"SEER" and "Odense Jazz Orchestra Meets Loren Stillman"- Two Approaches to Playing Loren Stillman's Music

 

Odense Jazz Orchestra Meets Loren Stillman- AAM Records

The London born, American raised alto and soprano saxophonist, Loren Stillman, has released two albums this year and they are both well worth your attention. The musician has always been an artist of interest that could play with his own distinctive sound and wrote much of his own material. His latest releases show just how far this man's playing and composing has progressed. 

For those who are unaware of this fine saxophonist, a little background may be of interest. Stillman has been playing saxophone since the age of seven. His path included studying saxophone with classical player/educator Dan Goble, who has played with the New York Philharmonic for nineteen years. He also studied with saxophonist/educator Harvey Pittel in 1995 at the Tanglewood Institute. Pittel has taught saxophone at both the University of Southern California and University of Texas in Austin and his students in the jazz world have included notables like Branford Marsalis and Kenny Garrett.

Stillman received full scholarships to the Manhattan School of Music, 1998-2000,  attended The New School of Music from 2002-2023 on another full scholarship and received a BA of Music from SUNY 2004-2005 before receiving a Master of Music from The University of Montana 2017-2019.  He continued private lessons over the years with notable saxophone masters Ted Nash, Dick Oatts, Dave Liebman and Lee Konitz.

During his career, Stillman has lent his personal sound as a sideman to notable groups including drummer Paul Motian’s trio in 2000-2002, guitarist John Abercrombie’s Jackalope Trio in 2021, Tyshawn Sorey’s Oblique in 2000-2014, and had collaborations with bassist Michael Formanek and has been a member of Charlie Haden/Carla Bley’s Liberation Music Orchestra not to mention his own groups.

I have been aware of Stillman’s compelling alto sound since first hearing him on his Pirouet Records album Winter Fruits from 2009. His alto saxophone sound has impressed me as being influenced by Konitz's less is more approach and guided by his own  sense of classical influences. His playing is melodic, and his improvising, while inventive,  tends to avoid bringing attention to himself. Whether playing alto or soprano with facility, he is creative, spontaneous and unpredictable. His approach is thoughtful, reflective and unrushed and he judiciously uses space to great effect. Stillman has developed his own sound, and his compositional skills have increasingly revealed imagination and promise.

Stillman’s two recently released albums, Odense Jazz Orchestra Meets Loren Stillman on AMM Records released in January, and Seer, released in March on Newvelle Records 10 Collection,  give the listener a rare chance to compare how two different musical approaches can be equally effective on three of Stillman’s compositions played and arranged for two different formats, the drum less trio and the seventeen-piece orchestra.

Loren Stillman- SEER- Newvelle Records

Stillman released Odense Jazz Orchestra Meets Loren Stillman in January. Odense is the third largest city in Denmark, and with a population of almost two-hundred thousand and is the largest city on the island of Funen. Odense also happens to be the birthplace of the beloved fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen. With imagination as a legacy, it is fitting that this large ensemble, with its expanded instrumentation and Nordic influence, can create its own unique vividness to Stillman’s music.  The deft use of the colorful palette of the orchestra opens the tonal possibilities. The expressive options can add another level of complexity and color to the music. 

Odense Jazz Orchestra (Jazz Fuel -Photo credit unknown)

This seventeen-piece Danish big band, features creative, modern arrangements of six Stillman compositions with the help of double bassist Kasper Tagel and trumpet/conductor Torben Sminge. The music flows naturally, sensitively and the group absorbs intuitively, Stillman’s reflective approach to his compositions. The saxophonist is the lead here and his tone is beautiful, his playing thoughtful and the band swells and swirls with precision and sensitivity.

The opener “A Tree Falls” featured Stillman on his sinewy soprano over the emerging sounds of the orchestra. A gorgeous flugelhorn solo by Rolf Thofte Sorensen adds another aural approach. The music is like a contemplation on nature, with Stillman’s soprano rising to ever more adventurous lines and intensified playing that seems to promise a new beginning. Guitarist Morten Nordel adds some texturally interesting lines that intertwine with Stillman’s soprano as a lead to the coda.

