Review: Morgan Guerin | The Saga
There is a reason for cover art. It speaks in silence for the artist. Thus, the listener should take a moment to immerse him/herself to visually understand the message the artist is attempting to convey. What I found in the artwork was a mini story of the instrumental journey from boyhood to arrive with a full arsenal by manhood. I realized I was viewing the preface of what was to come. Aptly titled The Saga, I knew a journey had taken place to get to this point as I inserted the disc into my computer. What I heard was an unexpected voice of a young man who had traveled far beyond his musical prowess. I was immediately reminded of Herman Hesse and Siddhartha’s sojourn, who left home to discover life through the lens of the world, only to return with greater self-awareness and peace.
To say he is compelling storyteller falls short of the message his music delivers. He is a messenger, come from a long line of griots who has given voice to a generation that unwillingly is forced to take the baton as have generations before him. From deep in the Louisiana culture you will hear the Second Line and rhythm and blues influences in his music. The very first drumbeat of Parallel sets the tone for his acknowledgement of the turbulent ecological and racial times the country is in. I am hearing the protest songs of the Sixties expressed in a rap delivered by Dashill Smith.
Blueprint delivers another message and eases us into a zone where discomfort is our journey foretelling, through the voice of Allana Hudson, the lies to humanity that contradict our ancestor’s wisdom. A fusion of sound that is ethereal beckons us forward in Tabula Rava, reminiscent of Mahavishnu, Santana, Zawinul and Return to Forever. Beginning with an Eastern calling and announcement of something majestic approaching, it builds to a cacophonous revelry in the spirit. It’s like witnessing something for the very first time that takes your breathe away or gives you pause. That tingly feeling of excitement that leaves you fulfilled for that brief moment in time. In The Saga is the journey of ups and downs, loves and loss, in the varied experiences that greet us along the way.
In Madeira there is settledness I hear when one finds a space that is easy and comfortable. This is where find solace With A Peace Of Mind that remains constant throughout our lives if we only allow it. Sharynwood Drive is my return home with all that has been discovered and learned, to be passed on to a new generation of explorers.
The Saga is a simple story told through the complexities of the music. The voices used to tell his story vary in emotion but the message is consistent. Listen carefully and you will see he has taken on a journey through the history of jazz, incorporating his youthful sensibilities within the standard language of jazz. One can feel the pulse of the music and there is beauty in the nuances throughout with the able assistance of his 11 accomplices. This was my musical journey with this young man of infinite wisdom, yet to be fully unleashed upon the world.
For those legions of jazz enthusiasts following the music trends, we await patiently for each decade to spew forth those chosen few who will humbly add their talent to the lexicon of the music. We guard the bastion for the rise of the exceptional to step forth onto the global stage. To our delight, our stalwart diligence has revealed just such a young man from amongst his peers. Hailing out of the birthplace of jazz, the name is familiar to us. It is Guerin… Morgan Guerin.
His Instruments: Drums, Alto & Tenor Saxophones, Piano, Fender Rhodes, EWI, EWI Vocoder, Organ, Flute, Moog Bass and Percussion.
The Band: Curtis Olawumi/flugelhorn, Daniel Wytanis/Trombone, Grace Sommer/violin, Julius Rodriguez/organ, Roland Guerin/electric bass, Paul “PapaBear” Johnson/electric bass, Risa Pearl/vocal, Dashill Smith/rap, Allana Hudson/spoken word, Patrick Arthur/electric & acoustic guitar, Brandon Boone/electric & upright bass.
Impressive!
carl anthony | notorious jazz | september 7, 2016
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Review: Niki Harris & EC3 | Time & Rhyme
Every now and then, if you’re lucky, you run across a bandleader who understands how to make a joyful noise. The days of the solo arranger and set configuration of players have been replaced with diversity bringing new ideas to eleven old songs. On his latest project Time & Rhyme, producer and drummer EC has collaborated with Niki Haris (Gene Harris’ daughter) and together have selected an incomparable set list that is no small feat to honor. Kicking off the set is a Tyrone Jackson arrangement with vocalist Niki Harris swinging an upbeat, straight-ahead version of the Hart/Rodgers tune Falling In Love With Love.
Traveling across the musical landscape Niki again takes center stage to present a poignant and tender rendition of another Jackson arrangement of the Bell/Creed composition Stop, Look, Listen. Not many vocalists have made me sit down and listen as intently as she did with the clarity and beauty of her interpretation. I could attempt to describe the emotional delivery Ms. Haris rendered on this song that five guys out of the Philly sound machine made famous, but the effort would be feeble at best and would be an injustice as you listen to her immense talent.
To challenge oneself to play a master is EC’s forte and he delivers with aplomb Dizzy’s Night In Tunisia opening with a strong bass line and sliding easily into an Afro-Cuban beat that can only be viewed as homage to a rhythm so dear to Mr. Gillespie’s heart. I was immediately transported to the backstreets of Havana and the raucous clubs full of flute, percussion and mambo.
