Marc Copland's "String Theory" : Creating a Transformative Musical Experience

 

Marc Copland- String Theory-InnerVoice Jazz

In traditional physics, particles such as protons, neutrons, electrons, bosons, and photons are considered the basic building blocks of matter and energy. They are often modeled theoretically as point-like entities. In string theory, however, particles are understood less as points than as strands of energy. Each strand vibrates at a distinct frequency, and those differences in vibration determine how a particle is perceived or experienced by an observer.

On Marc Copland’s latest album, String Theory, the accomplished pianist explores the idea that, under the right conditions, a pianist and a violinist can vibrate in sympathy, sparking inspiration and producing a transformative musical experience. Copland and the superb violinist Mark Feldman are supported by two different rhythm sections. Together on this album they reach a level of creativity  that lends credibility to the artist’s own concept of string theory.

I have followed much of Marc Copland’s work over the last two and a half decades. I have always been intrigued by how he originally played saxophone, came to find that instrument too limiting for his expanding harmonic imagination, and in 1973 chose to focus on piano. He  spent nearly a decade in relative obscurity, refining his piano technique in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore areas before returning to New York City in the early 1980s. His debut album as a pianist, My Foolish Heart from 1988, included his longtime collaborator, guitarist John Abercrombie, bassist Gary Peacock and drummer Jeff Hirshfield. The prolific Copland has released over forty albums as a leader and another forty plus albums as a sideman.  During that time Copland has had the envious and deserved chance to collaborate and perform with the crème de la crème of the genre, too many to enumerate.

Marc Copland (photo credit unknown)

Copland and Feldman have both been bandmates of the late guitarist John Abercrombie, but they had never played together until they performed as a duo at a memorial concert for the guitarist in Manhattan. The experience originally unnerved Copland. The pianist was unsure that these two string-based instruments could find common ground. The experience was transformative. It became a noteworthy performance at the memorial, and Copland realized that another collaboration with the violinist could have additional musical possibilities that he wanted to explore.

Fast forward and Copland and Feldman are back together on String Theory, released by Inner Voice Jazz on June 19, 2026. The album offers eight songs, three offerings recorded with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Anthony Pinciotti. The remaining five tracks were recorded with two accomplished Europeans, bassist Felix Henkelhausen and the drummer Jonas Burgwinkel. The music was recorded in two sessions back in 2022 and 2023 and predates Pinciotti’s untimely passing in 2024, so the album is warmly dedicated to the NY drummer’s memory.

Copland is a very sensitive and harmonically expansive pianist. He is one of the premier pianists of his generation. It sometimes surprises me that given the quality of his body of work, the noteworthy collaborations that he has maintained, and the  esteemed place he is held by his peers, his excellence seems less widely appreciated by the general public than he deserves. 

On String Theory, Copland has found a fellow exploratory traveler of merit in Mark Feldman. The music features the traditional folk song “Greensleeves” which is beautifully rendered and is used by Copland to bookend the album. On the opener, Copland and Feldman play in unison, a precise duo at the intro. Henkelhausen’s resonant bass features his fleet, sonorous fretwork. Feldman’s violin is emotively expanding the implied melody and deftly bows out his own path through this folk ballad. Copland takes the lead deciding that the music requires even more expansion. His touch can be Evans-like, delicate and sensitive, but there is also more abstraction to his playing. He introduces gentle twists and turns to the path he follows through the melody before he beautifully cascades the music back to where he and Feldman return playing in unison and into the coda.

Mongo Santamaria’s “Afro Blue” has and continues to inspire many reimaginations to this vibrant Afro-Cuban classic. The music is driven by a pulse as established by drummer Burgwinkel’s clever employment of subtle, deft percussive sounds. Copland’s piano, Henkelhausen’s bass and Feldman’s violin spell out the theme in unison. The pulse remains important on this take but does not overwhelm. Rather it creates a motif, a thematic element, on which the musicians can express their most adventurous ideas. The melody is stated by Copland and repeated by Feldman and Henkelhausen in a call and response pattern, before Feldman is given the first solo. The violinist is always melodic, but his approach includes unique bowing accents, tonal distortions and rhythmic changes, that are interesting and surprising. Copland’s piano is resplendent with slightly outside harmonic ideas, cleverly utilizing unpredictable changes to his pace, attack and tone. Henkelhausen and Burgwinkel are wonderful together, providing a tonal and rhythmic feast of variation. It is unlikely that you have ever heard such a unique reimagination of this one.

“Vesper” is a Drew Gress composition heard on the saxophonist Robin Verhyen’s album titled When the Birds Leave from 2018. Feldman and Copland initially play the melody in unison before they each go into solo mode. Feldman’s violin explores the depths of this moving ballad, sometimes soaring, sometimes pulling the heartstrings with his poignancy.  Copland’s piano solo is tasteful and always inventive. Henkelhausen has a plucky bass solo that is beautifully realized. Feldman’s violin comes back with challenging, pungent lines that stir the pot as the rhythm section percolates beneath him.

The classic Schwartz/Deitz standard “Alone Together’ can always be fertile grounds for jazz inspiration. Opening with a Pinciotti drum roll and a swinging bass entre by Gress, Mark Feldman lays out the melody with authority and joy. Copland’s tactile piano work probes the possibilities. Pinciotti’s lively drum work adds to the excitement. Feldman digs into this one with vigor and inventiveness. His playing has a Stuff Smith feel, free and just swinging. Gress’s double bass work is dynamic. He adds a distinct sense of power, fluidity and depth that shines. Pinciotti drum solo boils over with exuberance that brings a smile to your face. Hard to stop your feet from jumping to the swing these guys create.

The album continues with Copland’s pensive “The Sun at The Zenith,” a tune first heard on his 2017 album Zenith. Feldman’s silky violin sometimes adds  well-placed string plucks almost as punctuation. Pinciotti's shimmering cymbal work  adds to the overall feel. Copland and Feldman play the wandering lines in unison before the pianist quizzically searches through the eerie landscape like at hiker searching for the zenith of trail. Feldman returns offering additional violin expressions that add some gravity. Gress’s spirited double bass solo is inspirational.

Miles Davis’ s classic “Nardis” reprises the talented rhythm section of Henkelhausen and Burgwinkel. Copland’s reimagination of this one is quite compelling. The pianist is very skilled at staying within the music’s form but forever expanding it. Feldman is inspired by the freedom Copland establishes, and he consequently shows the depth of his own imagination in his playing. The band just perks with controlled kineticism and intuitive originality.

Gress's “Like It Never Was”  was explored back in 2009 on Copland’s Night Whispers/Ny Trio Vol 3. The bassist has a long and symbiotic relationship with Copland. Feldman’s violin adds another previously unexplored color to add to this music’s palette. Piniciotti’s varied trap work is expressive and energized. Gress’s bass and Feldman’s plucked violin trace each other’s line in a way that adds another dimension. Feldman’s violin radiates with warmth and sincerity, and Gress’s double bass is buoyant and impactful. Copland is just a master, always playing on the precipices. He has deft awareness of where the imaginary limits of a composition are and he often surprises you where he takes it.