Seer, which is a trio-based album includes Craig Taborn on piano and Thomas Morgan on bass. It opens with a splendid piano and bass intro that gently yields to the floating soprano sound of Stillman, beautifully spelling out the melody. The interaction is a most intimate exchange. The three artists trace each other’s lines in parallel unison. These three breathe the same air and speak with a common but distinct voice. This symbiotic connection between these three is hard to duplicate in larger groups, and Taborn’s delicate tickling of the piano keys beautifully simulates gentle raindrops falling in the woods as Morgan’s bass resonates.  There are clearly many ways to find expression on this moving ballad, but the trio's elastic adhesion is hard to match.

Thomas Morgan, Loren Stillman and Craig Taborn (photo credit unknown)

The composition “Waterworks,” is inspired by a hike into the woods and found on both albums. On Seer, Stillman’s fluid alto opens this composition with his cool, unfettered tone. The music invokes the feeling of a meandering mountain stream; calm, kinetic and restorative. The drum less trio creates the motion upon which Stillman’s bubbly alto, and especially Taborn’s exploratory piano solo, offer some enjoyable interpretations of being immersed in nature. The pianist uses an angular and at times cadenced approach to his solo, as Morgan’s resonant bass keeps the pulse alive and vibrant.

On Odense Jazz Orchestra Meets Loren Stillman “Waterworks” is opened by an exploratory and sensitive piano intro by Pojhen Flensborg. Armed with brass and winds skillfully arranged, this version creates a background of instrumentation that enters with tonal variations that emerge slowly, creating an expanding landscape. Nordel’s guitar, another tone not available to the trio, introduces his own emotive yet edgy guitar solo. The rhythmic vibe of the horn section takes on an almost Latin feel before-at about the seven-fifteen-minute mark- Stillman’s thoughtful alto enters the picture. His saxophone is clear, liquid and floats over the increasing intensity that the orchestra maintains to the coda. It’s a credit to Stillman and his writing's universal appeal that it can be played in both the trio and orchestral setting and still communicate the intended immersion into nature theme so effectively despite two distinct approaches.

The third composition that is played on both albums is “Fowlkes,” a dedication to the spirit of the now passed trombone ace Curtis Fowlkes. On Seer, the trio opens with Taborn and Morgan setting the stage for this slow-paced ballad. Stillman’s alto is warm and respectful. Morgan has an impressively buoyant bass solo before Stillman’s alto spells out his melody in conjunction with his bandmates. Stillman’s creates circuitous lines that flow flexibly, as Taborn’s introspective pianistic solo  adds another dimension. Just a beautiful composition and performance by this intuitive trio.

On the album with the Odense Jazz Orchestra meets Loren Stillman, the music opens with a brilliant arrangement that utilizes all the seventeen colors available to bring this music to life. The orchestra seems to revel in their ability to create such a beautiful tapestry of sounds upon which Stillman’s majestic saxophone can play his moving dedication. The trombone section includes soloist Anders Ringgaard, section players Stefan Ringive, Mikkel Asgaard and John Kristensen and all add notably on this one. The altoist’s solo is particularly emotive, radiant and heartfelt. The multi-section interplay is inventive and majestic. The orchestra makes this one their own, a true delight and a testament to how successful this record confirms how international collaboration can add another element to making modern jazz more expansive.

The alum Seer has much more to offer including “Chez Hanny,” “First Paradise,” the title cut “Seer,” “Mayday,” “Folk Song” and” Victory Laps” all additional Stillman compositions. On Odense Jazz Orchestrameets Loren Stillman, the remaining songs are “Buffalo,” “Like A Magic Kiss,” and “Dervish,” again all Stillman compositions injected by this Danish juggernauts energetic arrangements. 

