I haven’t written anything for the blog lately. I guess I am a lazy blogger. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been writing, though! I did a big research project on the history of jazz in Chicago, starting in the late nineteen teens and moving up through today.
I’m going to keep this one short. These are in no particular order.
Brad Mehldau & Pat Metheny - Metheny/Mehldau Quartet
This album is far better than the Metheny/Mehldau duo album, thanks to Brad’s amazing rhythm section. I have to say it is my favorite Pat Metheny album since Like Minds with Chick Corea, Dave Holland, Gary Burton, and Roy Haynes (and that album really has nothing to do with Metheny). I honestly couldn’t think of a better piano player to match up with Metheny, but I can think of better guitarists to match up with Mehldau: just about anyone. Brad Mehldau and his rhythm section are amazing, and regardless of Metheny’s inclusion on this album, it is great, exciting music.
The Bad Plus - Prog
What can be said about a band like The Bad Plus? They are some of the most fun jazz musicians around, not just in this group, but in all of their other projects (Ethan Iverson and Reid Anderson both lead other bands in NYC and David King plays in Happy Apple). They continue taking on the most wonderful new tradition of taking modern pop songs (we are no longer limited to pop songs from 1920-1962!), and combining that with great arrangements, free jazz, and that great chemistry you can only have from years of playing together. All in all, another great release.
Medeski, Scofield, Martin, and Wood - Out Louder
This album is exactly what the title seems to imply: Very ‘out there’ music, only now, its louder. For those who want another A Go Go, this isn’t it. But if there was every a group perfect for Scofield, it is MMW. I had the good fortune of seeing this band twice in 2007, and these guys know how to play the most free, wild music, but still keep the party and the groove totally intact. What else could you want?
Fred Anderson and Hamid Drake - From the River to the Ocean
I had never heard of Fre Anderson or Hamid Drake before I got this album. I just heard that Jeff Parker, one of my favorite guitarists from Chicago, was on a few tracks. Parker shines, no doubt about it, but the link between Anderson and Drake make this album great. These guys have been playing together for a very long time, and are two of the old school Chicago players. The album also features some cello playing that really gives this album an interesting and original sound that I dig very much.
Deep Blue Organ Trio - Folk Music
This album is kind of an ‘honorable mention,’ because I haven’t actually heard it. I’m a fool for trying to release a best albums of 2007 list without hearing what is likely to be my number one pick. The past two Deep Blue albums have been some of the best music ever made, full of blues, bebop, and energy provided to you by one of the greatest guitarists around, Bobby Broom. I will have this album soon, mark my words.
I finally made it out to see tenor saxophonist Von Freeman at the New Apartment Lounge on Tuesday (12/18/07). I had been hearing about this place, and for some reason had it in my head that the New Apartment was going to be a normal sized venue. Well, it turns out that the room with the stage is about the size of my living room, and half of that space is the bar. It was so small that only the drummer and bassist could fit on the stage, and Von, along with guitarist Mike Allemana, were in front of the stage.
My only impression of Von had come a single track off his album The Improviser. The song is Blue Bossa, a tune I learned a long time ago and haven’t really played since. Von’s version is simply brilliant - the band sits back and plays quietly with very little energy, building up ever so slowly, while Von brought all the fire.
Even though the New Apartment was a tiny place, I got there early enough to get the closest seats to the stage. There were literally about ten people there when the FREE show started. Why the place wasn’t packed is beyond me. I guess in a way it was packed, though, because there are only about ten chairs around the bar, and one table next to it.
As for the music, I hardly recognized any of the songs. The only tune I knew was Four, by Miles Davis. As for the rest of the tunes - there weren’t that many more: in the 90 minutes that Von played, there were probably 6 songs total - they were all relatively simple tunes that I’m pretty sure aren’t played very often. Each song seemed to follow the same exact arrangement - head, sax solo, guitar solo, bass solo, drum solo, head. Stick with what works, I guess. I had hear that Mike Allemana is a very fine player, but I didn’t really find out until I heard him take great solos all night. He knows how to play really fast and tastefully at the same time, which seems to be one of my biggest complaints among guitar players.
On to the main attraction: Von. His playing is flooring. At 86 years old, the man has more control over his instrument than anybody I know. His style of blues and bebop played way behind the beat is exactly the type of music I am into these days. Von also has a way of playing sounds and emotions using chaotic blazes of notes and energy, rather than regular melodic lines, that you don’t get to hear too often. If you’ve never seen him, go check it out - every Tuesday on the south side of Chicago.