“Greensleeves” is reprised as the final cut of this wonderful album. Copland and Feldman return to this folk classic for one more pass. These two bring out the best in each other’s playing. It’s String Theory, two strands of energy that somehow stimulate and excite each other’s inherent inventiveness. It’s magic. Like in nature, when these two come into each other’s orbit, the energy increases exponentially. The whole is greater than the parts and we are the happy beneficiaries of their experiment!

The Sophisticated and Swinging Sound of "The Ali Ryerson Quartet"

 

The accomplished flutist, Ali Ryerson has released her seventeenth recording simply titled The Ali Ryerson Quartet on her self-produced ACR music label. If you love good music this will certainly put a smile on your face. 

New York born Ryerson has been playing the flute she first took it up at age of eight. Ryerson comes from a musical family that boasts a maternal grandmother Allison-her namesake- who once played professional piano on the vaudeville circuit. Her father, Art ,was an accomplished guitarist who played in the Paul Whiteman Band before becoming a respected studio musician in NYC. His guitar work could be heard on recordings including albums from Louis Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan and Frank Sinatra to name a few. He was also an early adopter of the seven string electric guitar along with the inventor George Van Eps and Bucky Pizzarelli.

Ryerson attended the Hartt School of Music in Hartford CT in the late 1970’s and graduated with a degree in Music.  She studied mostly classical music having taken lessons with the foremost orchestral flutist Julius Baker as being the most influential to her. She credits her  playing jazz with her horn playing brothers on gigs as giving her the jazz bug. Her playing of jazz is self-taught and claims her influences are trumpet players like Chet Baker and Clifford Brown. “In essence, I am a trumpet player who plays flute.”

Ryerson has been know for her sophisticated, intimate sound and inherent ability to swing. She was the driving force between the Jazz Flute Big Band Project and its recording Game Changer  from 2013, where she enlisted nineteen flutist and a rhythm section to reimagine some of the music of Oliver Nelson, Clifford Brown, Wayne Shorter and others for an all flute band. She had an enduring work relationship with the guitarist Joe Beck for almost ten years and recorded two albums with him. Ryerson is also a sort after educator giving on line lessons to aspiring flutists on Lessonface.

Ali Ryerson(photo credit unknown)

Ryerson’s sound has a light, enjoyable, bebop sensibility that assures the music always swings. She also has absorbed the love of Brazilian music in her playing and that can be an important aspect of her playing. Ryerson's mature tone and astute delivery can only be achieved with years of dedication and by playing with talented top notch musicians over the years. 

Ryerson is joined by pianist Larry Ham, bassist Lou Pappas and drummer Tom Melito, a seasoned group, on this album. The Ali Ryerson album captures your attention with its mastery, tonal warmth and sophisticated swing. It brings a smile to your face and delivers an enjotyable listening experience.

The opener “Chuck’s Time/Solar” is a mashup of Ryerson’s opening changes titled “Chuck’s Time” and the main theme, a song credited to Miles Davis but contended to have been actually written by the guitarist Chuck Wayne, and titled “Solar.” Ryerson opens this swinging blues with a circuitous line on her C flute in step with her bandmates matching her lines. There is a buoyancy to Ryerson’s flute solo work here that is pure joy.  Ham takes a elegant solo about halfway through, and Pappas adds a plucky bass solo before Melito’s drum work offers his own response. These guys are having fun and it shows.

Ryerson’s “Cold Snap” is a soulful song that utilizes ascending and descending lines that capture your attention as the band carries the graceful pulse. Ham steps up with a creative, uncluttered solo. Ryerson comes back in with another solo that brims with creative explorations. Pappas offers another interpretation of where he wants to take the music on his bass solo. As the title implies, this one has a snap.

Thad Jones’ iconic “Three and One” is deftly navigated by the bass and flute on the opening and shows the simpatico these two have. Pappas’ bass plucks with a resonation that hums on his top-notch solo. Ryerson’s flute is liquid and loose. Her notes melt in the air. Ham’s piano solo work is clear, unadorned and succinct. It is a tribute to Jones that his composition can be reinterpreted so rewardingly by an astute artist like Ryerson. 

The flutist takes her reimagination of bassist Steve Swallow’s “Falling Grace” and titles it “Flying in Spain/Falling Grace.”  The band creates a breezy sway over which Ryerson’s  flute dances with her own graceful lines. Pappas nicely counters Ali's flute with bouncy lines in time with Melito’s subdued snare. Ham offers his own melodic solo and Pappas adds a brief bass feature, before the group returns to the melody together, ending with a delicate coda.

I have always loved Jerome Kern’s” Yesterdays” ever since I listened to Hampton Hawes, Red Mitchell and Chuck Thompson version recorded back in 1955.  That trio could just really swing. There was unhampered freedom in the way they played and  Ryerson's  take “Before Today/Yesterdays" play it with the same kind of vim and vigor as the Hawes trio did! The group is locked in so well and they create individual ideas that both complimentary as well as inventive and lively. Pappas bass maintains the unfailing walk and Melito’s drum work is tasty. Hain offers subtle accompaniment and a nicely played solo, but it is Ryerson’s astute energizing of the melody with her own fertile ideas that makes this one so much fun.

“The Island” is a famous Brazilian ballad written by Ivan Lins with lyrics by Alan Bergman. It is a lush love song that has been sung by some of the most famous chanteuses, including Sarah Vaughan, Barbara Streisand and Patti Austin. This version loses nothing by not having a singer. Ryerson’s richly toned alto flute is the lead voice on this and she makes it all her own. The music throbs with emotion and pathos. Authentic, beautiful and moving.

The album continues with Cole Porter’s reimagined “What is This Thing Called Love.”  Ryerson’s playing always carries the music with authority and style. Her playing is clear and not breathy, but always adds to the music.

“Ali Cat Blues” is a blues-based, bebop inspired Ryerson composition.  There is some Charlie Parker in the woman’s flute. Ryerson sails and soars like a bird riding the thermals navigating the self-imposed labyrinth she creates with her music. The music is delightfully challenging and yet they all make the execution seem so simple. You can’t help not tap your feet.

“Nada Como Ter Amor” is a Brazilian nova bossa composition from Carlos Lyra where Ryerson and company getting into the Rio vibe. “Boppin’ Low” is another Ryerson composition that returns to the straight ahead/ bebop style that she and her band seem to seem to thrive so well on. The final cut on the album is titled Fé, another Brazilian bossa inspired composition, that has Ryerson’s light and airy flute hovering over the rhythmic groove that the band creates and maintains. There is a freedom, a  gossamer-like lightness  to this music and Ryerson captures this weightless feel to perfection.

Michael Blake and Chroma Nova:" Piccolos Before Rifles": Eloquence, Color and Joy

Michael Blake is a creative saxophonist/composer whose work I have always tried to keep current with. I first heard this Canadian born musician’s work with bassist Ben Allison’s group back in Brooklyn in the late 2000’s when I saw the group perform the music from the great album Little Things Run the World. His work, along with all of this splendid musicianship of the group's other players, caught my attention. It’s been a musical cornucopia of creativity and enjoyment for me following their work since then. 

