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. 

  

Revisiting Ten Important Pianists Who Consider the Impact of Pianist Paul Bley's Iconic Solo on "All The Things You Are' from 1963. Ten Years Later.

Paul Bley (photo credit unknown) 

Ten years ago we lost the great and iconoclastic pianist Paul Bley on January 3, 2016. In the same month, I thought it would be fitting to poll some of the pianists whose work I admired, to comment on a notable quote made by influential guitarist Pat Metheny in the press. He identified a Paul Bley solo from the RCA Victor album Sonny Meets Hawk!  from 1963. Metheny was quoted by Ben Ratliff as saying Bley's solo on "All the Things You Are" from that album was very influential to the guitarist and went on to say the solo was "...the shot heard 'round the world."

Sensing that the exclamatory praise that Metheny showered on Bley was worth exploring further, I ventured to question some noted and respected pianists and to offer their thoughts about Metheny's comments. Ten years ago, Bley's passing was fresh on our minds. I wanted to explore this man's lasting impact amongst his peers. Would these pianists view Bley's playing on that solo like an important harbinger for what was to come? Was Bley's approach of pushing the limits both  harmonically and rhythmically the path of music in the future? Metheny said,  "The ... Bley thing opened up this universe." , or was that just hyperbole? 

I was fortunate to get nine respected pianists to answer my queries about Bley and his music. Two of those who participated ten years ago are sadly no longer with us and be missed, Jack Reilly (1932-2018) and Frank Kimbrough (1956-2020), both excellent pianists who were  very gracious and incisive in their participation for this piece. The remaining seven include the still active Markus Burger, Marc Copland, Pete Malinverni, Roberto Magris, Gary Versace, Kenny Werner and Denny Zeitlin. There is also a link to a Ted Panken interview with pianist Aaron Parks and his take on Paul Bley's music that was very informative. 

After ten years has passed since Paul Bley's left us, it was still relevant to hear what these talented pianist's had to say about Bley's iconic solo and how iconoclastic career became so influential to those who followed in his footsteps.

Here is the original post from 2016 originally titled "Ten Pianists  Reflect on the Enduring Influence of Paul Bley"

                                       

   
With the recent passing of the pianist Paul Bley, I was intrigued by the many tributes posted on line and in newspapers for this very iconoclastic player who I thought had limited appeal. I had been aware of Bley and have a sampling of his music -both as a sideman and a leader- in my music collection. But to be honest, I never quite got what all the fuss was about? Maybe it is sad or maybe it is fortuitous, but obituaries have a way of leading me to search more closely into a person's life and work.

I dug up a Ben Ratliff interview with the guitarist Pat Metheny from the New York Times in  2005. Metheny recalled how a solo that Mr. Bley did in 1963 with Sonny Rollins influenced him greatly. He called the solo  "the shot heard 'round the world,"  That was a pretty strong sentiment from a very gifted guitarist who I respect. I would have never guessed Metheny had such a  musical linkage to the pianist Bley. ( You can check out this interview here)

"...the shot heard 'round the world."

                                                                                                Pat Metheny

Brief Bio:

I had to study up on this man's life. (Hyman) Paul Bley was a Canadian born in Montreal, Quebec on November 12, 1932. His surname was taken from his adopted father, a Jewish textile merchant who owned an embroidery factory. In the mid to late forties Bley attended McGill Conservatory often playing around Montreal with his trio. For a short time, at the age of seventeen, he replaced Oscar Peterson at the Alberta Lounge. He enrolled in the Juilliard School of Music in New York in 1950 remaining active in the Montreal music scene. In 1952 Bley and other local musicians established the Jazz Workshop, a jazz series held Saturday afternoons at Chez Paree, a leading Montreal nightclub.

According to Chuck Haddix's biography of Charlie Parker- Bird the Life and Music of Charlie Parker -one day, unannounced, Bley decided to show up on Parker's doorstep in NYC. He brazenly invited the saxophone legend to play at the Canadian Jazz Workshop. Surprisingly Parker readily accepted! The young entrepreneurial producer was relieved when the notoriously unreliable Parker actually showed up to play, both at a live Canadian Broadcasting television show and later with Bley's trio at the Jazz Workshop. Jazz in Canada was at its peak at this time. Parker later that year made his famous Massey Hall recording in Toronto with his "Quintet of the Year" that included Bud Powell on piano, Charles Mingus on bass, Dizzy Gillespie on trumpet and Max Roach on drums. A crackdown on local clubs in Montreal, forced many local musicians to leave for greener pastures. Itching to play with the innovators of this new music, Bley found himself accompanying jazz giants like  Lester Young, Ben Webster, Chet Baker and Sonny Rollins. The restless twenty-one year old eventually went to California and met bassist Charles Mingus. Mingus asked the pianist to conduct his Nonet on a recording for Mingus's new record label Debut in 1953. That same year  Bley released his own first recording on the Debut label- Introducing Paul Bley with Mingus on bass and Art Blakey on drums.

