For some people, CDs haven’t gone away. Yet. CDs keep finding me, and I’m not complaining. It’s nice to be able to hold the physical object, and I like to gaze across the room at those Miles Davis box sets while knowing I could more easily stream just about everything on my phone instead of removing the discs from their elegantly designed packages. It gives off the illusion that I’m sophisticated or something. These CDs have found me lately, and I’m the better for it:
Trumpeter Dave Douglas dabbles in numerous styles of jazz, but I’ve always been partial to his occasional forays into electronic music. “High Risk” (Greenleaf Music) pairs his authoritative horn with the synthetic environments of the artist who goes by the singular name Shigeto. Neither of the lead voices overwhelms the other, and the overall feeling is playful and even soothing without ever becoming saccharine. It even swings a bit. “High Risk” is recommended to anyone who remembers the glorious ’80s collaborations between electronics pioneer Brian Eno and trumpet outsider Jon Hassell.
No one creates music quite like the saxophonist and flautist Henry Threadgill, and he’s been blazing his singular path for more than 40 years. I won’t claim to understand the nuances of the explorations in the band he leads, Zooid, as they (from the press materials) “completely deconstruct standard jazz form, steering the improvisatory language towards an entirely new system based on preconceived series of intervals.” What I am certain of is the joy of discovery on display when listening to “In for a Penny, In for a Pound” (Pi Recordings). Threadgill has used unconventional instrumentation for much of his career, and here, his woodwinds dance with a tuba, violincello and the emerging mastery of guitarist Liberty Ellman. With its wide range of ideas and voicings, this is not appropriate background music. But concentration pays off while visiting Threadgill’s bountiful sonic world.
Kris Davis is a pianist and composer who also successfully delves into unusual territory on “Save Your Breath” (Clean Feed). She collaborates with four clarinetists, including Denver native Ben Goldberg, with exciting and sometimes ominous results. The overall effect is cinematic, her swirling piano setting the stage for dramatic passages from the expressive woodwind quartet. I’ve listened to “Breath” more than any other new release so far in 2015, partially because it’s so compelling while being difficult to classify. It’s easy to listen to, though, and track number 5 is named by my favorite title for a composition in ages, but I cannot divulge that title in this family newspaper.
Piano genius Jason Moran performs two solo shows at Baur’s Listening Lounge at 4 and 7 p.m. on June 14, and Brian Blade, best known for his drumming, turns to guitar and vocals for his “Mama Rosa” band project at Dazzle the same evening. The Annie Booth Quartet will be appearing at Denver’s City Park on June 14 as well … guitarist John Scofield appears with organist John Medeski at the Boulder Theater on June 18 … Nocturne presents two nights with saxophonist Stan Killian on June 18-19…