All of this beautiful music from Loren Stillman is well worth multiple listens, There is no doubt there is something on these two albums that should please even the most discerning listener. These two great albums offer the best of two worlds. the splendid vibrancy of excellent orchestration and the intimate symbiosis of a fine tuned trio. 

Bassist/Composer Martin Wind Offers Some Beautiful Music on "STARS"

 

Martin Wind: STARS: Newvelle Records

The bassist Martin Wind has long been on my radar as one of the more inventive and melodic bass players around. I’ve seen him perform live with multi-reedist master Scott Robinson several years back and reviewed several of his past albums that have shown the breadth and depth of this man’s musicality. I had the opportunity to interview Wind back in 2014 with the release of his fabulous album Turn Out the Stars which you can read here. 

Wind’s latest release Stars is on Newvelle Records, a label that is celebrating its tenth-year anniversary this year. The album is a joyful and sonorous studio album that became available on January 30, 2026, and features Wind’s upright bass paired with a star-studded band that includes the master pianist Kenny Barron, the mellifluous clarinet of Anat Cohen and the creative drum work of Matt Wilson.

Matt Wilson, Anat Cohen, Martin Wind and Kenny Barron (photo credit unknown)

The fifty-eight-year-old Wind was born in Flensburg, Germany. He studied orchestral bass at the Music Conservatory at Cologne and received a Master’s in Jazz Performance and Composition at the Music Conservatory in Cologne.  Wind moved to New York in 1995, won third in the Thelonious Monk Bass Competition in Washington, D.C. and continued studies with Mike Richmond, Jim McNeely, Kenny Werner and Mike Holober to name a few.  The bassist has been a member of the faculty at New York University since 1997 and has been a faculty member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra in Germany. He continues with   on- going musical relationships with European artists like Belgian guitar ace Philip Catherine, Dutch trumpeter Ack van Rooyen and German guitarist Ulf Meyer. With over fifteen albums that he has released as both a leader and co-leader, it is always worth following the progression of this man’s prolific work.  

Stars opens up with the sauntering “Passing Through,” in some ways the perfect composition that sets the tone and purpose that Wind has in mind when recording this album. The album is reflective, evokes memories from the bassist’s experiences as a musician, and has a quiet sense of elegant melodicism. “Passing Through” is a composition from the bassist/composer Aaron Bell. Bell was a one-time Ellington bassist and an inspiration. The music is deceptively simple, clear and narrative without being obvious. This newly assembled group reveals just how at ease they work together, allowing the music to gently unfold and wrap you with a blanket of joy. Cohen’s clarinet is warm, woody and provocative. Barron’s piano can at times evoke a down and dirty bluesy sense, but the man also has an undeniably elegant feel and a deep well of creativity to draw upon. Wilson’s drum kit is always joyful, like a toy box radiating bliss, and Wind’s warm pizzicato bass lines guide the leisurely shuffle expertly. Clearly this is Wind’s beautiful homage to a felloe player like Bell and a tip of his hat to the Ellingtonian era. Not to mention, this is a hell of a composition that is strangely seldom heard,

Duke Ellington and Aaron Bell (photo credit unknown)

“Life” is presumably a ballad composed by the leader Wind. It features some beautiful three-way improvisational lines by Cohen, Barron and Wind that weave themselves like sinewy silk threads into a melodic tapestry.

The album continues with “Black Butterfly,” a Duke Ellington composition that is played in a jazz-chamber ballad form. It features the vocal-like sound of Cohen’s resonating clarinet, and the heartbeat-like bass solo by Wind that glows with warmth and elegance. Barron’s accompaniment is superb, as Wilson keeps the pace with subtle ingenuity. The music is reminiscent of a simpler, relaxed, more elegant time.

“Moody” is a gentle, contemplative Wind composition. Lead by Cohen’s expressive clarinet's tubular sound and some dynamic counterpoint bass work by Wind, the music is ethereal. Hanging in the air like a reflective mood, not melancholic but deep in thought and reverend.