Bley moved to California taking a residency at the Hillcrest Club in Los Angeles. He booked Ornette Coleman's group to the Club in 1958. The iconic "live" performance captured on the recording The Fabulous Paul Bley Quintet  finds a young Coleman on alto with Don Cherry on trumpet, Charlie Haden on bass, Billy Higgins on drums and Bley on piano, playing music that would usher in an era of the Shape of Jazz to Come  and launch the avant-garde school of jazz.

Bley married his first wife, the pianist and composer Carla Bley in 1957 encouraging her to write music. Her compositions would influence him throughout his career. In 1960 Bley took another turn into free jazz joining the  adventurous reed player Jimmy Giuffre, who had just broken up his trio with guitarist Jim Hall. The new Jimmy Giuffre 3 recorded  their first of four albums Fusion ,with Giuffre on clarinet and Steve Swallow on bass and Bley on piano. This iteration would last for three years.

In 1963 Bley was a featured sideman in the aforementioned  RCA recording of Sonny Rollins with Coleman Hawkins  Sonny Meets Hawk. This was a launching point for Bley's career as a leader. In the late sixties Bley was a pioneer performer in the use of  electronics. He and his then wife composer /vocalist Annette Peacock  performed experimental music using early Moog synthesizers. Bley formed the electric jazz fusion group Scorpio in 1974. It was during this period that he recorded the album unofficially titled Jaco featuring then relative unknowns Pat Metheny on guitar, Jaco Pastorius on bass with Bruce Ditmas on drums. By the end of 1974 Bley's love affair with electronic instrumentation began to fade.

In the nineteen seventies through the nineteen eighties Bley was involved with Carol Goss (whom he married in 1980) creating  IAI ( Improvising Artist Inc)- a company that developed a catalog of progressive music and promoted live performances of avant-garde artists. During this period, Bley performed works on solo piano and also recorded and performed with trio mates bassists Steve Swallow and Gary Peacock and drummer Barry Altschul. In the 1990's the pianist became part of the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music. Bley was inducted into the Order of Canada in 2008. Mr. Bley passed of natural cause on January 3, 2016 at his home in Stuart, Florida.

Now that I had a better understanding of the man and his career I decided to listen to Bley's music with a more deliberate intent. I found a feature on jazz.com where the contemporary pianist Aaron Parks was asked to name his twelve favorite Paul Bley recordings (you can check out this article here). Parks cited multiple songs with several memorable solos. I listened intently to every one I could get my hands on. Not surprisingly-Bley's solo on "All the Things You Are" from the 1963 RCA album Sonny Meets Hawk with Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins, Paul Bley, Bob Cranshaw and Roy McCurdy- was again praised as a benchmark performance.

The Search:

Convinced there must be something there, I listened to this solo over and over and over again trying to grasp the nuances of its apparent evolutionary impact. Frankly, while I thought it was well done, I was still a bit perplexed as to its hallowed significance. The solo was a bit jagged, a little discordant and strayed  a bit too far off the changes to my ears. I was at a loss. I must be missing something. How could I better understand the depth of this solo that influenced so many people?

At the risk of showing my ignorance, I decided to ask the professionals- other pianists that I respect who would be better able to explain the significance. I would pose a question and include a YouTube video of the performance for their convenience. I was excited by the prospect of seeing who would respond and what they would say.

Here is the question I posted to over a dozen pianists :

"With the recent death of pianist Paul Bley I was wondering whether you could shed some light on his playing for me. The NY Times did an interview with guitarist Pat Metheny who lauded Bley's solo on  "All the Things You Are" on the Sonny Meets Hawk  album from 1963.

I have included a YouTube video of the song with Bley's solo starting at approximately 3:15.I would be interested in what your take is on this solo, what makes it so special (if you agree with Pat) and Bley's work in

general.

