Michael Feinberg's Humblebrag, Live at 800 East

It's time we show some love to the bass players, since they form an important part of what this blog is about. Michael Feinberg probably doesn't come to mind when you think of "bass". That is because he is not a name bantered about much, that I know of. I've covered two of his albums before, here--type his name in the search box for the posts. I liked them well. He has a new album that will make you take notice of him if you've missed out before. Michael Feinberg's Humblebrag is the name of the band. The album is Live at 800 East (Behip).

What hits you about this one is the overall concept. It's jazz, very modern jazz, sometimes edging into free territory, always in an advanced mode. It has a group sound that starts with Feinberg's compositions, which are quite good, and fans out into how the band works together to realize them. Michael is joined by Terreon Gully on drums, and he is someone to hear. He has a plastic time sense whether doing rock-funk or stretching out in other ways. Godwin Louis is on alto sax, Billy Buss on trumpet. They make a very dynamic and interactive front line in excellent ways. Julian Shore plays the piano, well. These are pretty much new names to me, but there is poise and hipness to be heard throughout. Buss has some of that leather-lipped brazen brass tang that goes back to Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan and before. Godwin's alto has presence and lucidity. Julian is there throughout playing some things that are advanced and tasteful. And leader Feinberg gives the music fundamental structure whether he's playing the upright or the electric bass.

The compositions have a little of the mid-period Miles, classic Wayne Shorter, middle Herbie Hancock brooding or blazing smartness, only extended into today.

I must say of all the somewhat new names and their new albums in the jazz mode coming through my ears so far this year, this one is at the top of the list for an impressive outing. I recommend it most heartily.

Nathaniel Smith Quartet Debuts with Jon Irabagon

Nathaniel Smith, MUSICAL drummer. That's what I know from his recent debut as a leader of a fine quartet on a CD simply titled Nathaniel Smith Quartet (Fresh Sound New Talent 371). He is also thoroughly schooled in the modern jazz drumming tradition. He swings lightly but accentually; he shows a good feel for brushwork; he gets around his set to provide a lot of good sounds. His skills as a tunesmith are also first rate. Five of the seven pieces on the album are his. They provide distinctive feels, good lines, and very conducive frameworks for the improvisations they set up.

Nathaniel also shows himself a bandleader who can handpick a few choice colleagues to develop a group chemistry that goes well beyond the considerable individual skills involved. Jostein Gulbrandsen is a fine guitarist. His subtle comping and incisive solo style gives the band a personality that it would not have without him. He also writes two numbers for the set, both of interest. Bassist Mark Anderson is another good choice. He underscores the rhythmic-harmonic structures of the pieces with good sense, fine tone and rock solid swingtime. Then there is Jon Irabagon and his tenor. He most certainly is one of the important new voices on his instrument, as a member of Mostly Other People Do the Killing and as a leader in his own right on a number of impressive albums. He can be incredibly exhuberant and boisterous, but on this quartet date he harnesses the dynamo for a group give and take. It's another side of Jon you hear on this one, just a shade cooler but quite lucid, never at a loss for ideas.

So there you have it. The sum of all these parts is a very thoughtfully swinging modern session. Gulbrandsen's guitar solos stand out as exceptionally interesting and we get to see another side of Jon Irabagon. This is serious jazz from start to finish. No frills, no bull. It's one of the best of the loosely straightforward improvisational sessions I've heard so far this year.

Congrats to Nathaniel Smith and his bandmates on this one!

George Breinschmid, Bassist and Iconoclast

George Breinschmid was a bassist with the Vienna Philharmonic before he turned to jazz, and he's been doing alright for himself--the Vienna Art Orchestra, Archie Shepp, etc. The new album of his, Brein's World (Preiser 90787), a two-CD set, shows that he plays a very out-front bass that is as extraordinary eclectic as is his music. Imagine a stylistic universe that embraces everything from Arvell Shaw to Charles Mingus and beyond. That's Georg, the bassist. He slaps and punktes his instrument with great elan and a sense of balance.

And the music? It's so all-over-the-place that you may need a compass to keep your bearings. There's a kind of Hot Club swing minus Django, there are some bizarre sorts of lopey acoustic hip-hops, some playing around with the classical repertoire (Bach especially), interesting contemporary sounds, folk music and what sounds like beer-hall songs--all done in a drumless chamber context with trumpet, piano, violin, and etc.

The two full CDs have so much going on that I can't possibly capture it all here, and not all of it is perfect, but it has such joie de vivre and panache that you can't help going away from this music with a smile on your face.

It's fun, a rare sort of thing in serious jazz these days. But it IS. Get this one and you'll get some very interesting bass playing, unusual arrangements, and a musical trip across the many landscapes inside Brein's brain. Wow!

Chris Colangelo Fields A Powerful Bass and Driving Ensemble

Chris Colangelo plays some ear-gabbling solos on the contrabass. He also writes some very interesting and musically advanced music in the modern jazz bag. He is an ensemble man too and he has an ensemble, man. His second CD is Elaine's Song (C Note 001) and it has everything good happening in it.

Joining Colengelo for this record is a set of musicians that fully attune to Chris' music. There's John Beasley on piano doing beautiful interpretations of Colangelo's music and soloing in the post-Evans mode but with absolute assurance and real artistic flair. Steve Hass does everything a drummer should do--beautiful time that drives and loosens, solo moments that add to the excitement....The three-sax lineup of Bob Sheppard, Benn Clatworthy and Zane Musa gives the ear solid modern soloing and sympathetic readings of Colangelo's music.

The original pieces are very contrasting and strong. It is the sort of music that Hancock and Shorter wrote for Miles and Blue Note in the mid-sixties. And yes, perhaps it approaches those heights now and then. Colangelo also throws in an early Trane classic and a Steve Swallow song that reminds us of the great pieces that grand master of the bass has written.

The music spins you around in your chair. It is excellent in every respect. Colangelos playing, his writing, and his band are shown to great advantage on Elaine's Song. And so it is highly recommended. I only hope he can get this band rolling on a long-term basis and continue to perform and record with it. Because it is a group to watch. Absolutely.

Good Mainstream Jazz From Bassist Ruslan Khain

Originally posted on October 23, 2008

Another day in the world and this morning I am listening to a new Jazz CD by bassist Ruslan Khain called For Medicinal Purposes Only (Smalls). Now if you've never heard of this guy, not to worry. He is not a huge name in the jazz world. Judging from this music, though, he can play, group together a very good batch of players and write some very appropriate numbers in the hard bop style.

The tenor saxophone man is Chris Byers, and along with trumpeter Yoshi Okazaki and pianist Richard Clemens, there are some very good soloists. Drummer Phil Stewart keeps the flames high with a good grooving approach to jazz time. It’s another one of those solid releases from Smalls Records. Anyone who wants to know what mainstream jazz today is all about would get the idea with Ruslan Khain’s album. Good stuff, well played.