Jackson steps in again with an easy bossa nova arrangement utilizing Frankie Quiñones percussive endowment to compliment Niki’s voice on Abbey Lincoln’s Throw It Away. Interestingly modal, they take it to a middle-eastern groove towards the end of the song, which gives Lincoln’s tune a refreshing outlook.
One can only think of the hapless scarecrow in the Wizard Of Oz when you see the words If I Only Had A Brain. Having heard this catchy Arlen/Yarburg tune many times, I was curious about the arrangement that would set this apart from the pack. Wade Beach set the tone for bassist Zack Pride’s conversation with EC’s drums. One can actually envision walking down the yellow brick road as they playfully execute the melody.
Billy Paul pulled the world’s heartstrings with Me & Mrs. Jones, however, Niki emotes a sense of fun and enjoyment in her relationship with Mr. Jones. One gets the sense that she is as comfortable with the relationship the way it is as she is relating it with an under beat of this collaborative mid-tempo bossa nova arrangement by EC and Jackson. Artia Lockett adds her enjoyment in the background like two girls having fun on a double date.
Not much more than the title needs to be said about Swinging At The Haven. EC puts his foot in the stew on this arrangement and the guys stir it up well. If you aren’t tapping a toe, shaking a hip or snapping your fingers, then you don’t know swing. Let this be your introduction.
Lionel Bart sits alongside the many resident masters of the Great American Songbook having penned the music and lyrics to Where Is Love for the 1960 Broadway musical Oliver. It’s a ballad of a young orphaned lad longing to find someone to love him and Niki quietly portrays the emotional depth of the lyric causing one to sympathize for the plight of this lost waif.
Changing tempos, EC, Dominique Patrick-Noel and A.T. take us back to our roots in the motherland as the trio drums and chants through Black Codes. One can visualize the movements of the dancers in a celebration of raising their ancestors. Nice & Easy is exactly what Niki and company do with this mid-tempo 7/8 meter of straight swing and Afro-Cuban undertones. If an encore was ever warranted on a recording then this Mandel/Mercer classic Emily would be a fitting adieu. The guys maintain the light and airy touch of the composers had in mind, leaving this listener with a vision of blue skies, sundresses, laughter and play in a field of wildflowers. Allow them to take you where your heart wants to go.
On this session drummer Ernest “EC” Coleman enlists vocalist Niki Harris, pianists Tyrone Jackson and Wade Beach, bassists Craig Shaw and Zack Pride, Sam Skelton on tenor saxophone and flute, saxophonist Teddy Baker, percussionists Frankie Quiñones, Dominique Patrick-Noel and Arch A.T. Thompson and Artia Locke holding down the background vocals.
For the uninitiated to EC’s genius, as you listen to this compendium of talent and music, I implore you to keep in mind, these are not shy schoolboys or coy girls on their first date. They are uncompromising professionals who know how to swing as well as be that gentle giant in the room with an equally tender touch. They may make it look easy but it is far from being that simple. Time, patience and the talent of eleven musicians committed to their craft have given birth to this seamlessly entrancing orchestration of sound.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | april 11, 2016
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Review: Alex Lattimore | Live
The recorded session has historically been the medium for the listener to fashion a personal venue to partake of an artist’s talent, be it vinyl, cassette or compact disc. But with a live date there is something magical that occurs, and in that space when the artist and the audience connect, an ephemeral relationship is generated. The ordinary becomes exceptional and we remember and carry with us the emotion of the experience. This is just such the case with vocalist Alex Lattimore.
He humbly flaunts a timbre and ease of delivery reminiscent of the spirits of Jon Lucien and Terry Callier, bringing to the fore a small peek into the volume of his talent. With this outing’s arrangements we are privy to two original tunes and also two classic compositions that are songbook standards. His ability to scat is defined right out the gate on Heaven’s Design and justly so closes it out with a winsome whistle that is seldom heard, thus refreshing. Paying homage to Steveland Morris’ My Cherie Amour is a monumental undertaking that he accomplishes with a joie de vivre evident in his inimitable style.
Witnessing a hush fall over the audience exhibits his tenderness with the lyric in his rendition of the Johnny Mercer/Hoagy Carmichael classic Skylark. Alex graciously saves the best for last leaving the audience feeling good and a part of something greater than the individual with Sunlight In My Rain.
But let us be mindful and with the utmost respect to Mr. Lattimore, no man is an island. Understanding that is why he enlisted an exceptional rhythm section comprised of pianist Tyrone Jackson, bassist Brandon Boone, with Henry Conerway and Robert Boone holding down the drum kit. They skillfully apply nuance, reflection and exuberance where and when best needed, griots in their own right. As pleasant an outing as this has been, this band of musicians left the audience wanting more, and thus, we await in anticipation of new treasures that will spring forth.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | february 22, 2016
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Review: Denise Donatelli | Find A Heart
Singers come and go but vocalists are that rare breed who understand how to get inside the lyric and claim it as their own, regardless of the composer. The vocalist is a storyteller, a vehicle to transport you to faraway destinations that you may have nestled in the forgotten regions of your memory or have yet to be fortunate enough to visit. This is the voyage I book every time I sit down to listen to Denise Donatelli.