Surprisingly one fine player, who begged anonymity, claimed he couldn't stand to listen to Bley's music, characterizing the solo with these words: "Everything is poorly handled, out of proportion with all jazz pianistic elements... ." I was starting to think maybe I wasn't so far off, but soon it became evident his comments were clearly in the minority.

Most responses were thoughtful and laudatory. I am grateful for their studied responses, for their willingness to participate and for their generosity in trying to help me, and perhaps some of you, better understand the impact of this solo and the important and lasting influence of Mr. Bley and his music.

Several pianists suggested the answer lie in a quote from Paul himself  found on the liner notes to his album from 1963, the same year as the aforementioned Sonny Meets Hawk ( RCA)- Paul Bley with Gary Peacock (ECM).

Paul Bley:

"Chord changes had never interfered with my own way of hearing melody.  Whether playing standards with steady time and a given set of chord sequences or free rhythm and free harmony pieces where the only guide to the improviser is the vivid character of the given written composition, one's own personality should be apparent to the listener"

Markus Burger

"What I love about the "All The Things You Are" solo of Paul Bley is that Paul always focuses on developing a motive. He finds or introduces and follows and varies this motive until he introduces the next motive vs just trying to play lines that express the relationship of the chord progression.
He focuses on these motives but follows the principle of tension and release with his focus on melodic motives rather than just playing lines. Paul has an intuitive way to follow melodies and develop them in a similar way as for example J.S Bach develops motives in his violin sonatas of his cello solo suites.

His approach deeply influenced pianists like Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau, that focus their playing as well on following motivic and melodic ideas even if that means that for longer periods in a solo it means that they are playing outside the changes.

Just as an anecdote: I hired Paul Bley in 1993 to play in my hometown (Wittlich, Germany)
with Jimmy Giuffre and it was great to observe this very unconventional and free way to improvise melodic lines over well known standards.

Marc Copeland:

"A big change in harmonic usage in jazz occurred in the early 1960's when a handful of musicians, some of them on piano, started bringing the use of polytonality into the music---not as an occasional garnish or an arranging tool, but as an integral, structural part of the music's improvisational sound. Paul Bley, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Keith Jarrett were some of the best-known pianists involved in this movement; Bley may well have been the first.

Not as well known was Bley's effort to help younger musicians. He would sometimes take a younger pianist whose work he liked---and this includes me---to breakfast at 3 a.m., and explain how he dealt with the business side of the music. In my case, at least, I can vouch for the fact that Bley's coaching session could be kind of life-changing.

Frank Kimbrough:

Paul Bley's solo on Sonny Rollins' "All The Things You Are", with Coleman Hawkins (Sonny Meets Hawk, RCA) was basically a career - maker for Paul.  ...the gig with Sonny Rollins was one of the last he would do as a sideman before devoting himself primarily to his own trios in the mid-sixties.

In this solo, he stretches harmony to the breaking point, something that he began doing even before his work with Ornette Coleman five years before.  By the time this solo was recorded, Paul had reached a point of maturity with these ideas, that is, finding "landing spots" harmonically, so that he could play where the harmony was GOING, rather than the chord changes at hand, disregarding, ignoring, or playing THROUGH the changes (to fool the listener) to a point of resolution, where the listener would realize that he actually WAS in the right place in the song. It's all about tension and release, where spontaneous melody takes precedence over the original harmony of the tune.  Often, Paul would play against the harmony of a phrase until the last bar or two, at which point he would briefly "land" before "taking off" as the next phrase began.

As iconoclastic as Paul seemed on the surface, many of his improvised compositions were actually based on templates of standards - that is, the basic form of the tune (which could be changed - Paul thought the AABA form contains too many A's, so he often played AABABABA), constantly reharmonized, without any direct reference to the original melody.  Bley loved the Great American Songbook, and his most frequent references were "I Can't Get Started", "Isn't It Romantic?", "Lover Man", "All The Things You Are", and "Don't Explain" - there are many examples in his discography, and he gives hints with his titles - "Started", "It Isn't", "Lovers", are the most obvious examples of titles listed above, and there are many other examples with less obvious hints.  That's part of the joy of listening to Paul Bley - you never know where his improvisations are coming from, but sometimes things sound awfully familiar, and figuring that out is part of Paul's sound of surprise

Pete Malinverni:

"Paul Bley has long been a hero of mine for reasons that are beautifully illustrated on this particular side. The first thing to be noted, though, is the Space Age solo Hawk takes, showing that nothing but original thought will work here, that poseurs need not apply.

