Because Monday is the Fourth of July and we’re celebrating our independence, this is a good time to revel in America’s greatest art form when it comes to individual expression.
Here’s a handful of new releases just waiting to be absorbed through your iPod. Just be sure to download them from legal sources, as the Supreme Court has just ruled that any other way would be downright un-American.
Pianist Bill Charlap has deservedly become the current torchbearer of the Great American Songbook. He’s respectful of history and tasteful too, but not to the point where he is strictly academic. Charlap reminds us that jazz is a living music by keeping it lively. I hear traces of masters like Erroll Garner and Hank Jones in his outpourings, and you might hear your favorites summoned, as well, on “The American Soul” (Blue Note), a good-natured tribute to George Gershwin. His trio has evolved into a swinging organism, and guest contributions from fellow believers Phil Woods and Frank Wess add texture and excitement.
Denver native Javon Jackson proved himself years ago as an imaginative straight-ahead player, but recently he has taken a more commercial, funk-oriented route, with standout results. “Have You Heard” (Palmetto) teams him up again with the turbaned wonder Dr. Lonnie Smith on organ, and the two produce relaxed, blues-informed grooves that harken to the greasy, backbeat-propelled Blue Note records of the late ’60s. Lisa Fischer adds some gritty vocals to mix things up. The result is something like that of a fondly remembered night at a locale like El Chapultepec or Dazzle.
Another former local is alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, whose exciting, acrobatic solos permeate the new disc from pianist Vijay Iyer. “Reimagining” (Savoy Jazz) is so densely packed with ideas that it requires concentration. Spend some time with it, however, and you’ll find yourself pulled in by Iyer’s labyrinthine compositions. Mahanthappa is a sympathetic, almost sibling-like collaborator, and this is a partnership to watch. And don’t miss the closer, Iyer’s dramatic solo “reimagining” of John Lennon’s “Imagine.”
It’s an absolute pleasure to hear elder statesman Wayne Shorter challenging himself at the point in his career where he could simply coast on his reputation. “Beyond the Sound Barrier” (Verve) is a continuation of the saxophonist’s current streak of winning recordings. Taken from live performances between 2002 and 2004 with his well-oiled quartet, Shorter is never content to merely produce brilliantly elaborate solos; he’s obviously enamored with the possibilities of sound and mood to the extent that his phenomenal range of expression is on display throughout. If many artists exhaust our patience by releasing too much music on a single CD, Shorter leaves us wanting more after an hour. How about a box set from this unit next time around?
James Blood Ulmer is almost a genre unto himself. A free jazz-funk pioneer who recorded with Ornette Coleman in the ’70s, he is equal parts avant-garde guitar picker and Delta bluesman with an unmistakable quaver in his voice. His new “Birthright” (Hyena) is a purely solo set; just Ulmer in the studio with his guitar and a touch of plaintive flute. The isolated atmosphere controlled by producer Vernon Reid turns out to be a virtue as Ulmer blazes his way through a dozen haunting tracks. He sounds like an improvising guitarist-singer marooned on his own planet. Ulmer, by the way, blasts off into even spacier instrumental territory as a sideman on exhibitionistic saxophonist James Carter’s just-released “Out of Nowhere” (Half Note).
Set list
Garaj Mahal plays the Fox Theatre on Wednesday. … Pianist George Winston appears at the Boulder Theater on Saturday. … Colorado Springs saxophonist Bret Sexton celebrates the release of his new CD at Dazzle on July 10. … Chilean vocalist Claudia Acuna performs at the Mount Vernon Country Club on July 14. … James Dapogny’s Chicago Jazz Band is one of many traditional-minded acts at this year’s Evergreen Jazz Festival July 22-24. … Kudos to Boulder’s Lisa Bell, who is featured in Jazziz magazine’s yearly women’s issue. She will perform at the Walnut Room on July 22
Bret Saunders writes about jazz for The Denver Post. Saunders is host of “The KBCO Morning Show,” 5:30-10 a.m. weekdays at 97.3-FM. His e-mail address is Bret Saunders bret_saunders@hotmail.com.