Wind gives a nod to the importance of bebop to the canon of music. Here he chooses Bud Powell’s iconic “Wail,” which was first heard on his album The Amazing Bud Powell from 1951. Powell had the lead horns of the powerful tenor of Sonny Rollins and Fats Navarro’s incendiary trumpet to trade ideas on this quick paced gem. Here Martin and Cohen lay out the challenging, circuitous lines of the melody concurrently with impeccable skill, but at a decidedly more relaxed attack. Wind shows that no matter how complex the music may be, it can be effectively entertaining and interesting at any pace if the core of the music’s message is retained by the artists presenting it.  Wind and mates let the music flow with satin smoothness and facility, and the results are rewarding. Kenny Barron’s piano work here is a master class of modern interpretation. Barron is a true descendant that preserves some of the history of jazz music in every note he plays.

Wind opens “The Feel of the Jazz,” another Ellington composition (also credited are Bobby Troup and Geore T. Simon), with an extended, plucky bass entre that hums with joy and creativity. The original release of this song was on Duke Ellington and John Coltrane from 1963 and included the rhythm section of  Aaron Bell on bass and drummer Sam Woodward. When Cohen’s clarinet enters this one, there is a sense of history meeting modernity. Barron’s piano interacts with Cohen’s clarinet as the song progresses and the two pros meld notes so easily at times with ease and familiarity that makes it look effortless.

“Pra Diza e a Deus” is a beautiful ballad composed by the Brazilian composers Edú Lobo and Torquato Neto. It was made popular by Sergio Mendez and Brasil ’66 from their album Look Around from 1967.  The English title of this song is “To Say Goodbye” and anyone who has heard this version can’t forget the sad voice of Sergio Mendes and beguiling sound of singer Lannie Hal or the vocalist Flora Purim’s moving version. For the bassist, this is another homage that recognizes just how much Brazilian music has influenced Wind and added to the jazz canon. Barron’s delicate solo opens this song, before Wind’s aching arco bowing of the bass gorgeously spells out the melody. Wilson drum work opens the rhythm with exquisite restraint, as Barron’s piano expands on the melody. When Cohen’s clarinet enters the mix it’s like her sound takes on the yearning, voice-like element that one remembers from the original. Despite being wordless, these guys transmit the pathos of the sentiment of  saying goodbye to a lover.

The album continues with “Standing at the Window Waving Goodbye,” another Wind composition, that deals with poignant moments of dealing with saying goodbye to someone who is important to you. This reflective, unresolved piece is another example of the music that speaks the most to this bassist as a composer. Cohen’s clarinet seems to float above the music, as Barron’s piano is perfectly supportive. Barron’s solo work always elevates the possibilities of harmonic inventiveness and Wind and Wilson maintain the breezy rhythm.  

Mitchell Parish’s “Stars Fell on Alabama” is a ballad played at a slow gait that has an easy swing to it, and has an obvious tie-back to the album’s theme, Stars. Cohen’s burnished clarinet resonates with sustained warmth, and she navigates the melody with reverence and unadorned emotion. This song brings you back to a time when the pace was more forgiving and a twilight concert offered at a local gazebo could allow you to just sit back and get lost in the music.

My digital release had two bonus songs, the first is a Bill Mays composition “Blues with Two Naturals.” Mays is a pianist/composer that is part of the Martin Wind Quartet. Mays is known for his harmonic humor and on this one he naturalizes the two notes in the key signature, counter to a standard blues form that uses flattened notes.  Kenny Barron, Wind and Wilson make this one all their own.

“Marc’s Moment” is another digital release bonus track that Wind composed and didn’t include on the album. This closer is a joyous, free flowing song that has a medium swing feel to it. Cohen’s clarinet just hovers like a feather, twirling up and gliding down along the thermals as the rhythm section is led by Wind’s booming bass, Barron’s pianistic accompaniment and Wilson’s gossamer drum work.

Martin Wind’s Stars offers the listener some joyful, easy listening music played by a remarkably cohesive band, whose artistry should not be missed.