Blake has been particularly productive with his own work, including his well received Dance of the Mystic Bliss  from 2023, and this latest release  Piccolos Before Rifles takes the listener into a world of music that brings a strong West African/Brazilian rhythmic element into the light. The group on this latest release is called Chroma Nova and a slightly different personnel was on the former album Dance of the Mystic Bliss. The New York-based, Vancouver, Canada born musician continues with three Brazilian masters on this album and their inherent rhythmic influences are a major factor as to how well this album feels and flows. Blake's inventive compositions in the hands of this group offer color, eloquence, vibrancy, passion and joy to the listener.

Michael Blake (unknown photo credit)

I have been a long-time admirer of the drum and percussive work of Rogerio Boccato and previously seen him lend his deft artistry to numerous other established artists including John Patitucci, Billy Childs and Kenny Garrett. Bassist Gili Lopes and guitarist Monteiro, both Brazilian, are new to me. The Puerto Rican-American violinist Skye Soto Steele completes this ethnically diverse band and gives Blake’s music its own distinctive musical identity that should make listeners smile and dance to this offering. There are seven compositions, each with its own inspiration that gives the listener a back story to how the music relates to a real life experiences, tribute or an aspiration. In some respects this allows the listener to follow the compositional track from idea to construction to execution.

“Elephant Crush” is a energetic composition that Blake conceived of as a visceral representation of what Blake and his brother once experienced, when the earth shook beneath their feet as a herd of elephants stampeded toward them on a Safari outing in Zambia. After a dynamic intro, the music emerges like a clarion call to awareness to the pending danger with the band playing in beautiful synchronicity.  Led by Monteiro’s drone-like guitar picking, Blake’s sumptuous tenor, Gili Lopes palpitating bass lines and Boccato’s exquisite percussive-driven pulse. Steele’s violin adds a distinctly edgy accent as a counterpoint to Blake’s liquid saxophone lead. The electricity the music generates it has a distinctive West African flavor that is infectious and makes you move to it. You either avoid the pending danger or just get out of the way. Blake’s saxophone work is exploratory as he raises the temperature in counterpoint to the probing rhythm  before the group comes to an abrupt coda.

“Temples” is a slower paced composition that has a Middle Eastern meets Americana vibe to it. Blake and Monteiro interweave their instrumental tones and ideas in a beautiful exchange that is quite expressive and fluid. Steele’s plaintive violin adds another element to this musical tapestry. There is calm courage to this music that is quite eloquent, to be savored.

Any saxophonist worth his mettle will find Stan Getz worthy of studying. “Stone Cold Stan” becomes Blake’s tribute to the master of superb tone. The energetic pace is anchored by the ostinato bass lines of Lopes and Boccato’s rhythmic creativity. The theme is stated in precise unison by the guitar, violin and soprano saxophone, a little reminiscent to me of the first Mahavishnu band's type of interplay, albeit lighter, but nonetheless impressive. It shifts rhythmically and Steele’s urgent violin solo dances like an ecstatic dervish before Blake’s airy soprano enters the mix, sinewy, slithery and snake-charming-like hypnotic. A hybrid song that seems to cross over into fusion territory.

The title track, “Piccolos Before Rifles,” is Blake’s take on how music, played in the form of a military band, is used to introduce a formation of marching soldiers. Music is usually considered as a vehicle to promote peace and love, so the fact that has often been used as a tool for the proliferation of war couldn’t be more ironic. The opening features a slow duo of Monteiro’s guitar and Lopes’ bass. Boccato introduces a cadenced drum line over which Blake’s noir-inspired tenor appears just taking you to another place. Steele’s light violin lines mix with Blake's horn in a sympathetic delightful unison before Lopes bass is featured on a probing solo.  Blake’s tenor comes out front with another exploratory solo, slowly building up the tension before allowing the music to slow and simmer to the finish.

Michael Blake and Chroma Nova (photo credit unknown)

If you like Western African/Brazilian inflected groove “Mauritania” is the answer. The music is breezy and bluesy, and you feel how the love of dance inspires this music. Held together by this stellar Brazilian rhythm section of Monteiro, Gili and Boccato, the music floats into the atmosphere like a free bird via Blake’s airy flute work. Steele’s violin adds another color and Monteiro’s guitar tops off this one with his gentle fretwork. Sit back, turn this up and grab a tropical drink and you’ll experience the West African Saharan sun of Mauritania.

“Lift Off” opens with some percussive accents by Boccato before Gili’s bass and Monteiro’s guitar strumming is joined by Blake’s propulsive tenor. The band builds up the tension in stages, the music grows more excitable, more intense as they ignite in preparation of Lift Off. This is the only cut on the album that doesn’t include Steele’s violin contribution.

The final composition is “Black Taj”, a song inspired by a trip made by Blake to India and a tale that accounts for Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, the Emperor who built the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his wife. The emperor supposedly wanted to also erect a Black Taj, a mirror image to the first White structure only in Black across the river. Since the Black Taj was never constructed, we must assume that the song must somehow relate to the feelings that come from having a driving ambition that never comes to fruition. The music opens with Blake's deep-toned  alto flute, another added color to this tapestry of sounds.  Lopes adds some bass lines in conversation with Blake's beautiful flute work. Steele's violin lays down a drone-like backdrop on top of Boccato's whirling drum work and Montiero's inventive guitar explorations. The group slowly brings the pace to a fading conclusion as Blake's flute flutters to breathlessness. Just beautiful.

Minimalist, contemplative and insightful: "The Woods" - The Ryan Blotnick Quartet

The guitarist Ryan Blotnick has released his fifth album titled The Woods in April of this year released on Fishkill Records. Ryan attended at William Patterson University where he studied with Gene Bertoncini and Paul Meyers. He completed his degree for Jazz Studies there. His path took him to study for his Master's of Music Performance from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark between 2002-2006. His time at the Conservatory allowed him the unique opportunity to study as an exchange student back in New York as well as in Europe with such notable musicians as guitarists Steve Cardenas, Lionel Loueke, and Jakob Bro; saxophonist Lee Konitz, and bassist Ben Street. 

Blotnick was originally from Southwest Harbor, Maine. After his education, he spent ten years in New York City and became a sideman performing and recording with saxophonists Pete Robbins and Michael Blake, as well as drummers Tyshawn Sorey and Jeff Williams. In 2015, Blotnick decided to return to his home state of Maine and has been there ever since.

Blotnick's latest album The Woods was recorded in a studio called The Woods in Woodstock, NY., but besides the obvious link to the studios name, it is Blotnick's relationship to the outdoors that is most important in regards to the album's title. 

"The woods is a place where everything is deeply inter-connected-even if it appears disconnected on the surface." "...in music, there is a conscious level where musicians interact intentionally...at the same time, we are interacting on a subconscious level, adjusting dynamics, blending, and having each other's backs. This kind of deep listening and collectivism is what makes music such a powerful force."

