Brad Mehldau Trio, Ode (Nonesuch) Mehldau has recorded lately as solo pianist, in duets with classical mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie Van Otter and with a large orchestra. Bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard join him in a stimulating return to trio playing. They are attuned to the pianist … [Read more...]

Mike Longo, To My Surprise: Trio + 2 (CAP The trio is pianist Longo, bassist Bob Cranshaw and drummer Lewis Nash— a formidable New York rhythm section. With the addition on half the tracks of trumpeter Jimmy Owens and tenor saxophonist Lance Bryant, Longo takes the quintet through classic … [Read more...]

Thelonious Monk Live in France 1969 (Jazz Icons) The video of Monk alone at the piano in a Paris studio is the jewel of the fifth Jazz Icons box set that many feared would not come. Taped with visual simplicity and excellent sound, he plays 12 pieces, all of them his compositions but “Don’t … [Read more...]

Timme Rosenkrantz, Fradley Hamilton Garner, Harlem Jazz Adventures: A European Baron’s Memoir, 1934-1969 Timme Rosenkrantz (1911–1969) had royal Danish blood, but no royal pretensions, and when he came to the US in 1934, his garrulous charm made him fit right in. What attracted him here was … [Read more...]

Toots Thielemans, Yesterday & Today (Out Of The Blue) Two CDs with thirty-eight tracks, most previously unreleased, follow Thielemans from 1946, when he was a 23-year-old guitarist with a Belgian swing band, to a 2001 harmonica performance of “What A Wonderful World” with pianist Kenny … [Read more...]

Mike Wofford/Holly Hofmann, Turn Signal (Capri) Pianist Wofford’s and flutist Hofmann’s quintet set is notable for variety, rich textures and harmonies, and depth of feeling. In conception and sound, trumpeter Terell Stafford blends beautifully with them. Bassist Rob Thorsen and drummer … [Read more...]

Mathew Shipp, Elastic Aspects (Thirsty Ear) The first track of the pianist’s album has no piano, just bassist Michael Bisio bowing and drummer Whit Dickey generating sepulchral sounds with mallets on cymbals. The second track is a few seconds of Shipp unaccompanied in what might be heard as … [Read more...]

Lee Konitz with Dan Tepfer (Jazz Heaven) Designed as a master class, the DVD provides fascinating listening and viewing for anyone curious about the creative process of making jazz. In conversation with his frequent collaborator, pianist Tepfer, Konitz discusses and demonstrates the wisdom he has … [Read more...]

Judth Schlesinger, The Insanity Hoax: Exposing the Myth of the Mad Genius (Shrinktunes) With wit and a nice sense of irony, Schlesinger lays siege to the popular notion that to be truly creative, a person must be mentally unbalanced. A PhD psychologist and a jazz critic, Schlesinger discusses … [Read more...]

Jimmy Owens, The Monk Project (IPO) In this Thelonious Monk tribute, trumpeter Owens’ septet includes pianist Kenny Barron, trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and low-register specialist Howard Johnson on tuba and baritone sax. Kenny Davis is the bassist, Winard … [Read more...]

Jack DeJohnette, Sound Travels (e one) DeJohnette leads small ensembles in seven of his compositions. He plays both drums and piano on several. His sidepersons include Ambrose Akinmusire, Tim Ries, Jason Moran, Lionel Loueke, percussionist Luisito Quintero and vocalists Bobby McFerrin, Bruce … [Read more...]

Wesla Whitfield, Mike Greensill Trio, The Best Things In Life Wesla Whitfield plugs her current of understated energy into a diverse collection that encompasses “The Best Things in Life Are Free” from 1927, “Bein’ Green” from Sesame Street, and “Walkin’ After Midnight” from the … [Read more...]

Clark: The Autobiography of Clark Terry (UC Press) The great trumpeter, flugelhornist and mumbler writes with joy about the good times in his long life and with frankness about the rough patches. His humor and generous spirit are intact whether he is telling of his love for Basie and Ellington, … [Read more...]

Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Paul Motian, Further Explorations (Concord) The two-CD album is described in the notes as a “template,” a “tabula rasa,” rather than a tribute to Bill Evans. Nonetheless, Corea’s encounter with two great Evans sidemen underlines Evans’s profound influence on … [Read more...]

Pinky Winters, Winters In Summer (SSJ) To borrow from Paul Williams’s words to Ivan Lins’ “Love Dance,” Winters knows how to turn up the quiet. Using subtleties in phrasing, pitch, intensity and tone shading, she takes ownership of a song without violating its writer’s intentions. Here, … [Read more...]

Ronnie Cuber, Ronnie (Steeplechase) Cuber has been playing uncompromising jazz on the baritone saxophone for more than half a century. With pianist Helen Sung, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Jonathan Blake, he is in top form in this 2009 album that escaped my attention until recently. … [Read more...]

Chet Baker, Candy (MVD) In a private library in Sweden in 1985, Baker plays and sings with his working trio of the period, pianist Michael Graillier and bassist Jean Louis Rassinfosse. Red Mitchell is a guest, not on bass but at the piano showing Baker his preferred changes to “My Romance,” … [Read more...]

Ron Carter’s Great Big Band (Sunnyside) The venerable bassist’s first recording at the helm of a big band has style, depth and power. The playlist of jazz standards may suggest that Carter and arranger Robert Freedman are plowing old ground, but they produce a crop of fresh ideas. They … [Read more...]

Rudresh Mahanthappa, Samdhi (ACT) This is the latest chapter in the alto saxophonist’s accommodation of his Indian cultural heritage to his American jazz ethos. Or is it the other way around? He combines electric guitar, electric bass, drums, the astonishing South Indian percussionist Anantha … [Read more...]