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John Sharpe's Best Releases Of 2016

By John Sharpe
December 25, 2016
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Here are ten new releases, reviewed at All About Jazz, which stood out among those I heard this year.

Wadada Leo Smith

trumpet
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Wadada Leo Smith
America's National Parks
(Cuneiform Records)

While the title might conjure up a string of luminous tone poems, the reality of trumpeter

" data-original-title="" title="">Wadada Leo Smith's magisterial collection goes far beyond that on his most outstanding release since the monumental Ten Freedom Summers (Cuneiform, 2012). Not coincidentally, it's also the product of his long standing Golden Quartet, this time expanded to a quintet by the addition of

Ashley Walters

cello

" data-original-title="" title="">Ashley Walters' cello. Smith's artistic intent permeates every moment, informing a stupendous bringing together of the through composed and the improvised, the abstract and the earthy.

Michael Jefry Stevens

piano
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Jefry Stevens
Flow
(Not Two Records)

Bassist

Joe Fonda

bass
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Fonda and pianist

Michael Jefry Stevens

piano
b.1951

" data-original-title="" title="">Michael Jefry Stevens rejoice in a back story spanning over 30 years, but the debut of the Generations Quartet proves to be one of their finest settings. The moniker derives from the presence of veteran reedman

Oliver Lake

saxophone
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Oliver Lake, best known for his part in the pioneering

World Saxophone Quartet

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">World Saxophone Quartet, at one end of the age range, and young Austrian drummer

Emil Gross

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Emil Gross at the other. The inclusion of Lake's acid toned, angular alto and expressive distortion adds the edge which takes Fonda/Stevens' tested blend of inside/outside alchemy onto another level.

Jonas Cambien

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonas Cambien
A Zoology of the Future
(Clean Feed Records)

Belgian-born, Oslo-based pianist

Jonas Cambien

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Jonas Cambien recruits two rising stars of the Norwegian firmament for a series of incisive cuts notable for their inventive arrangements and madcap rhythms. Drummer

Andreas Wildhagen

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Andreas Wildhagen is part of

Paal Nilssen-Love

drums
b.1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit and may not be known to many, but on this showing that is likely to change, while reedman

Andre Roligheten

saxophone
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Andre Roligheten performs with

Friends & Neighbors

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Friends & Neighbors and

Gard Nilssen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gard Nilssen. Improvisation thrives in the nooks and crannies of the charts, such that the interlocking beats, nagging vamps and snatched extemporizations combine in a heady brew.

Anna Webber

saxophone, tenor
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Anna Webber
Binary
(Skirl Records)

If there were a prize for avoiding the obvious, then Brooklyn-based Canadian saxophonist and flautist

Anna Webber

saxophone, tenor
b.1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Anna Webber would be a prime contender. Webber has used internet sourced inspiration, including a random binary digit generator, to develop the 11 idiosyncratic compositions on the sophomore offering from her Simple Trio. She creates an enthralling tapestry of staggered rhythmic layers which are not quite unisons, nor totally out of phase but remain unpredictable because of the sudden suspensions and flourishes. Pianist

Matt Mitchell

piano
b.1975

" data-original-title="" title="">Matt Mitchell and drummer

John Hollenbeck

drums
b.1968

" data-original-title="" title="">John Hollenbeck execute her intricate scores in a way which makes them seem natural and their wayward logic seem inevitable.

Joe McPhee

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe McPhee
Flowers
(Cipsela Records)

Multi-instrumentalist

Joe McPhee

woodwinds
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe McPhee has a long history of solo albums. Flowers, his eleventh unaccompanied release, which constitutes one of his most successful solo outings, dates from the Jazz ao Centro Festival in Coimbra in 2009. McPhee is a master at inventing figures and melodies as the foundation for his excursions which encompass more extreme elements of the sound spectrum. It's that fascination as to how McPhee will plot a course on the continuum between structure and abstraction in any given piece which forms a large part of his enduring intrigue and appeal.

Yoni Kretzmer

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Yoni Kretzmer
Five
(Out Now Records)

NYC-based Israeli saxophonist

Yoni Kretzmer

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Yoni Kretzmer has pulled together a dynamite cast for the splendid debut of his quintet. Kretzmer's thoughtfully put together compositions produce classic small group free jazz by what comes across as a little big band. It's the sort of session you might have found on the Black Saint label in its heyday, but given a twist of contemporary attitude. Kretzmer makes full use of his crew, not only as adventurous soloists, but also as seasoned ensemble players able to hatch motifs on the fly, indulge in conversational interplay and switch effortlessly between styles and approaches.

RED Trio

" data-original-title="" title="">RED Trio
Summer Skyshift
(Clean Feed Records)

English saxophonist

John Butcher

saxophone
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">John Butcher once again joins the Portuguese RED Trio in thrilling seat of the pants navigation. Butcher, who has developed unconventional sounds into a coherent personal language, reveals a less expected penchant for visceral excitement comparable to the free jazz mainstream in its fiery energy. Whether cause or effect,

Rodrigo Pinheiro

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Rodrigo Pinheiro mixes his accustomed piano manipulations with flowing lines and emphatic minimalist patterns to engender the exceptional level of responsive dialogue heard throughout this excellent recital.

Irene Schweizer

piano
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Irene Schweizer
Welcome Back
(Intakt Records)

For such an assuredly rhythmic performer Swiss pianist

Irene Schweizer

piano
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Irene Schweizer shows an unexpected affinity to drummers, though this is only the second entry to her discography with maverick Dutch drummer

Han Bennink

drums
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Han Bennink. In spite of their impeccable avant-garde credentials they have crafted a surprisingly accessible album which fizzes with joie de vivre. While a fondness for tradition surfaces at regular intervals, it's glorious off-the-cuff syncopation that proves their strongest suit. In the end, it's two people having fun in a way which everyone can share.

Peter Kuhn

clarinet
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Kuhn
No Coming, No Going —The Music of Peter Kuhn 1978-1979
(NoBusiness Records)

In No Coming No Going, the Lithuanian NoBusiness imprint has unearthed a real gem, as part of its continuing exhumation of the New York 1970s loft scene. Reedman

Peter Kuhn

clarinet
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Kuhn was a minor presence during the latter half of the decade, but in Livin' Right, reissued here as the first installment of a two disc set, he waxed a masterpiece which sums up many of the virtues of the time as it triumphantly explores then current free jazz paradigms: with bass and drums keeping time but also offering trenchant counterpoint, freeform horns in garrulous polyphony, and attractively organized heads which frame and launch the interaction.

Dag Magnus Narvesen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Dag Magnus Narvesen
Cornua Copiae
(Clean Feed Records)

Fresh off the conveyor belt of talent emerging from the Norwegian jazz scene comes drummer

Dag Magnus Narvesen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Dag Magnus Narvesen whose Damana Octet functions more akin to an even larger ensemble, thanks to some expertly voiced parts. On the roster are some increasingly familiar names, such as saxophonists

Kristoffer Berre Alberts

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Kristoffer Berre Alberts and

Andre Roligheten

saxophone
b.1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Andre Roligheten, alongside a welter of less well known but equally skilled compatriots. Narvesen, who wrote all the tunes, seizes the big band tradition and gives it a smart modern makeover with a refreshing merger of concise yet integrated solos and exhilarating constructs. Best of all the band sound as if it's having a blast.

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Wadada Leo Smith Concerts

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Vilnius Jazz 2025: Wadada Leo Smith - Sylvie Courvoisier...

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