Trying to achieve this state of being, where intuition allows collectiveness and  creatively flows by being able to tap the ether, is what Blotnick has been working towards for years. To that purpose he assembled two old friends from the Hudson Valley area, pianist/organist Tyler G. Woods and drummer Otto Hauser. Together with bassist Adam Chilenski, who Blotnick enlisted, this group took ten of Bloknick's compositions into the studio for two days recording this album in April of 2024. From what I have listened to on The Woods, guitarist Ryan Blotnick has certainly raised his musical sights and elevated his playing to another level.

Ryan Blotnick (photo by Richard Sassaman)

The music is minimalist, contemplative, insightful and perceptive. The opener "The Magic" explores space and time, creating a soft modal groove that finds Blotnick's guitar creating influential sounds that remind me of John Abercrombie's exploratory work.

"Pecao" is a composition that was inspired by a visit to the Yucatán peninsula in Mexico by the guitarist. Blotnick offers lush chords and deliberate single note lines as some swelling organ chords are deftly provided by Woods. Huaser and Chilenski provide the infectious clave rhythm to this beautiful piece.

"Cuyo" has a slow meditative feel. A deliberate cinematic feel that sets the stage for mystery or drama. Woods organ work here is again on point tonally. Blotnick's guitar is sparse, using space in a Jim Hall kind of way- delicate, wasting no extra notes to make the point.

"Neptuno 2000" was a improvised, exploratory, under two minute free form that have the band letting loose. This is a stylistic outlier on the album.

"Two Lights" was a highlight. Modulating guitar lines, sensitive and light. Piano work  by Woods fits beautifully. These guys are in sync. Chilenski's bass line throb with authority and Hauser's trap work is complimentary. Blotnick credits guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel with the inspiration for this one. Hear it for yourself.

"Snowfields" is a reference to a killer ski slop that has is unforgiving to the unschooled. The music is energetic, jagged and perhaps frenetic, unpredictable in all directions. No one of my favorites.

"Subnivean" opens with sparse modulating guitar lines and responding piano lines, like two birds calling to each other in the darkness. Smooth, exploratory and cautious. Wood's piano adds beautiful crescendos of notes as the music ends in a whisper.

"The Woods" has a beautiful, Americana-like shuffle to it. Repetitive lines by Blotkin set the melody as the rhythm team make sure the direction and pulse are consistent. Blotnick's guitar borrows from the Frisell school for this one, and Wood's piano has elements of that recall Bruce Hornsby's style. 

Ryan Blotnick Quartet
(Tyler G. Wood, Otto Hauser, Ryan Blotnick and Adam Chilenski)
 (photo credit unknown)

For those how can't get enough of the slow played, blues inspired guitar that was best represented by artists like Grant Green in the early nineteen sixties on Blue Note Records, then you will love Blotnick and band's take on "Smokey Corners." This one is like returning to those days when you could sit back in a dimly lit ( dare I say dingy), well- worn bar,  where the drinks were cheap, the women were purportedly loose, and the band was jammed in a small sliver of a space in a corner, but the music was sublime. You can't ask more than that.

The closing composition has a folk-inspired feel. On "Lurvey Spring" Blotnick's slow, minimalist guitar work is all about feelings, tone and sincerity. I can see how Blotnick relates this to the kind of music Neil Young would sometimes play when he wasn't rocking out. "Old Man" had that kind of haunting feeling for me. The band plays takes this seriously, respectful, almost reverent. Blotnick's guitar sometimes has an almost lap steel kind of sustain on this one. Lurvey Spring is an actual natural spring in Blotnick's native Southwest Harbor, Maine. It is on the Mount Desert Island and part of Acadia National Park. I have been to the park many times, it a special place that is beautiful and inspiring. I have never heard of Lurvey Spring before, but no doubt the place has a special meaning to this guitarist and his music makes that clear.

The Passing of a Friend; RIP Louis Gramling (Aug 3, 1938-May 12, 2026)

Louis Gramling on his Eightieth birthday in 2018 

I lost a friend on May 12^th of this year after he succumbed to a relatively short heath condition, his name was Louis Gramling. I have posted a picture he sent me from his eightieth birthday; it was about eight years ago. How time flies. By the time he celebrated that birthday, I had already relocated to the Atlanta area. Consequently, Louis and I had retained a good friendship over the phone, through emails, and trading music long after my departure from Connecticut, where we first met. I am not a relative, no longer a geographically convenient friend, but we somehow maintained our connection and friendship for years. I thought I couldn't just let his passing go by without sharing my recollections of knowing this fine man and acknowledging how proud I was to have called Louis my friend.

At the age of eighty-seven, Louis didn’t have immediate family left in his life except for a cousin that he talked about and still communicated with back in his native Hungary. At a certain age, we will all have to deal with the reality that life can become lonely. Many family members, significant partners, and friends predecease us as we age, and it can be challenging to maintain one’s sense of purpose. Louis’s lasting companions were his extensive library of books and his collection of records, tapes and cds.  He also had an ex-wife who he maintained as a friend, a current girlfriend that was close, and a disparate group of close acquaintances and friends like me.

When Louis was recently hospitalized, and was determined to be terminally ill, he contacted me to say goodbye and asked me if I could contact three of his friends and let them know of his condition.  It was a difficult time to hear his voice and to know he was slipping away quickly. Thankfully, he was able to make connections to those three people that he asked me to contact, and in a small way I felt lucky to have been able to facilitate that connection and was able to do my friend one last courtesy.

The history of our friendship is certainly a little humorous. I had decided to buy a small console piano post-divorce back in 2000. I had played guitar and harmonica for years in rock bands and in folk duos, but I always thought the piano would be a more promising instrument, if I could only learn to play it well? I thought my changing life circumstances would allow me more time to dedicate to this avocation. With my newly ignited ambition to seriously learn to play piano, I suddenly had the karmic experience of meeting Louis at the piano store where I had purchased my piano. He was an excellent pianist and composer. He was also a personable, opinionated, and a good-humored guy to boot! It turns out he was giving piano lessons and was supposedly a pretty good teacher. I booked private weekly lessons with him, thinking this would make my learning with a good instructor an easier challenge. Louis would come to my house, sit me down on the bench, and open rudimentary books that required me to practice scales, sight read music, and learn how to master simple songs. The lessons were an hour each week and it was up to me to practice diligently whatever he assigned. I would have to consistently put in the boring, repetitive work needed to become an accomplished technician and hopefully in time a decent pianist. It didn’t take long for me to lose some of my enthusiasm for the tedium. Taking baby steps to establish a foundation was not what I wanted to hear. I thought with my musical background I should breeze through the basics and get to the meat more quickly. I gave it a try for months, and I quickly became less happier, inpatient student. The shine was coming off the apple for me. 

Louis and I both had a love of jazz music. I had a good ear and could pick up riffs and melodies on the guitar without really putting the effort into being a good sight reader. Why couldn’t I get to the same place quicker on the piano with a teacher? I became disillusioned at how little real music I was able to play after many months of lessons with Louis. It was like me attempting to fit my square peg into a round hole, Aware of my frustration with the process, Louis tried to get me to play some jazz songs that I had really loved by just listening to recordings and trying to practice mimicking them by ear. He thought this might rekindle my original enthusiasm, but I even struggled with that. I was realizing virtuosity is not something that comes easy. Eventually, despite Louis’ valiant efforts, we both concluded that my aspirations for playing piano were unlikely to come to fruition. I discovered that while I did love playing music, I just didn’t want to put in the work, the time and the sweat needed be a legitimate musician. Hacking around the edges of the music like I had done for years prior was joy enough for me. I was not destined to be one of Louis’s star students, but the beauty of our relationship was that it didn’t prejudice our friendship one iota.  Mutually, our friendship became the real reward that blossomed out of this otherwise failed experiment.