With her latest release, Find A Heart, Denise has compiled a cache of eleven compositions that speak To one of her favorite subjects… Love! She has the unique ability to discover rare gems that easily translate to jazz and she delivers each song with the fluidity of a seasoned concierge.
Denise surrounds herself with incomparable talent that is enviable to say the least. Her quartet is comprised of pianist and music director Geoffrey Keezer, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, bassist Carlitos Del Puerto, guitarist Leonardo Amuedo. Beyond this is her ability to know when less is more as with Not Like This and Day Dream where her voice is one instrument in the duet.
Like the innovators who challenged the status quo to evolve the music, Denise knows when to enlist the right voices to translate her vision for songs composed by Sting, Crosby, Ferrante and Beck, to name a few, that sit easily alongside Hampton, Mercer, Burke and Strayhorn in the Great American Songbook. As with Fagen’s Big Noise, New York she brought in the fiery tenor saxophone of Bob Sheppard only to offset the more gentle Love and Paris Rain with the mellow tones of Christine Jensen’s soprano.
She also knows when to bring in the sensuality of the Chris Botti trumpet and the lush strings of Alma Fernandes, Matt Funes, Darrin McCann and Giovanna Clayton to ease you through the exposé of my personal favorite Practical Arrangement. If that isn’t enough incentive for one to lend an ear, without any fanfare she pours out her heart to pen lyrics to Billy Child’s In This Moment.
One will notice that the arrangements equally invite the listener into the conversation between the musicians which compliments the listening experience. Each time you listen past her wonderful voice you will hear a nuance you did not notice in prior encounters. This is a key component to great musicianship and why she has been nominated once again for a Grammy.
Setting aside any prejudice one may think I harbor as a longtime fan and musical supporter, I take my listening seriously and there is no price on my musical enjoyment. Suffice it to say, I may not know where the journey will lead me but I am excitedly anticipatory of the beauty I will encounter. Denise Donatelli may not promise me the moon, but she always delivers the poetry of the stars.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | january 23, 2016
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Review: Julie Dexter & The HC3 | The Smiling Hour
There is an inherent understanding of individual artistry I bring to this listening experience. I am filled with anticipation, expectation and a curiosity of what this ensemble will do with the compendium of genius represented in part by Carmichael, Ellington, Lins, Shorter and Higginbotham.
The true measurement of a vocalist is the musicians encircling her and this storyteller has chosen well. With minimalistic accompaniment, they cajole the melody along with a voice that undeniably understands what the lyricist penned. Her interpretations are pure and simple statements from the emotional depths of her soul. Of course, I speak of Julie Dexter, who brings to bear a jazz sensibility reminiscent of the legendary jazz vocalists of the last century.
But do not be deceived. This is far from a project of solo amplitude but a synergy of rhythmic voices that speak volumes. The subtleties in their playing do not bemoan their complete lack of ego as they unfold the story in each song. Like children passing notes in school, this rhythm section comprised of pianist Nick Rosen, bassist Kevin Smith and the anchor Henry Conerway III on drums, easily play off one another, keeping the improvisation of the story vibrant while maintaining the integrity of the composition.
They begin the set with an up-tempo swing invitation to come along to the Black Nile interjected with a bit of scatting on her interpretation of a Vanessa Rubin lyric. Turning to a light-hearted lament, Julie relates her loss of words that’s more a compliment that a complaint with You Leave Me Breathless. The quartet reaches back some forty years to remind the listener that Thom Bell and Linda Creed are still relevant in this modern day world of strife with People Make The World Go Round.
There are three moments of quiet during this session where the ballad takes the spotlight: Jay Livingston’s Never Let Me Go, Hoagy Carmichael’s The Nearness Of You and Good Morning Heartache by Irene Higginbotham. Kevin’s refreshing bowing and plucks, Nick’s offerings of piano accents and Henry’s brush setting tempos compliment Julie’s heartfelt interpretations.
Returning to the fun, we have Nat Adderley’s composition The Old Country, an easy romp with That’s Livin’, a tribute to Duke Ellington that showcases the trio’s interaction on the lone instrumental, Cotton Tail. Well placed in the lineup is the gentle Ivan Lins’ bossa title track The Smiling Hour giving you to sway to the rhythms before closing out the set with the classic Mongo Santamaria’s Afro Blue.
In a world where the milieu seeks style over substance, this formidable foursome is notorious for the honesty of their sound, thus proving substance is their style. There is sparseness in their articulation exhibiting a maturity that echoes less is more. Within this offering lies an unscripted collective intimacy that captures the discipline and freedom in each performance and they have given a new bloom to the classics that will stand the test of time. But what I like most about this expose they’ve aptly titled The Smiling Hour is… the promise of things to come.
carl anthony | notorious jazz | may 19, 2015
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