Dino Saluzzi Group, El Valle de la Infancia

What is typical of an ECM album these days is not necessarily what was typical, say, 30 years ago. But there is a family resemblance, surely. Eicher and company come up with music that you don't expect, still. Today we come upon one like that. It is the Dino Saluzzi Group. Dino is a talented bandoneon player and composer of jazz-meets-the-world music. The album is called El Valle de la Infancia (ECM B0020544-02).

This is Argentinian music in its roots and in its expansion. And it hits you as you listen carefully that such is not such a pat thing, because Dino Saluzzi makes much of the possibilities that fit in an ECM mode, that fit in an Argentinian mode, yet not in any "typical" way.

The band is very good. Dino has much to say on the bandoneon. Jose Maria Saluzzi plays the classical guitar and requinto guitar; Nicholas "Colacho" Brizuela also plays classical guitar; and they both sound very finessed, beautiful. Matias Saluzzi will surprise you on electric bass and give the grounding to the band on double bass. Felix "Cuchara" Saluzzi plays effectively on tenor and clarinet, and Quintino Cinalli does yeoman's work on drums and percussion.

The music haunts you after a while. The interplay between guitars and bandoneon has a special feel to it that is partly traditional but also very distinctive and improvisational.

It satisfies the ears and heart when you want to hear something rooted yet ahead. I am very glad to have a copy!

Jussi Reijonen, un

Forget about Gump's chocolates. Because with that you know you are getting chocolates. Life and in turn music is much more open. So getting the debut album by Jussi Reijonen in the mail some time ago, I had no idea what to expect. Un (UNCD 01) is the unexpected in the best sense. Jussi plays oud for half the album. He plays well and the music is a Mideast-Jazz fusion excursion with ensemble of both sorts of instruments that combines musical elements of both and really moves along.

The other part of the album is Jussi on electric guitar with small ensemble, meditative, thoughtful, doing an ECM space sort of version of "Naima" and original numbers, showing that Jussi is a guitarist of stature and creative-generative talent.

I wont try and describe the music fully. It is vital, engaging. Unexpected. In the best way. And not a box of chocolates either! Excellent.

Elina Duni Quartet, Matane Malit

A number of years ago I had the good fortune of being assigned at Cadence a review article devoted to a CD release by the Albanian singer Elina Duni. Not many were familiar with her then but I certainly became enamored with her voice and her music, an intriguing reworking of traditional Albanian folk music combined with modern jazz.

So naturally I was pleased to find that she had just recorded her debut for ECM, Matane Malit. It plays on my computer as I write this.

First off I am happy to say that her music continues to grow. This new one is a furthering of the folk-jazz meld that she was involved with on the earlier recording.

Elina vocalizes here with a piano trio headed by long-time collaborator pianist Colin Vallon. The band is quite receptive to her re-arrangement of traditional songs and new music written in a similar style. The blend of Elina's beautiful, very nuanced vocal instrument with the trio is such that there is an unprecidented resonance between contemporary modal jazz and folk strain. It is music that manages to be quite striking.

Meters are sometime irregular, odd, as is characteristic of indigenous Eastern European music as a whole and the band makes good use of these platforms to leverage a good rhythmic feeling. But whatever the meter every song stands out as an outstanding vehicle for Elina's vocal subtlety and the hipness of the band's arrangements and feel.

This is music to warm the soul. You should most definitely hear it.

It so happens that Elina and band are touring the States just now, starting tomorrow. You can catch them at the following venues:

October 23 - Seattle, WA - Earshot Jazz at Poncho Concert Hall at Cornish College of the Arts
October 24 - Portland, OR - Ivories
October 26 - Ann Arbor, MI- Edgefest at Kerrytown Concert Hall
October 28 - Baltimore, MD - An Die Musik
October 30 - New York, NY- Drom