Louis Gramling at one of our many lunches.

While I was in Connecticut, outside of my lessons, Louis and I often would plan to meet for lunch, converse about music and politics, exchange philosophical ideas and just enjoy each other’s company. I had a full-time, successful gig in construction and real estate development that helped me raise my family and pay my bills. As an avocation, I had taken up writing reviews of jazz music in my spare time and was published starting back in 2007. This outlet fed my need to be involved in the music, gave me some credentials, and I found my love of the music was better expressed through my reviews, my interviews, my concert postings than any of my attempts to try to play jazz. Louis encouraged my writing and we often discussed the nuances of the music I was reviewing; disagreeing at times and rejoicing in agreement at other times. We maintained these exchanges, often times weekly, despite the geographical distance that separated us when I moved from Atlanta to the Pacific Northwest.

Louis was of born in Hungary in 1938. As a young man, he came into this country to follow his dream of being a successful professional musician. By almost anyone's standards, Louis was a success. He  was an excellent pianist and played with top notch players over the years, often on call as a valuable sideman. He made an imprint on those who got to play with him as a musician, as well as to those who simply knew him as a friend. I will sorely miss our conversations.

Having been brought up as a youth in a communist controlled country, Louis had a love for the freedoms that this country bestowed on every citizen, whether they be an immigrant like Louis had been or a native-born citizen like me. Louis did not take these freedoms lightly. He was truly one of a kind, a a principled individual with strong beliefs who was not easily swayed. We often disagreed about political concepts and actions and whether they were good for the citizenry or detrimental. He was much more politically conservative than I was and when discussions got heated and passions got the best of us, we often stopped the conversation and gentlemanly agreed to disagree. I will have a hard time not having his contrarian voice to hear anymore.

I know Louis was working up till the end on an album that would include many of his compositions that had never been recorded. He got a world class flautist that he was friendly with to be interested in playing on this project. He wanted me to try my hand on some lyrics and had gotten a famous Hungarian artist to commit to making the album cover art. He was hoping this project would stir up interest in his compositional treasure trove that he felt be his legacy. It’s too bad that fate would deal him the hand that we will never get to hear this final project. I am sure it would have been brilliant. 

Here is a song "Solitude" from the recently departed master saxophonist Sonny Rollins dedicated to you my friend. If there is jazz in heaven Sonny will be playing this to and you will be smiling listening to it! Rest in Peace old friend.

Soul Slaying British Vocalist Mica Millar Releases Her Latest "A Little Bit of Me"

 

Mica Millar- A Little Bit of Me - Golden Hour Music

I am not often smitten, but the British soul/jazz/R & B vocalist Mica (pronounced Meekah) Millar has grabbed me with her latest                  A Little Bit of Me. The album is self-produced on her label Golden Hour Music and will be released on June 5, 2026. Once you get your hands on this music, I predict you will find yourself repeatedly playing this one because you can't get this captivatingly compelling voice out of your head.

Born in Withington, a southern suburb of Manchester, England, this thirty-two-year-old chanteuse absorbed some of the best of soul, R & B, jazz, Motown, gospel and blues that was happening when she was as a young girl. She has taken all those influences-inspired by identifying with artists like Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Etta James, Tracy Chapman and Prince- added her own Manchester grit, and out comes something that’s rooted in the tradition but is all Millar’s own. Her father was a drummer, and her mom was involved in the public relations side of music. She clearly had the music in her DNA from an early age. This woman stands all of five feet five inches tall, but has a voice that projects elements of soul, emotional R & B, gospel and bluesy grit with aplomb and power. She once reflected

“I wasn’t really a very good singer when I was a kid. That’s the truth of the matter. But I had passion. I had a very loud voice. I could project for a very small person.”  (*)

That humble self-assessment doesn’t do justice to Millar’s talent. Her emotionally charged voice and the visceral connection she establishes with listeners is what makes this vocalist different.

Mica Millar at the Jazz FM Awards where she won "Soul Act of the Year 2022" Award.

In her early twenties, Millar was on her way to becoming a premier soul and R & B singer in Great Britain. By 2017, she was playing mostly local gigs around her hometown Manchester surrounding area including a short stint with the group Red Sky Noise. Initially she sang her own compositions solo and released some on social media where she started to be noticed. She released the sparse, piano accompanied single “My Lover” and “Not the First” with some backup vocals in 2017.  The Portishead-like single,  “The Defender,” was well received in 2018.  Mica Millar was an artist that clearly was a force to be reckoned with.

Then in January of January 2020, her health and career were seriously challenged by a terrible accident. While working on developing trampoline skills, she tragically took a terrible fall and broke her back. It was a serious, terrifying injury that required her back to be surgically pinned permanently with metal fasteners.  As with many spinal injuries, there is always the possibility of partial or full paralysis that loomed over the young singer. Millar always sang with strength and conviction as her voice projected from her diaphragm. A serious back injury could have ended the vocalist’s career just when her talent was being more widely recognized. Although paralysis was thankfully not part of her path, any physical impairment would require months of rest and dedicated rehabilitation.  

“My fracture from the accident was dangerously close to my spinal cord-I’m incredibly lucky not to be paralyzed.”  “One of my vertebrae was entirely crushed and I had metalwork put in. Not that long after the op’, while it is incredible pain I can’t describe, you are up to walk after a week or so, and they don’t want you to be laying down for long as your muscles deteriorate…” (*)

Her voice would be another X factor until she had a chance to rebuild her strength. Her career was temporarily at a standstill. Millar was forced to regroup, rebuild, and recover.

After battling the restrictions of Covid and her own arduous rehabilitation, Millar got a chance to work on her recovery album, Heaven Knows. The album was released in June of 2022, a statement that represented what she was feeling at that time. Thankful, hopeful and I’m back!  It was a hit! Millar was able to record it at Abbey Road Studios in London with the legendary Goeff Pesche and she assembled a great group of backing musicians. The album featured a strong Millar who composed and sang fourteen songs that proved this woman was back and in fine form. “Preacher Man,” a single from the album which showcased her gospel inspired talents, kept her music in front of her ever-building fan base as the album gained greater exposure and accolades.

Fast forward as the world anxiously awaits the release of Millar’s latest   A Little Bit of Me which is scheduled to be released on June 5, 2026, on her Golden House Music label. I have had this record for about a week, and I can’t tell you how much I have spun this one over, and over, and over again. I am mostly a jazz reviewer and for me to be captured by this soul/jazz/Motown/gospel/blues inspired record both delights and surprises me.  Millar’s voice is hypnotizing. She projects with strength and conviction a little like Sarah Vaughan did with jazz, a little gritty like Etta James did with blues or like Aretha did with Soul and  R & B , the listener gets grabbed and trapped into the web Millar spins with genuine joy and steadfast faith. If you are looking for a success story to cheer for, Mica Millar's return to full strength certainly meets that criteria.

