The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week, we have a third instalment of our ‘tributes and continuations’ theme: albums that pay homage to jazz greats, or serve as a continuation of their musical legacy or philosophy. On Law Years, saxophonist Miguel Zenón leads his quartet through a number of Ornette Coleman compositions, captured live at The Birds Eye Jazz Club. Elsewhere, [Ahmed]—a group consisting of pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Joel Grip, drummer Antonin Gerbal, and alto saxophonist Seymour Wright—reflect upon Ahmed Abdul-Malik’s musical exploration in a set captured at London’s Cafe OTO in December, 2019. Chris Pattishall’s recently released album Zodiac is described as a ‘phantasmagorical interpretation of Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite’, tipping a cap to the pioneering pianist and composer. Noah Haidu leads a trio featuring bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart on Slowly: Song for Keith Jarrett, an album responding to the sad news of pianist Keith Jarrett’s retirement from performance, with compositions by and for Jarrett, alongside complementary pieces from the band and standards. Rounding off the list is a solo bass album from Nesin Howhannesijan, reflecting upon the great writing and bass playing of Charles Mingus. You can check out and support each project via Bandcamp.
Miguel Zenón – Law Years: The Music of Ornette Coleman
[Ahmed] – Nights on Saturn (communication)
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz album of the week is saxophonist and composer Emma Johnson’s debut album with her group, Gravy Boat. Entitled Worry Not, it was recorded at 80 Hertz in Manchester and Valley Wood Studios, and features Fergus Vickers on electric guitar, Richard Jones on piano, Angus Milne on upright bass, and Steve Hanley on drums. Johnson conceived the album to ‘evoke a journey through an impending storm.’ Its eight tracks were inspired by ‘watery imagery’ alongside ‘the worries that everyone faces and deals with’. You can support the project on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Our classic album this week is the late pianist and composer Geri Allen’s 1996 LP, Eyes… in the back of your head. Featuring contributions from trumpeter Wallace Roney, saxophonist Ornette Coleman, and percussionist Cyro Baptista, it has a perfectly pensive mood, with beautiful solo piano pieces alongside tracks subtly embellished with soft hand drums and cabasa. The tune Dark Eyes encapsulates everything that’s great about the record: virtuosic playing from Allen, a gentle percussive rhythm and fine soloing from Roney. A brilliant record from a sorely missed artist. Whilst this title isn’t on streaming services, a number of Allen’s other titles are. You can find hard copies of this album on platforms like Discogs.