Paul's solo is startling, in that, if heard on a simplistic level, it may seem"out". But, what I hear is someone who respects and 'plays with' the harmonic framework of the tune while making phrasing and dynamics choices that set him apart. It's that combination of fearless exploration rooted in tradition that first attracted me to Paul's playing - and that of Sonny and Hawk, too, for that matter."

Roberto Magris:

"Bley's solo is amazing to me because I can immediately recognize that it's Paul Bley. and there are not so many pianists that you can immediately recognize while playing "All The Things You Are.". I like him and especially this solo because he always take risks, he tries to find troubles and unconventional phrasings, even (or especially) when the chord progression is obvious, as in that standard. He seems not to play "All The Things You Are" but "on" "All The Things You Are" and he improvises on that song as a whole .instead of improvising on a fragment or on a specific chord progression. He seems to keep in mind the whole song.

In this solo I can hear several of his favorite patterns and it's quite paradigmatic for his style. I'd like to point out that he has no influences from Tyner/Hancock/Evans in his playing, but he comes from bebop straight to the avant-garde. His approach is much more advanced than Hawk (of course) and Sonny since he plays freely and (does) not follow exactly the chord progression. He's at the most within the tonality (as Ornette?). It's a great solo by a great musician who stands out together with Tyner, Hancock & Taylor as a master of modern/contemporary jazz piano."


Jack Reilly:

Paul Bley, in his early playing (pre; New York), was a clone of Oscar Peterson's ... Lots of fast right hand "cooking" improvised melodies and coordinated left hand chord comping which enforced and supported the right hand.

When I first listened to him in his post NYC phase, I found him more probing harmonically and melodically. He was beginning to create an original style. He recorded profusely and he told me he believed that his legacy lie there, in the recordings. He also felt that recording with different players enhanced his pianistic abilities to fit inside any playing/accompanying situation. Carla Bley also greatly influenced him musically through her compositions. He encouraged her to compose more and more.

Paul always looked forward never backward in his improvising. One can definitely hear where Keith Jarrett was very, very  influenced by Bley's improvising and pianistic abilities, in terms of his counterpoint lines.

Paul was truly an original. I am saddened by his passing.

Gary Versace:

" "All the Things You Are" is a masterful example of Bley weaving melodic constructs that imply shifting tonalities. These tonalities create  varying degrees of tension with the original set of chord changes. This ability to pivot between tonal centers and hear them in relation to the fixed harmonies of a standard tune create an amazingly  and unique melodic vision that realizes his goal of communicating one's personality to the listener. Since many of his ideas are major scale based, this also fits with his thoughts about using the 'vivid character of the written composition.' "All the Things You Are"', in spite it's many chord changes, spends much of it's time outlining only a few major keys."

Kenny Werner: 

"It's funny how famous that solo is. That was exactly the song I was going to talk about and exactly the solo. Harmonically it was just flat out some new stuff, an obtuse approach that had never been tried before. You can hear traces of it in Keith Jarrett and many great pianists that followed. I myself am extremely influenced by a few of his solos, "All the Things You Are" in particular. I think it informed my harmony and it still does today."

Denny Zeitlin: 

"I didn't read Pat's specific comments on Paul's solo, but I agree with him that it is special.  There is a relaxed intensity throughout, and excellent groove.  He is telling a story--commenting on what went before and soon pushing into very new harmonic territory, farther and farther out, but occasionally referencing the basic structure, to make what he is doing pull more deliciously against it.  The unusual shapes of his phrases and displacements add greatly to the total experience.  And his solo galvanizess Sonny into some of his most unusual and far-out playing.

Paul was pushing the envelope from the start, and always had his own thing, throughout the many decades of his career.  I'll always remember how gracious he and Carla were in inviting me to sit in when I was a musically unknown medical student visiting New York in 1963."

Conclusion:

After reading their responses it becomes obvious that Mr. Bley's music was a game changer for many. I am sure countless others were radically affected by this solo and by Bley's music in general. He was a trailblazer whose restless spirit led him on an uncompromising path throughout his over fifty years of performing. After he acquired a thorough understanding and mastery of where the music came from, it was his solo on " All the Things You Are" from 1963 that was his way of leading us all into a new direction. As Metheny said so succinctly it truly was "the shot heard 'round the world."

