Eric Vloeimans' Oliver's Cinema

Chamber jazz has become a large part of the international scene. Not to rehearse history here but it it has been with us for some time. . . Beiderbecke's "In A Mist", the John Kirby bands, the MJQ and Jimmy Giuffre, the AACM from the '60s on, and so forth.

From the Netherlands we have a small group devoted to the chamber sound, headed by trumpeter Eric Vloeimans: his Oliver's Cinema (buzz zz76111). It's a trio of distinction with of course Vloeimans on trumpet, Tuur Florizoone on accordion, Jorg Brinkmann on cello.

It is music with a lyric, folkish bent. There is no bop, post-bop or new thing going on here. The closest thing to compare the structured melodic sounds with might be Carla Bley in an ultra-lyrical mood. There is that village transformed feeling that you can sometimes hear with Ms. Bley. People have compared Eric's trumpet sound to that of Miles Davis. That's seems true enough in terms of the softness of tone, but otherwise this is miles away, and not to say that is bad. He is supremely lyrical.

All three members are quite good. The cello work, mostly pizzicato, gives a lighter sound where a bass would thicken things. When Brinkmann switches to arco, he shows virtuoso mastery. Florizoone plays accordion with style, acumen and a lovely tone that meshes well with Vloeimans' trumpet, which shines forth with a tender glory.

The songs are originals by all three, plus some cinema-specific themes like "Rosemary's Baby" (Komeda), "Cinema Paradiso" (Morricone).

It's a beautiful album, redolent with atmosphere.

They are right now on an extensive US tour. I don't usually cover such things but I will here. October 10: Moody's Bistro, Truckee, CA; October 11: Chez Robert, Soquel, CA ; October 13: Duende, Oakland, CA; October 14: Calvary Church, Portland, OR; October 15: Seattle; October 16, Albuquerque; October 17: Colorado Springs; October 18: Chicago; October 20: Blue Note, NYC; October 21, Buffalo; October 23, Waukee, IA; October 24: Charlottesville, VA; October 25: Miami.

Salsa de la Bahia, Vol. 2, A Collection of Bay Area Salsa and Latin Jazz

The contemporary Bay Area Salsa-Latin jazz scene is vital, judging by the music coming out on the Patois label. Today we have the second 2-CD volume of Salsa de la Bahia, Hoy Y Ayer (Patois PRCD 018).

This of course continues the flow of musical gems begun with the first volume (see the December 6, 2003 posting for a review of that one). If anything, Volume 2 is even more irresistible. Pete Escovedo, Los Kimbos 90's, Bobi Cespedes, La Mixta Criolla, Kat Parra, Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quintet, Rico Pabon, and Estrellas de la Bahia contribute 16 numbers, collectively, and it is music of real heat.

It gives you all you need to know about Bay Area Frisco Salsa-Latin jazz today. The rhythm sections have that drive and then some. There are some percussion routines that take away the breath, even.

The vocals are uniformly right, the songs excellent, the call-and-response sections blaze. They will get you off your feet in a hurry. And the brass-reed sections have some really hip writing happening with excellent players and very together soloing. The trombone work is especially outstanding but it all comes at you with that special charge that makes this music a development, a step ahead for the music.

This one should not be missed. A groove it is, very much so. Oye!

Fred Tompkins, Flute Settings

Last month we took a look at Fred Tompkins' classically tinged jazz composition as recorded in the late '60s-early '70s by a stellar lineup of jazz all-stars (Fanfare 8, see post for September 4th, 2014). Today we jump ahead to the present, 2012 to be exact, and a recording of Fred Tompkins' recent work, Flute Settings (self released).

To draw comparisons with Fanfare 8 would not be quite fair. That record involved carefully conceived compositions recorded over a period of years. This album has good compositional elements--four by Fred, one a free collaborative improv with pianist Jim Hegarty, one by Hegarty himself, one by Boyd F. Becker-Nunley who plays steel pan on the number, and Ornette's "Lonely Woman".

As one can understand from the title the album is a showcase for Fred Tompkin's flute playing which is warm, lyrical, nuanced and open. He is not quite an Eric Dolphy in terms of technique, nor does he try to be. But he is quite effective and compelling in the solo role. The music ranges from Fred's work with flute and samples ("Voices") that plus the addition of Charlie Dent on drums ("Con Moto 3"), duets with Hegarty on piano ("Lonely Woman", "Melody" and "Free Form"), solo flute ("Solo Extensions"), and two different quintets, one with Becker-Nunley and a second steel pan voice ("Tabanca Time") and the final number ("Islands") with reeds, piano, guitar, and drums joining Fred.

This is generally a looser, more openly jazz-oriented date, some of it free form, others more arranged.

The compositional side of Tompkins (and others) can be heard to good effect but in other ways it is a more improvisational approach that prevails.