There is something here for almost anyone who just wants to lay back with their headphones and soak it all in. The opening album title cut “A Little Bit of Me” has a soulful groove that has Millar and her excellent back up singers, Amber Kuti-Smith and Ellie Hulme, makes for easy listening. Millar voice is strong and soulful. The backing duo fit her voice like a custom made glove. “Times Like These” have some elements of neo-country, with Millar finding some country in her voice and with a twangy slide guitar line, probably by Adam Smith, that warms your heart, cozy up to a fire and grab your Tony Lama boots.

One of my favorites is the slow burning “Under My Skin” which features Millar’s expressive, soulful voice, backed by some stellar backing voices like Kuti-Smith and Hulme, and some excellent section horn work by Kenyon Harold (trumpet/arrangement), Tiivon Pennicott (saxes), and Hamilton Hardin (assorted horns) that complete the feel. This one smolders like a glowing ember. Sizzling, look but don’t touch!

The album continues to the funky “Warning Sign,” the rousing “It’s You” and the strutting, barrelhouse “The Broadway” with its horn section work and its “maybe later we can get undressed” line, all satisfying offerings.

Have a listen to Millar’s “A Little More Time for Love” with featuring some of Danielle Weatherspoon’s B3 organ lines and some of Pennicott’s baritone sax accents. The production and musicianship on this album is fantastic.

If you love well harmonized voices in the Motown tradition you can’t miss “If You Stay.”  Millar’s voice is stage front and beautifully present as the two backup voices plus Simon Dale, weave the harmony to perfection. Guitarist Smith adds tasty lines, as Jay White’s bass and Marcus Finnie’s trap work hold the pace with precision.

·   There is plenty more to enjoy, from “My Joy,” to “See You On the Other Side” and “Hard Times” or like the gospel driven “Oh Freedom,” but you need to find your favorites and get the music to get into your blood and percolate.  The album finishes with the sauntering soulful “Hand on My Soul” and poignant torch song “When You’re Gone.” It’s great to hear that Mica Millar is growing better and stronger and she delivers in spades with her latest A Little Bit of Me.  Guaranteed to bring some joy to your listening experience.

(((*) The quotes were taken from Steve Best's article "From Horror to Heaven-Meet Stunning Soul Diva Ms. Mica Millar" in  Music Republic Magazine which you can read here.) 

Mark Wade and his Trio Start a New Third Stream with their latest release "New Stages"

 

Mark Wade Trio- New Stages- Dot Time Records

The bassist Mark Wade is becoming more widely recognized as an important voice on his instrument. Originally born in Michigan and raised in New Jersey, Wade began his musical education at the age of fourteen. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at New York University in 1997. There Wade studied with the world class bassist/educator Mike Richmond, whose own experience spanned working with the likes of Stan Getz and Lee Konitz to Jack DeJohnette and Ravi Shankar. 

Wade’s playing was always following a dual path with skills allowing him to easily traverse playing bass in a classical orchestra or in a jazz trio or a big band setting. His classical skills brought him to be a longtime member of the Key West Symphony, The Orchestra of the Bronx Opera and the S.E.M./Janacek Czech Republic Philharmonic. His jazz skills have been seen as a member of the Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra and as a bandmate whose has worked with notable instrumentalists Gary Bartz, Jimmy Heath, Conrad Herwig and vocalists Stacey Kent and Peter Eldridge to name just a few. Wade has been on the faculty of the Lehigh University’s jazz program since 2017.

Mark Wade photo by Bill Heuberger

My exposure to Wade’s music started when I reviewed his sophomore release Moving Day from 2018. The trio dealt skillfully with such standards as “Autumn Leaves” and “Maiden Voyage” along with his own twist on Dizzy Gillespie’s classic with “Another Night in Tunisa” as well as his classically influenced composition “The Bells,” which was inspired by a small fragment of Debussy’s “La Mer.”  That album offered a lot of promise. His 2022 release True Stories used compositions inspired by Miles Davis, Charles Mingus and Igor Stravinsky and received more attention from a wider audience for this musically talented bassist.

The latest album titled New Stages, was released in March on Dot Time records. This offering finds this creative bassist continuing his search; his quest to find a common ground between the structure of compelling classical music and the expansive freedom that the musical improvisation of jazz brings to music. The album has fifteen compositions by Wade and he is joined by his intuitive trio members, Tim Harrison on piano and Scott Neumann on drums. These guys have been playing together since 2013.

Wade acknowledges that his playing in classical orchestras has been the source of much of his compositional inspiration. The bassist starts off this album with his take on Debussy’s music, in this case the composer’s Children’s Corner Suite.  Opening with “The Good Doctor Gradus” the music erupts with speed, dynamism and propulsion.  Harrison’s piano takes on the almost frantic pianistic exercise, as Wade’s plucky bass keeps the music in pace and Neumann’s drum work accents the music with splashing cymbals and rolling toms. The music continues with “The Elephant’s Lullaby” a take on Debussy’s “Jimbo’s Lullaby.” The UK born Harrison, seems quite adept in his classical mode to piano here. Wade creates his own miniature lullaby. “The Shepherd Takes A Turn” opens with a booming, walking bass line by Wade, as the music introduces a feeling of  swing. Wade’s pizzicato resonates with fluidity and inventiveness. Harrison’s piano maintains the repeating melody in accompaniment. The original composition by Debussy ,“The Little Shepherd,” was said to represent a shepherd and his flute. Here Wade takes the more memorable repeating melody, opening it up with his own harmonic interpretations that make this one seem more cinematic than a children’s song. 

“Cakewalk” takes the strut-like, syncopated rhythm of the original and makes it jump and pulse with excitement. Wade’s fingers pluck the fretboard with a dervish intensity, as Neumann’s drum work adds dynamism. Harrison’s piano work seems to add a Monk-like change of timing in his improvisations that seem to make this one stand out.

The album continues with “Saga” taken from Sibelius’ Violin Concerto, the only concerto the composer wrote. Wade’s bass, Harrison’s piano and Neumann’s drum work matching notes synchronously.  Wade takes an extended pizzicato solo that is quite impressive, an extended improvised section that in the original piece was dedicated to the violin. The bassist modernizes this piece brilliantly with his trio to great effect.

“The Storm” is a take on Chopin’s turbulent D-minor prelude and the music creates the feel of being in a whirlwind, a tempest. Harrison plays with fearlessness and beauty. Wade’s double bass sings with a beautiful tone and hums with sonorousness. Neumann’s kit creates a tumultuous array of percussive effects.

“Idyll” comes from Maurice Drufle’s Requiem, which Wade and his trio plays this with devoted respect and solemness, while still maintaining a spaciousness that makes this music connect with the listener.