The Shimmery, Lush Sound of Cal Tjader- Catch the Groove- Live at the Penthouse 1964-67

Cal Tjader- Catch the Groove-Live at The Penthouse- Jazz Detective/Elemental

At the end of 2023, the producers of the labels Jazz Detective and Elemental Music released a two-disk album, Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove assembled from several wonderfully recorded live dates from 1963 through 1967.  This marvelous offering captures some of vibraphonist Tjader and his quintet's most enjoyable and compelling sets excellently recorded by Jim Wilke at Charlie Puzzo’s The Penthouse Jazz Club in Seattle, Washington.

The album is a treasure chest of fine music; a time travel adventure that gives the listener a chance to revisit some of the most grooving, often dynamically Latin-inspired jazz of the era.

Tjader was an anomaly in many ways. Originally a drummer who played with an upcoming Dave Brubeck, Tjader took up the vibraphone, picking up some tricks of the trade from guys like vibes master Terry Gibbs. Tjader’s true genius was appreciating the rhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Cal could see that the inclusion of an infectious Latin groove could energize the world of improvisational jazz and it became his calling.

Callen “Cal” Radcliffe Tjader was an unlikely standard-bearer for Latin jazz. He was born in 1925 in St. Louis, Missouri of Swedish American parents. Not a drop of Latin blood flowed through this man’s veins, but that didn’t stop Tjader from proving that the music wasn’t restricted to ethnic or geographical boundaries. Cal took the world by storm, taking his beautiful, melodic and rhythmically electrified music to the crowds; making it his own.

On this album we see the two sides of Cal Tjader as both a serious jazz musician who could play the canon and creatively improvise with the best of them, and as the master of the infectious Afro-Cuban form that so captivated his followers.

The album features three different pianists including Lonnie Hewitt, Al Zulaica and the talented arranger/composer Clare Fischer. The presence of the famous Cuban percussionist Armando Peraza, who would later work extensively with the rock group Santana, just raised the level of the kineticism of this group.

The music on Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove, is sublime, with great performances, some of which were never before released, like Ellington’s “Take the “A” Train and Brubeck’s “In Your Own Sweet Way.”  But there is plenty of gold that the Tjader groups mine to perfection; Clare Fischer's wonderful “Morning,” Milt Jackson’ “Bag’s Groove,”  Guerra and Lobo’s “Reza,” Claus Ogerman’s “Sunset Boulevard,” Billy Strayhorn’s poignant “Lush Life” and Tjader’s own “Leyte” and “Soul Burst”.

It is such a pleasure to just sit back and immerse yourself in this gorgeous music. The audiences at The Penthouse were respectful and appreciative throughout this live recording. You can see why the attention was keen as you too become part of this hypnotic experience while listening. The lines are shimmery and lush; the rhythms are electric and vibrant. Cal’s vibe work is never showy, and his playing is always succinct and melodic. Despite his proficiency, Cal never used speed for speeds sake.

Sadly, Cal Tjader’s legacy has been underappreciated by the public. But his contemporaries do not doubt his importance. As the late pianist Eddie Palmieri attests to Cal’s skill in the copious and informative notes included in this splendid disc package, “Cal was unique. He was able to play the most complicated rhythmical patterns in the world.” Terry Gibbs, himself a master vibraphonist praised Cal's acumen, saying “… to me he was becoming on the same level (on the vibes) as Milt Jackson and I were.” Master vibraphonist Gary Burton acknowledges Tjader’s “…significant role in blending jazz and Latin music.”

With the important release of Cal Tjader: Catch the Groove the man and his music may get a well deserved resurgence of interest. Retroactively, Cal Tjader may get a reexamination of his talent and his importance to the music may be finally realized. For those who have never had a chance to listen to Tjader and his groups at their peak than this album is a must have.

 

Dave Stryker and his Trio Brings Some "Blue Fire" to Van Gelder's Studio

Dave Stryker- Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session- Strikezone Recds

The guitar stalwart Dave Stryker finally got to have his dream come true and the results are his latest release Blue Fire The Van Gelder Session was well worth the wait! Stryker has been on my radar for years. His work with his long-term cohorts Jared Gold on the B3 organ and McClenty Hunter on drums have provided some of the best Organ/Guitar/Drums music for the last twenty years. I originally discovered Stryker’s compelling guitar work as a co-leader of the progressive Stryker/Slagle Band, when I got into their modern, sinewy sounding work on album’s like The Scene from 2008 and Keeper from 2010.

