced on a relatively recent Joni Mitchell album); and Walter Becker's pungent 'Book of Liars'.

Alyn Cosker  Lyn's Une

Courtney Pine is quoted on the sleeve of this album, describing Alyn Cosker as 'a fantastic drummer who plays with a lot of heart, swing and passion', and the twelve tracks on it all thoroughly justify this praise. Cosker's bandmates – saxophonists Tommy Smith and Paul Towndrow, trumpeter Ryan Quigley, pianist Jason Rebello, guitarist David Dunsmuir and bassist Ross Hamilton – are all discernibly energised by the the leader/composer's drive, bristling power and precision...

Tony Woods Project  Wind Shadows

Described by reedsman/flautist Tony Woods as 'music of light and dark, sweet and bitter, the wind and the shadow', and containing in its notes references to Eric Dolphy, religious poet George Herbert and traditional children's songs, this album comes from what might be termed the lyrical/spiritual/pastoral section of the jazz spectrum. Woods himself plays saxophones, clarinet, wood flute and hulusi, Rob Millett vibes, marimba and gongs, and it is chiefly their interplay and the resultant textural variety that defines the music of the 'Project'.

Boris Savoldelli/Elliott Sharp  Protoplasmic

One of Boris Savoldelli's strongest admirers is Mark Murphy, who calls the Italian vocalist 'one of the great undiscovered proponents of simply superb singing', but if this leads to the presumption that Savoldelli, like Murphy, is an individual interpreter of standards, then Protoplasmic will come as something of a shock. Even listening to Savoldelli's (mainly) solo album Insanology (see CD Reviews), which sets out his stall in a glorious blaze of Bobby McFerrin-style solo-choir pieces mixed with judicious use of various electronic gizmos to produce a quite remarkable series of original pieces...

Makiko Hirabayashi  Hide and Seek

Tokyo-born pianist Makiko Hirabayashi was (musically) educated in Boston and has lived in Denmark since 1990 – hence the presence on this, her second album for Enja, of that country's foremost husband-and-wife rhythm section, percussionist supreme Marilyn Mazur and bassist Klavs Hovman – and her approach is consequently utterly cosmopolitan, taking in influences from the worlds of jazz, traditional and classical music and melding them uncontrivedly into a compelling and vibrant trio sound.

Susie Arioli  Night Lights

For this, her fifth album (but her first for World Village; she previously recorded for Justin Time), Canadian singer Susie Arioli has chosen songs from the very centre of the jazz standard tradition ('Can't We Be Friends', 'Out of Nowhere', 'Blue Skies', 'How Deep is the Ocean', 'The Very Thought of You' et al.), the odd pop song (the Toni Fisher/Del Shannon classic 'The Big Hurt'), and a couple of French-language songs (one, the self-explanatory 'Je Bois', by legendary trumpeter/writer Boris Vian, the other a Gerry Mulligan melody, 'Night Lights', here rendered as 'Lumière de Nuit').

Phronesis  Green Delay

'Vibe and atmosphere on a jumping bed of melodic and dancing grooves' is how bassist/composer Jasper Høiby describes the music on this, his trio Phronesis's second album, and it's an accurate summary of the recording's strength. Pianist Ivo Neame is on board this time, replacing Magnus Hjorth, but drummer Anton Eger remains from the trio's debut album, Organic Warfare, and the albums share a powerful, almost brooding intensity centred on Høiby's trademark lithe, propulsive bass...

Alyson Green  On My Way to You

'Slow-burning, romantic songs with a touch of the dramatic are singer Alyson Green's speciality, judging by her selection of material for this, her second album. Leslie Bricusse's 'When I Look in Your Eyes', the Shirley Horn favourite 'Here's to Life' and the Michel Legrand-penned title-track all suit her sincere, heart-on-sleeve, confiding style perfectly, and the unfussy but elegant arrangements of pianist Mark Edwards, not to mention the accomplished playing of the likes of John Parricelli, Andy Cleyndert and Troy Miller (plus the odd solo from saxophonist/flautist Ben Castle) all contribute to a classy recording.

Joel Harrison  Urban Myths

'My goal on this outing was to center the music in that playground where jazz, funk, rock and the blues are one.' Thus New York-based guitarist Joel Harrison, describing the music on this, possibly his most immediately approachable album to date. Punchy, driving themes rub shoulders with more broodingly meditative pieces, on one of which Harrison memorably (and aptly) comments: 'there are times when Steve Coleman and Jimmy Page seem to be in the same room, while the rhythm section navigates with fluid certainty'.

Troyka  Troyka

A 'visceral mash-up of rock, jazz and dance music', written and performed by three musicians (keyboardist Kit Downes, here playing organ; guitarist/loops man Chris Montague; drummer Joshua Blackmore) who 'live in post-hip-hop world where you can take whatever source materials you like and do your own singular thing with it [and]...to whom the old question "What is it?" is replaced by "Is it any good?"' is how Troyka's music is described in their album's accompanying Edition press release, and it's entirely accurate, encapsulating the band's powerful appeal perfectly.

Partisans  By Proxy

Despite the fact that they've been together, with an unchanged line-up, for well over a decade now, Partisans have made only four albums, generally recording material that has been thoroughly 'road-tested' at venues such as the Vortex. Such careful quality-control has paid rich dividends on this, their first album since 2005's Max, the band's ease and familiarity with the compositions it contains immediately obvious in the bristling vitality and exuberance with which they tackle everything...

 

 

Chris Parker

Chris Parker was commissioning editor for Quartet Books jazz list and publisher of Wire magazine and has written on jazz forJazz Review and Jazzwise, the Independent, the Daily Telegraph and The Times).

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