The best new jazz albums: February 2022
Thursday, January 20, 2022
The Editor's Choice albums from the February issue of Jazzwise, featuring Mark Lockheart, Evan Parker, Georgia Cécile, Jane Ira Bloom & Allison Miller
James Beckwith
SE10
Bridge The Gap
James Beckwith (p, syn, prod), Joe Downard (b), Harry Pope (d), Todd Speakman (perc) with Chelsea Carmichael (bcl, ts), Sheila Maurice-Grey (t, flhn), Sam Rapley (cl, ts), Joe Bristow (tb) and James Copus (flhn)
If James Beckwith’s name isn’t at the forefront of current press coverage of 'the new jazz thing', a glance at the performer credits on this, his second solo release, shows how thoroughly embedded in the young London scene he is. However, Beckwith ploughs his own furrow: the album title namechecks his London postcode, but the sound owes more to the dense, glossy sonics of LA and New York in the high point of late 1970s studio fusion... Eddie Myer
Brigitte Beraha
By the Cobbled Path
Let Me Out
Brigitte Beraha (v, elec, p)
No-one would be quicker to acknowledge the horrors of the pandemic than Brigitte Beraha. But she’s also made the most of its affordances. Her response has been By the Cobbled Path, one of the more beautiful art works to arise from the wounds of the last two years... Andy Robson
Jane Ira Bloom/Allison Miller
Tues Days
Outline
Jane Ira Bloom (ss) and Allison Miller (d, perc)
The fact that she plays an allegedly non-melodic instrument does nothing to prevent her from contributing varied textures and grooves; indeed, one of the joys of the album is that, despite the joint improvisations being totally free and unrehearsed, Miller’s pulse is consistently engaging and inspiring... Brian Priestley
Georgia Cécile
Only The Lover Sings
Warner
Georgia Cécile (v) plus various personnel incl: Ryan Quigley (t), Konrad Wiszniewski (ts), Michael Owers (tb), Euan Stevenson (p, org), Mario Caribe (b), Max Popp (d) and string section
With 10 superbly-crafted original songs, outstanding arrangements courtesy of Cécile’s long-standing songwriting partner – pianist and composer Euan Stevenson – plus a central vocal performance which mixes passion, power and playfulness, this debut is an astonishing achievement... Peter Quinn
Charged Particles with Tod Dickow
Live at the Baked Potato! Charged Particles with Tod Dickow Play the Music of Michael Brecker
Summit Records
Tod Dickow (ts), Murray Low (ky), Aaron Germain (b), Jon Krosnick (d), plus Omar Ledezma (cga)
This is a really dynamic and ambitious live tribute to the legendary saxophonist Michael Brecker, who sadly passed away at the age of 57 in 2007. Bay Area jazzers Charged Particle left as little as possible to chance in preparing for it: "We rehearse a lot," confirms leader Jon Krosnick. The core trio recruited tenor saxophonist Tod Dickow when the idea of a Brecker tribute was first raised some years ago, and he proves a revelation here... Robert Shore
Sinne Eeg & Thomas Fonnesbæk
Staying In Touch
Stunt
Sinne Eeg (v), Thomas Fonnesbæk (b), with Livestrings: Andrea Gyarfas Brahe, Karen Johanne Pedersen (vn), Deanna Said (vla), Live Johansson (clo) and Jesper Riis (string arr)
Eeg is a genuine jazz singer, quite capable of daring shifts and sure-footed in her vocal adventures. Her control and intonation are perfect, her sound varying from the quite wistful on ‘The Long and Winding Road’, taken slowly, to the resolutely upbeat on ‘Too Close For Comfort’, exultant and lively, her vocal marked by a ‘coolly lustrous tonality’ in the words of our own John Fordham... Peter Vacher
Mark Lockheart
Dreamers
Edition
Mark Lockheart (s), Elliot Galvin (p), (synth), (ky), Tom Herbert (b) and Dave Smith (b)
The statement is clear from the opening, eponymous title track. Elliot creates an almost retro Kraftwerk vibe, but when complemented by Lockheart’s measured, resonant tenor, it gains an ‘English’, romantic filter, stirring memories of Bowie in Berlin. Smith and Herbert hold the line even as it all threatens to disintegrate as we wait in the lee of a dark and rain soaked Autobahn... Andy Robson
Evan Parker
Winns Win
Byrd Out
Evan Parker (sax)
Recorded at the house in Walthamstow where Victorian designer and socialist activist William Morris once lived and worked – and dedicated to the memory of his friend and fellow improviser, guitarist John Russell – this latest solo recording from Evan Parker pays personal tribute to both artists... Edwin Pouncey
Immanuel Wilkins
The 7th Hand
Blue Note
Immanuel Wilkins (as), Micah Thomas (p, Mellotron), Daryl Johns (b), Kweku Sumbry (d, djembe), Farafina Kan Percussion Ensemble: Agyei Keita Edwards (Djembe), Adrian Somerville Jr. (Sangban), Jamal Dickerson (Doundunba), Yao Akoto (Kenkeni) plus Elena Pinderhughes (f)
Following the buzz around his debut Omega released in 2020 on Blue Note, the 24-year-old Philadelphia born-and-raised alto saxophonist-composer Immanuel Wilkins raises the bar further with the same quartet for his latest release The 7th Hand. Not unlike his biggest hero Kenny Garrett, Wilkins on The 7th Hand plays the alto with a deceivingly wispy yet soulful tone. Among other achievements is his delivery of intricate solos with an eloquent narrative development that constantly remains succinct and melody driven... Selwyn Harris
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