Dave Stryker’s career started when this Omaha, Nebraska based guitarist left for Los Angeles at the age of seventeen in 1978 to expand his musical experience and cut his teeth on the circuit. He met organ master Jack McDuff and eventually moved to New York, playing with McDuff from 1984 through 1985, before touring with saxophone great Stanley Turrentine from 1986 up to his passing in 2000. With this experience steeped in the blues, soul jazz, jazz funk, hard bop, and R&B there is no mystery why Stryker’s music is so influenced by these sources.

Much of the best of jazz of the “prime time” era was recorded by labels like Blue Note, Impulse, Prestige, CTI, and Savoy in the studio of sound engineer magician Rudy Van Gelder in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. While the master Van Gelder passed away in 2016 his iconic, wood-lined, cathedral-like studio has been preserved and has been listed in the National Register of Historical Places in 2022.

                                             Van Gelder Studio in 2022 (photo via Wikipedia)

The currently active studio was willed by Van Gelder to his longtime assistant Maureen Sickler, who had been working at the studio for three decades before she became owner upon Rudy’s passing. The Sickler's  are now actively running, restoring and preserving this gem of jazz history. We wish them continued success. It’s so great to have them pay it forward.

Recording at the Van Gelder studio is like playing the Village Vanguard, reaching a goal that for some is seemingly never attainable. No wonder guitarist Stryker wanted to check this achievement off his bucket list so Blue Fire: The Van Gelder Session comes to life.

The album opens with a Stryker cooker, the deeply grooved “Van Gelder’s Place” that just shuffles onto the stage with cool and soul. Dave’s guitar is so smooth, so in touch with his soul, as he attacks his notes with aplomb, both singularly and in octaves vis a vis Wes. Gold gets his turn adding to the jazz history here, as he attacks the same Hammond B3 that was once played by esteemed practitioners like Larry Young, Jack MacDuff and Jimmy Smith. Jared he sets it on fire on this album; what more could a B3 man ask for?  The drummer, McClenty Hunter, bubbles with energy creating the stream upon which these guys float, just beautiful.

The music just doesn’t stop there. “Blue Fire” is another Stryker composition that has a feel like something Larry Young might have brought into the studio. The trio create a brewing chicane of sounds that swell and pulse with electricity. Stryker and Gold synch-in so precisely that it has you holding your breath as they anticipate each other’s moves. Hunter’s drum work is a syncopated whirlwind of pure propulsion. It becomes apparent that these musicians are savoring every minute of this session. I find myself repeating this impressive song multiple times just to make sure I catch all the intricacies. Whew!

Stryker uses the Beatles’ “A Fool on the Hill”  to create a soft, breezy swing. You can listen to this and imagine your feet up as you sip a drink with an umbrella in it. A fun and carefree groove.

If bebop is your thing, how about this group’s take on Charlie Parker’s “Dexterity”? Stryker ‘s guitar lines spell out the melody with dexterous fluidity. He is pushed by Gold’s throbbing organ work, probing foot driven bass lines and Hunter’s incendiary drum work. Gold’s creativity is on display, as his solo never ceases to surprise and Hunter offers his own buoyant solo of note.

Stryker’s beautiful ballad, “Waiting for Ruby,” is one of my favorites on this album. Dave opens with a sensitive guitar entre that pulls at your sensibilities. His playing is so personal it’s like he is playing this one just for you. Stryker has an inherent melodicism that is never far from his playing. Although George Benson’s influence is often heard in Dave’s playing, his absorption of some of Jim Hall’s sensitivity certainly serves him well. Gold and Hunter brilliantly accompany with a gossamer-like delicacy. This one is a keeper; just beautiful.

“Back and Forth” is a Jared Gold composition that has a cadenced opening featuring a repeating line that unexpectedly changes time throughout. This one challenges your sense of getting settled into a groove. Instead, it bobs and weaves, keeping you unbalanced and paying attention. The trio is in synch as they navigate the obstacle course that Gold has written with ease and skill.

Stryker includes a Jerome Kern classic “The Folks Who Live on the Hill”  at a slow, lingering pace. In the seven plus minutes, the trio explores the harmonic possibilities of this melody making their own imprint. Stryker explores his octave chording possibilities as Gold’s B 3 swells and moans and Hunter breezily shuffles.

Stryker’s cinematic “Every Dark Street” is like being in a film noir thriller. Gold’s organ emanates with a sense of suspense and danger. Stryker’s blues-tinged guitar lines introduces a tension and eeriness of the unknown.  The hair on your neck rises in anticipation. They paint a picture with their instruments that elevate your senses and transport you to this eerie dark street.