Wade creates a two-part suite that uses Joaquin’s flamenco guitar inspired Concierto de Aranjuez to create his “Iberia Part 1 and Part 2”.  This music has also inspired other jazz musicians in the past. Miles Davis and Gil Evans Sketches of Spain and Chick Corea’s Spain come to mind. Wade and his trio find their own interpretation of this Iberian inspired music, incorporating musical elements that come before them to make their own rendition ring true.

Wade’s “Lament” is a reimagination of Henryk Gorecki’s 1st movement of “Symphony Number 3.” The music was composed in 1976 and first played in 1977. It is a more modern source than the other music in this album. It has a lively repeating line driven by Harrison's piano and Wade's ostinato driven bass. The music offers a hopeful feel as Harrison’s piano creates austerity and hope. Neumann's cymbal and tom build up tension before Harrison's piano provides a easy, swinging release and then Wade is featured on a probing double bass solo that moves deftly against the music.  

The album includes with "Judgement "“Transition” and “At Rest” all inspired by Gabriel’s Faure’s Requiem. “Waltz and Variation” inspired by Chopin’s Waltz in A Flat and ends with “Jesu” which is inspired by Johan Bach’s chorale from Canata Jesu, Joy of Men’s Desiring .

No matter if you are a classical music follower or not, Mark Wade and his trio somehow reimagine this music and instill in it a new vitality. These talented musicians play the music with an inherent respect, and they make it more reachable by adding creative improvisational elements and rhythmic variation to the architecture of these classical gemstones. Wade’s approach on his New Stages  is  his own version of this eras new Third Stream.

Tigran Hamasyan: Manifeste- Introspective Music as a Path to Self-Discovery

 

Tigar Hamasyan: Manifeste: Naïve Records 

The Armenian born pianist Tigran Hamasyan has been a bit of an outlier.  He played rudimentary music on his family piano from the age of three and was in music school from the age of six. By the age of nine Hamasyan was immersed in jazz, but he was also highly influenced by the abrasive power guitar sounds of thrash metal! The man is a bit of an enigma; not a pure jazz pianist in the traditional sense, but a prolific improvisor. He is armed with the weapons of dexterity, skill, classical piano training, Armenian folk music influences, deftly using his voice instrumentally, and his own brand of fusion-inspired, prog-rock jazz, peppered with electronica. The pianist/composer is a percolating caldron of musical creativity that can inspire you with his pure talent and acumen and yet surprise you with his unpredictable excursions. If you listen to what this artist has already said in interviews, you get some insight into what is driving this man. Hamasyan once said “When I solo, I tend not to think of myself as a pianist.” He also has a seemingly unsatiable appetite for music from many disparate styles and origins. “I get into different types of music and really immerse myself in each one and then I move on…” These inclinations and the strong identification with his culture and its indigenous music remain driving forces that motivate his creativity.

At the age of 16, Hamasyan went to California to study and became entrenched in the LA jazz scene.  I was aware that Hamasyan won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz  Piano Competition back in 2006 at the age of nineteen, edging out Gerald Clayton and Aaron Parks! My first exposure to the pianist was from his well-received Verve album Shadow Theater from 2013. This album scratched the surface of the creativity that this composer and his musical mind held. The music was powerful, ethereal and different. The pianist utilized elements of jazz, prog rock, Armenian folk music, creative choral voice work and a deft use of strings and woodwinds. I was hooked by this man’s vision.

The latest album, released on Naïve Records on February of this year, is titled Manifeste and offers fourteen compositions that the artist uses as a vehicle for exploring into and discovering himself.

Hamasyan plays piano, synth, synth bass, drum programs, whistles, and provides vocals. He is joined by Nick Lierandi on guitar, Marc Karapetian on bass, and four different drummers- Mark Garskta, Arthur Hbnatek, Arman Mnatsakanyan and Nate Wood. There are also guest appearances by trumpeter Daniel Melkonyan on “Yerevan Sunrise” and “Years Passing (For Akram), Evan Marien plays bass on “Dardahan” , Agtghik Mamikonyan adds her voice on “Per Mane ( E Flat Venice Song)” and the Yerevan State Chamber Choir provide their angelic voices on  “One Body, One Blood” and “National Repentance Anthem.” The production of this project is obviously no small task. It speaks volumes about the details and thought that Hamasyan invests into the creation and execution of his multi-layered music.

Manifeste is a lot to process. Can this music be assigned to a particular genre? Not likely in my humble opinion. But if you marvel, as I do, at the process of a fertile, creative mind exploring the possibilities of musical expression, then you can clearly not ignore this man’s offerings.

There is much to be listened to like the restless prog rock-drive of the opening number “Prelude for All Seekers.”   The gorgeously swelling sounds of “Yerevan Sunrise” as Hamasyan layers multiple electronically generated aural colors and his synched-in whistling into his musical landscape. Daniel Melkonyan’s trumpet adds another element to this one as Hamasyan’s rhythmic vibe carries the pulse in tandem to Hnatek’s intuitive trap work.

The title cut “Manifeste” revels in Hamasyan’s powerful ostinato opening before the pianist is joined by Karapetian’s throbbing bass, Mnatsakayan’s syncopated drums and Tigar’s haunting overlayered vocals. The music has a foreboding feel to it. There is drama and it conjures up Black Sabbath and Emerson Lake and Palmer coming to my mind.

“One Body, One Blood” finds the pianist creating a hauntingly repeating theme upon which he incorporates the gorgeous, celestial voices of the Yerevan State Chamber Choir and the electronics and drum programming of Arthur Hnatek.

“Seven Sorrows” opens with clanging church bells over which Hamasyan plays some beautiful repeating piano flourishes. Artyom Manukyan’s cello adds some poignancy before the pianist adds his own fluid, chicanery of exploration including some Jarrett inspired moans. Mnatsakayan’s propulsive drum work is on display before Manukyan’s cello reenters and Hamasyan’s voice matches the cellists bowing in an moving and eerie coda.

“Years Passing” is a song dedicated to British/Bangladeshi choreographer Akram Khan. Hamasyan composed the music for Khan’s 2014 dance production iTMOi  (In the mind of Igor) a celebration of Stravinsky’s music. The two have a rhythmic connection that the pianist seems to have reflected on in this composition. The music features a beautiful repeating theme that Hamasyan plays on piano and that is supplemented by a searching trumpet solo by Melkonyan.

“Dadanhan” is a fusion-like song that features Hamasyan’s synth work and his tracking, almost primal vocals. Marien’s electric bass work and Hnatek’s explosive drum work complete this trio.  

“War Time Poem” has a heavy metal fierceness. Led by Hamasyan’s relentless and almost frantic synth work and Lierandi’s guitar, the band is rounded off with Karapetian on bass and Garstka on drums.

“The Fire Child” (Vahagn is Born) is a reference to the Armenian god Vahagn who by legend was born from a splitting reed in a fiery cosmic birth. The origin is as an Indo-European warrior god that is a dragon killer. Hamasyan’s music is like a chant. The pianist plays all the electronics and overdubs his vocals to the music unassisted. There is a ceremonial reverence to this Armenian mythical tradition that the artist expresses here touchingly.

“Ultradance” is a composition that transposes driving prog rock pulses in contrast to lyrical folk-inspired rifts. The music is driven by Nate Wood’s drums and Karapetian’s throbbing bass working in conjunction with Hamasyan’s repeating synth and piano lines.