Nonetheless there is much in the way of thoughtful music to be heard, good flute presence and an open attitude that for its sincere straightforwardness has much charm and listenability. And it's great to hear that Fred is still at it, making very good music.

Recommended.

Christian Jacob, Beautiful Jazz, A Private Concert

Judging from how many post-Bill Evans, fully harmonic piano players' CDs I get regularly you would think that the style predominates today. Yet this is by no means a simple route to follow in the jazz piano world.

Today we have another pianist who owes something to the fully worked harmonic respellings that Bill Evans did so splendidly. Yet there is something much more at work here as well, although there may also be less of the rigorously respelled harmonics on a continual basis, perhaps. I refer to pianist Christian Jacob and his solo piano recital album Beautiful Jazz (Wilder Jazz 1401). Here we have Jacob attack twelve well-visited standards plus a version of Stravinsky's "Etude No. 4".

What sets Christian apart has to do with a lively rhythmic approach, a contrapuntal involvement of the left hand that is sometimes almost stride-like, only not in any predictable way.

He has a very concerted technique that has the sophisticated harmonics of post-Evansian style yet takes less of a block-chord approach (and of course later Evans got further away from that as well). But there is a nicely original rubato style happening with Jacob that takes him further afield. That is in part a Jarrettian trait too, but there is nothing all that similar going on between to the two players because Jacob takes it into his own realm.

Listen to the old potboiler "Tea For Two" and you hear stride roots, an almost Garnerian left hand but not in the lag-bounce Garner way.

I find this album quite refreshing. It's doing what's being done yet doing it in Christian Jacob's own way. That interests me and should interest you too if you are a piano-jazz hound.

Listen!

Jean-Marc Foussat, Sylvain Guerineau & Joe McPhee, QUOD

Avant electronician Jean-Marc Foussat has formed a trio of three and set them loose on the dynamically engaging QUOD (Fou CD 05). Open-form freedom improvisation is the order of the day as Jean-Marc mans the synths, the great Joe McPhee has his say on soprano sax and Sylvain Guerineau complements the both on tenor sax.

Out music is the goal and they get there from the beginning. Foussat provides a masterful mix of timbral projections that sets up the horn soloists and furnishes an inventive orchestral electronic backdrop for Guerineau and McPhee to give us their best.

This is full-blown modernism at work. Guerineau keeps up with McPhee in an impressive way, McPhee lets his improvisational instincts take him far afield, and Foussat shows a keen ear for what electronic sounds will work best for the three-way dialog.

Now I could rattle on almost indefinitely about the spontaneous generation of excitement and soul here, but I don't think it would be necessary. All three interlock and do some of their best work.

If you go for the free, the out, and the electronic, this will ring your chimes for sure. It may be a sleeper, but listen a few times and you surely won't be one!

Highly recommended.

Eliana Cuevas, Espejo

The category of "Latin vocalists" is something so wide as almost to be meaningless. Of course one will expect the singing to be in Spanish (or Portuguese), but beyond that there is a spectrum of possibilities that is seemingly endless. In the case of Canadian based Eliana Cuevas and her album Espejo (Alma 81242) we get music and a voice, each with a special originality. The music has a jazz quality and Eliana projects through it all wonderfully.

It all is in a contemporary Latin vein, which means there are nicely wrought modern arrangements (by keyboardist Jeremy Ledbetter and Eliana) and a rhythmic feel that includes infectious Latin rhythms along with a backbeat at times. These are for the most part Cuevas originals and she has a definite knack at songwriting. Combine that with an impeccable vocal instrument and you really have something. Her voice is nuanced, pitch-perfect, personally sensuous and clear as a bell. Based on the album I would certainly put her up there among the very best of the new vocalists. She is marvelous.

The more I listen to this one the more I am struck by it. If you could buy only one contemporary Latin album this year, this might well be the one. I am very impressed! Eliana Cuevas is a knockout on every level.

Raymond MacDonald and Marilyn Crispell, Parallel Moments

From the somewhat obscure British label Babel Label comes a fine series of improvised duets between Scottish saxophonist Raymond MacDonald and American pianist Marilyn Crispell, Parallel Moments (Babel Label BDV 13125).

It's a dynamic encounter with avant jazz turbulence, new music explorations and a testifying lyric sensibility, depending on the piece. Both artists acquit themselves well on both the individual and the interactive levels.

There are times when one hears a hint of an influential rechanneling of Anthony Braxton in MacDonald's more acerbic moments, but other times he seems to be searching and finding his own personal line-creating, sound-poetic personality. That he finds a center and melds it with Marilyn's very personal modern piano makes all this music worthwhile.

Marilyn is never one to be pinned down. She comes across in this set with excellent inventiveness and pianistic thrust.

A far-ranging set of variations on music making can be had here. All is well-conceived and can be heard for your musical profit and edification. MacDonald and Crispell come through with a winner!