This satisfying album closes with a song by Harry Warren and Al Dublin titled “Summer Night.” The song was first heard in 1936 in the film Sing Me A Love Song.  But this composition has been substantially altered when it was made part of the jazz canon by Miles Davis and Gil Evans. This duo revised and recorded this song on the album Quiet Nights in 1963 and it never was quite the same. The song was again modified by Chick Corea and played by the saxophone ace Stan Getz on his album The Master released in 1982. (Many thanks to Ethan Iverson for bringing the evolution of this song to my attention which you can read here.) 

Stryker and company seems to have been influenced more by the swinging Corea arrangement than to the more sedate Davis/Evans version. Stryker added some probing octave chording, as  Gold embellished the music with his own more progressive explorations. Hunter never fails to keep the drive lively and propulsive no matter the time signature. The history of this song is a testament to how diverse musical improvisation can transform any composition's interpretation.

 

Vital Spark : A Love Letter to the Composer Kenny Wheeler with Dave Holland, Norma Winstone and Paull Churchill and the LVP

Dave Holland, Norma Winstone and Paul Churchill and the London Voice Project: Vital Spark: The Kenny Wheeler Music- Edition Records

The trumpeter/composer Kenny Wheeler, who passed away in 2014, has left an indelible mark on the world of music. Wheeler was a Toronto born Canadian musician who studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music before relocating to Britain in 1952. There he worked with saxophone/composer John Dankworth in his orchestra from 1959 through 1965. Wheeler also studied composition with both Richard Bennett and Bill Russo in the early sixties. Wheeler was always interested in both performing with and composing/arranging for large jazz groups, and his first recording under his own name, Windmill Tilter, was recorded back in 1969 with Dankworth’s orchestra, although it wasn’t released until 2010.

In mid-sixties and into the early seventies, Wheeler became influenced by the free improvisational movement in England that found him playing with such progressive artists as saxophonist Evan Parker, guitarist Derek Bailey, drummer John Stevens and multi-reedist John Surman in Britain, and he joined American saxophonist/composer Anthony Braxton Quartet from 1971-1976.

Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone and John Taylor

Wheeler became a member of a chamber jazz group, Azimuth, from 1977 through 2000, where he met the pianist John Taylor and his then wife vocalist Norma Winstone. His relationship with the superb bassist Dave Holland dates back from their days in the vibrant London jazz scene of the nineteen-sixties. Holland’s first recording with Wheeler was on the trumpeter’s initial release Windmill Tilter, but his inclusion in Wheeler’s seminal album Gnu High, one that featured pianist Keith Jarrett, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Jack DeJohnette from 1975, is perhaps the most acclaimed.

Norma Winstone and Dave Holland (photo credit unknown)

Vital Spark is a collection of some of Wheeler’s final compositions, some of which have never been recorded previously. This collaboration between three of Wheeler admiring alumni, the bassist Dave Holland , the vocalist Norma Winstone, and Paul Churchill, The Musical Director of the London Voice Project is a beautiful love letter to the composer. Churchill was a conductor of Kenny Wheeler’s Big Band and worked with Wheeler on the release of Mirrors from 2007. The recipient of many of these compositions from Wheeler over a period of several years before assembling, Churchill arranged them and eventually enlisted Holland and Winstone to make this project come to fruition. Besides manning the LVP, which is one of the United Kingdom’s leading contemporary vocal ensembles, Churchill was, for nearly fifteen years, the British accompanist of the vocalist Mark Murphy . 

Paul Churchill (photo credit unknown)

Vital Spark is a collection of nine compositions predominantly based on poetry and represent a personal, collaborative reinterpretation of Wheeler’s work maintaining the composer’s character and intention. Of the nine songs chosen for this album, my research found only “Inner Traces,” having been previously recorded.

Of the remaining Wheeler compositions, the talented lyricist Winstone provided new lyrics for “Inner Traces,” “Vital Spark,” and “These are the Things We Trust.” The remaining six compositions were inspired and provided with lyrics drawn from some of Wheeler's favorite poets.