 The remaining album includes “Per Mane (E Flat Venice Song) featuring the voice of Agtghik Mamikonyan and some agitated piano work by Hamasyan.  “A Window from One Heart to Another” a song inspired by the work of the poet Rumi, featuring the percussionist Hamin Honari and Blul (wooden flute) played by Yessai Karapetian. “A Eye” (The Digital Leviathan) is an ostinato-driven piece with Lierandi’s singing guitar, Hamasyan’s slashing synths, and Karapetian and Garstka supplying rhythm.

The final composition is “National Repentance Anthem” which opens with Hamasyan’s tinkling piano entre setting the stage for the Yerevan State Chamber Choir to enter tracing the music’s somber melody. Manifeste seems to culminate the theme of self-exploration, revelation and catharsis that Hamasyan is exploring by his creation and performance of this music.

Roberto Magris/Denis Razz Quartet on "In Action": Music that Delights and Suprises

 

Roberto Magris Denis Razz Quartet- In Action- JMood Records

At the end of 2025, pianist Roberto Magris, who resides in the northeastern Italian seaport city of Trieste, released a wonderful quartet collaboration with the Croatian based saxophonist Denis Razumovic. The album is a two-disc release titled In Action on J Mood records. This adventurous collection of well-curated music features compositions from masters like John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, McCoy Tyner, Yusef Lateef, Mal Waldron and Sun Ra, in addition to several promising works by Razumovic and Magris and a Blues by B3 master Jimmy Smith, where Magris shows his Hammond organ skills.

I became a fan and ardent follower of Magris for quite some time. I first came upon some his work with his Europlane orchestra with the cooking album Check In from 2005. Since then, I have followed this pianist’s growth as found him collaborating with both top-tier European musicians as well as some established ex-patriot American jazz artists that still had something to say. In the subsequent years, I’ve listened to and sometimes reviewed some of Magris’ releases that found the pianist working with such notable musicians as saxophonists Tony Lakatos and Herb Geller, multi-reed and trumpeter Ira Sullivan, French guitarist master Philip Catherine, bassists Art Davis and Eric Hochenberg, drummers Albert “Tootie” Heath and Idris Muhammad, and trumpeter Brian Lynch to to name a few.

Magris has said “I am an Italian of non-Italian culture…so I am an expert at looking ahead to tradition.” This skilled pianist has absorbed some of the music’s traditions before pushing forward. As a player, Magris has developed a wide range of colors on his pianistic palette. He can pull from skills like the bebopper fluidity that recalls Powell; the melodicism from Flanagan and Evans; the rhythmic drive and aggressive attack from Tyner and Pullen, and the harmonic and rhythmic adventurism of Hill and Bley. This makes Magris’ music a bit like a wrapped gift box; you never precisely know what you are getting until you open it.

On In Action, Magris is joined by three talented Croatian musicians Dennis Razz (Razumovic) on alto and soprano saxophones and flute; Karlo Ilić on acoustic bass electric guitar and oud; and Rajko Ergić on drums, percussion and soprano saxophone on two cuts. Magris uses both acoustic and electric pianos, keyboards, Hammond organ, and Mexican whistles to complete the instrumentation. When the listener opens this gift, you get a potpourri of music that delights and surprises.

Magris mentions that vibrant saxophonist Dennis Razz, who is a local Croatian hero with limited exposure to the world of global jazz, “…is a passionate jazz musician with a big heart and soul.” That same heart, passion and soul are the common qualities that all these musicians possess; the secret sauce they bring out in each other when they operate together as a very intuitive, expressive group. This group was originally thought of as an informal and temporary band formed post COVID, but if this album is any indication, these guys have many more inventive roads to travel.

There are eighteen cuts on the album, close to two hours of music, that offers something for almost everyone-inventive, energetic, soulful, swinging, melodic, avant-garde leaning or blues based and unpredictable music.

You can groove to John Coltrane’s “Some Other Blues” with Razz’s fluid alto and Magris’ Wynton Kelly-like piano solo and a nice pizzicato solo by bassist Ilić. Dennis Razz’s “In Umbria” a promising two chord-based piece. It reveals a compositional skill allowing the altoist to show his melodic side as Magris’ electric piano floats in the background with aplomb, and Ergić’s intuitive drum work adds to the mix. Wayne Shorter’s composition “Blue Nile” is another favorite, as Magris and Razz raise the temperature of the set with driving kineticism driven by the potent rhythm section and Razz alto searing and soaring with authority. Ergić’s polyrhythmic solo is another treat.

Magris and Ilić is an avant-garde original “Double Helix” which finds the bassist picking up his electric guitar and having what feels like a spontaneous atonal interaction.

“Il Mare a Fiume,” another Magris original, opens with a synth-driven keyboard setting the stratospheric opening before the music morphs into a soulful shuffle. Magris is on electric piano, Ilić on electric bass, and Ergić’s provides the sauntering drums, as Razz’s soprano soars in the clouds like a falcon.

McCoy Tyner’s “You Taught My Heart To Sing” is a beautiful ballad that brings great melodicism to the set. Magris’ piano lines are liquid and heartfelt, offering a tip of his hat to Tyner, and Razz’s alto evokes a sweet sound that reminds me of Johnny Hodges.

Yusef Lateef’s Middle Eastern inspired “The Plum Blossom” is a trip into another world. To create this world the group uses the unique instrumentation of Ilić’s oud playing sinewy lines against Magris’ acoustic piano probing, Ergić’s tambourine and Razz’s drone-like soprano saxophone work.

The second disc has its own highlights. The free form “Spirits of the Wild” with Razz’s flute work, Ilić’s bowed bass and Magris on Mexican whistles. A swinging version of Sun Ra’s “Discipline 27-11” that shows off Razz’s expressive dynamism on the alto.

The title track, Magris’ “In Action” is a Coltrane inspired composition that opens with a driving ostinato line that is the perfect vehicle for this group to let loose. Magris’ piano lines are very reminiscent of Tyner’s aggressive keyboard attack; percussive and stabing. Razz’s alto ignites the music further like a splash of gasoline on a raging fire. His horn is taking no prisoners as Ergić’s drum work propels the music and offers a dynamic solo of his own.

Sun Ra’s “Lanquidity,” opens with Magris’ dissonant acoustic piano countered by Ilić’s electric guitar probing before Razz’s soprano enters.

Mal Waldron’s “Left Alone” is played with great feeling by Razz and Magris that it just sweeps you away with the song’s inherent pathos; just beautiful. Magris’s piano solo explores the edges of the tune, as Ilić’s bass maintains the pulse with Ergić’s brush work and Razz’s alto states the theme with an open heart.

Razz’s composition for his daughter, “‘A’ Means Antonia” has a bright feeling and finds the altoist in top form. Magris adds some tasty electric piano that reminds me a little of the work of Jeff Lorber.

The album follows with Magris using his Hammond organ chops on the Jimmy Smith blues “You’ll See” and then the classic “My Foolish Heart” ends the set with a familiar, slow shuffling feeling good coda.