“Will You Walk a Little Faster” is based on Lewis Caroll’s “The Mock Turtle’s Song” from his Alice in Wonderland. The poet Stevie Smith’s provides lyrics for “Not Waving but Drowning” and “Heavenly City.” Langston Hughes is the inspiration and provides lyrics for the composition “Jazzonia.” William Blake’s” Infant Joy” provides both lyrics and a theme for that composition, and French-Canadian Emile Nelligan’s “Fruite D’Enfance” or “Fruit of Childhood” is the source of both the lyrics and the inspiration of that Wheeler composition. 

The album is a deft unification of jazz ensemble work provided by Holland’s group- pianist Nikki Iles, Mark Lockheart’s tenor and soprano saxophone work, John Parricelli’s guitar, James Maddren’s drums and Holland’s resonate bass along with Norma Winstone’s beguiling voice. The vocal chorale work was skillfully arranged and directed by Paul Churchill and included the eight Soprano, nine Alto, four Tenor and four Bass voices of The London Voice Project.

The London Voice Project (photo credit by Karen Hatch)

The music opens with “Inner Traces” and features an opening repeating piano lines by Nikki Iles, the transcendent voice and lyrics of Norma Winstone, and accompanied by the soaring voices of the choir. Holland provides a deeply resonant pizzicato bass solo that is harmonized by the choir’s angelic-like, homophonic texture, before the music introduces a moving tenor saxophone solo by Mark Lockheart. It is the splendid voices of the choir that make this one feel like you have been transported to another world.

James Maddren’s wonderfully syncopated drum work opens this playful Lewis Carroll piece “Will You Walk a Little Faster” before Holland’s bass offers his own heart-like pulse. This features some jubilant vocalese from Winstone, as she navigates this chicanery-like path of Wheeler’s spirited music. Lockheart’s soprano soars like a free bird. Holland and Maddren anchor the buoyant beat, and the choir voices drape the music with a repeating verse that just accentuates the demand for acceleration that the lyrics demand. A joyful aural delight.

Wheeler’s fondness of the work of English poet Stevie Smith becomes apparent as we find two compositions here that he chooses to bring to musical life. The plaintive “Not Waving but Drowning,” features some expansive guitar work by John Parricelli, Winstone’s beautiful voice and Lockheart’s windborne soprano work.

Wheeler’s composition of Smith's “Heavenly City” is treated with a repeating riff that modulates as Winstone’s wordless vocalizing creates the music’s purposeful saunter. Holland’s bass prominently sets the pace; Iles’ piano work accompanies brilliantly. Lockheart’s tenor adds some emotion grit and guitarist Parricelli offers a more aerial approach over the choir’s powerful vocalizing.

Langston Hughes “Jazzonia” features Holland’s a movingly reverent bass solo, as the choir carries the hymn-like feel for this one. Iles piano work is especially emotive and Lockheart’s burnished tenor sound resonates with earnestness.

“Fuite D’Enfance” finds Winstone’s crystalline voice taking over this staccato piece, as Holland and Maddren carry the rhythmic load. Parricelli’s guitar provides an acoustic guitar solo of note, and Iles piano work has a distinctive melodicism to be enjoyed. Maddren’s drum work at the coda is rewardingly explosive. 

The album’s title cut is “Vital Spark”, and it is notably majestic. The music swells as the choir sets the stage before the ensemble is led by Holland’s probing bass. Winstone’s limpid voice sings her lyrics with such authority and conviction. Holland offers a facile and powerful pizzicato solo that is deftly accompanied by Iles. Her solo here offers some of  the best of her work on the album. The choir’s unified voices just sweep you away with their moving harmonies.

William Blake’s “Infant Joy,” a song from the view of a newly born baby, comes alive with Holland’s opening bass lines and Winstone’s evocative voice. The choir hovers in the background as Winstone's voice and Lockheart’s tenor spell out the melody. Parricelli’s guitar provides an otherworldly post natal look before the group and choir reach an apex of realization and awareness that spells pure joy. “Sweet joy befall thee!” 

The final composition is Wheeler’s “These are the Things We Trust” with lyrics by Winstone and it is a fitting swan song for the maestro. Opening with a solemn piano intro by Ile’s. Winstone’s lyrics speak “Haunting sounds that filled my life and made their mark on me, Could I rewind to things left behind?” and “Cruel is the light that descends into the night, where all of our dreams are dust. Some things remain untouched by the rain and these are the things we trust.” The music just resonates with a feeling that these three artists set out to pay homage to Wheeler whose work meant so much to them and wanted to truly respect and honor his legacy. Vital Spark certainly attains that goal  successfully and in spades.