The Ari Hoenig Trio w Gilad Hekselman and Matt Penman : Bringing Some High Wattage to Portland

The Ari Hoenig Trio: Gilad Hekselman, Matt Penman & Ari Hoenig 

Monday, October 10, 2022, was my first exposure to Portland’s live jazz music scene since moving here from the Atlanta area. The venue was a friendly, intimate, well-appointed supper club called 1905. The brainchild of the owner Aaron Barnes, a former high school band teacher turned restaurateur/bartender, 1905 is tucked in the Mississippi section of Portland and may well be, as Downbeat magazine once proclaimed, “one of the world’s top jazz venues.”  All I can attest to is that it is certainly an important place to listen to and support fine jazz in Portland. 1905 opened its doors in 2015 as a pizzeria/Italian restaurant/bar that eventually catered to live jazz music performances. The venue seats close to fifty attendees within the building and as the weather permits, there is an added generous covered outdoor seating section that is open to the bandstand. 

My visit to 1905 was sparked by the chance to see the top-notch, NY-based band The Ari Hoenig Trio. We attended the early first set which kicked off at a little after six pm. The trio was an impressive group, an international flavored potpourri, led by the forty-eight-year-old, Philadelphia-born, polyrhythmic drumming whirlwind Ari Hoenig, the fleet-fingered Israeli-born guitarist Gilad Hekselman and progressive New Zealand-born bassist Matt Penman. These master musicians have been at the forefront of a new generation of talented improvisers that honor the tradition of jazz while blazing new trails of interpretation within the broad scope that encompasses this genre. 

It was an electric performance from the start. The group took little time to warm up as they started with “Boplicity” from Hoenig’s 2018 album NY Standard. The composition was written by Cleo Henry and Gil Evans for Miles Davis's 1957 classic Birth of Cool. From the slow simmer of the thoughtful cool jazz original, the trio stirred the music into a boiling cauldron of energy led by the drummer’s exuberant brush playing, reminiscent of Jeff Hamilton’s brush mastery. There is a joy in Hoenig’s playing that makes you just get swept up by his infectious enthusiasm and creative trap work. Hekselman’s facile guitar lines were successively quicker and more serpentine path from the theme. Penman’s warm upright anchored the bottom beautifully. This group was ready to thrill.

Ari Hoenig 

The set followed with Hoenig’s beautiful composition “Anymore” which was on his album Connor’s Days. Hoenig has been known to sing and play piano on this but here he simply led the group with a polyrhythmic beat that was mind-blowing. Hekselman explored the harmonic possibilities of the song to great effect and Penman offered a probing bass solo. This is creative music at its best.

After some ardent applause from the attentive audience, the trio embarked on the classic Ray Noble tune “Cherokee,” an Indian love song. The song’s structure was used as the basis of the more incendiary version “Ko-Ko” by saxophone master Charlie Parker. The energized approach made the song into a virtual demonstration of virtuosity and speed. Here the trio took the song and made it a showcase of Hekselman’s guitar prowess. Gilad is a beautiful player who creates mercurial lines at impressive speed and without any degradation of clean precision. Deceivingly, his improvisational skill seems to make it look almost effortless. Hoenig and Penman provided the guitarist with unrelenting propulsion and polyrhythmic time shifts to make it all work like a precision timepiece. The song produced a predictably arousing response from the audience.

Ari finally took up the microphone to introduce the group to the audience who responded with grateful applause. He introduced the next selection of the set, a dedication to the pianist/composer Billy Childs, titled “Child’s Prey” which is on Ari’s latest release Golden Treasures. I am a big fan of Child’s work, so it is always of interest to listen to a song that is written with another artist in mind.  The composition has an undulating opening that was originally recorded with pianist Gadi Lehavi on Golden Treasures following the slithery course that Hoenig creates and is reminiscent of some of Child’s own work. On this night Hekselman’s guitar was the defining instrument that laid down the path and he did so with phenomenal aplomb. Penman took his turn with a potent solo that showed just how facile he is on the upright. The song features a sustained ostinato section where the music is repeated, creating a background drone where Hoenig’s drums produce an agitated whirlpool of percussive sound effects. His arms and legs are like swirling dervishes of momentum and rhythmic invention.  A tireless fusillade of percussive variation. The performance was just outstanding.

Gilad Hekselman

The group returned with “Guernsey St Gooseneck,” a rhythmic groove of a composition by Hoenig. The song has Penman and Hoenig maintaining the groove which becomes amazingly catchy. Looking around the place, I saw most of the audience, including me, bouncing their heads to this infectiously repeating groove. With the beat established it left Hekselman with the task of creating some counterpoint and diversity. The guitarist established loops on his guitar that maintained different ascending lines upon which he added variations and improvisational harmonies.

Matt Penman

Never one to leave a beat at a simple 4/4, Hoenig and Penman would occasionally change the rhythm up. I’m not one who can always identify the proper time being used but the group did so without losing the audience or each other. A crowd pleaser.

The closing composition of the set was brief and another Hoenig ballad, “For Tracy,” a song he wrote for his wife from his Connor’sDays album. This sensitive composition featured Hekselman’s gorgeous guitar voicings and showed that this trio was indeed capable of emotive music on demand.  

I had previously seen bassist Matt Penman’s work with Joshua Redman, Aaron Parks, and Eric Harland in James Farm. He is also a member of the influential SF Jazz Collective with Miguel Zenon and David Sanchez and is in pianist Aaron Goldberg’s trio. I first heard Gilad Hekselman’s guitar work on his 2018 album Ask For Chaos. Besides this trio with Hoenig, he has his own quartet with saxophonist Mark Turner, Joe Martin, and Marcus Gilmore. The real discovery for me was drummer Ari Hoenig. I had heard of him and knew he was an accomplished drummer/composer, who had played with pianist luminaries like Jean Michel-Pilc, Tigran Hamasayan, and Kenny Werner, but I had never really heard him play and his performance at 1905 exceeded all my expectations. He is a vibrant, personable musician who, when I spoke to him, told me some of his influences include drummers Ralph Peterson and Brian Blade among others. 

Ari Hoenig is an impressive musician, and the trio is certainly a band that you should make an effort to see if possible. The trio is on tour and will return to Smalls in NYC on Oct 17^th before they move to the European leg of this tour starting in England, playing in  Ireland, Scotland, Sweden, and Paris, France before returning to Smalls on Nov 21^st. 

My list of best of Jazz 2011

My list of some of the best Jazz in 2011

The year 2011 was an inspirational year. I was privileged to listen to, and in some cases experience “live”, some of the best and most varied musical performances that I have seen in many a year. With all the discussion of jazz dying and the graying and shrinking of the jazz audience, what I have personally witnessed is that this improvisational music that we paint with the expansive brush we call “jazz” is flourishing and experiencing a renaissance of creativity that is nothing short of breath taking.

People love lists and fans often relish in picking their favorites. Often people revel in finding their choices being validated by inclusion in lists made by critics at the end of the year. But music is subjective and there will always be room for outliers in taste. This year I am going to list my picks for the best music I have heard this year, trying to be as inclusive as possible for the deserving music that has been created. I stress some very worthy albums will undoubtedly be missing from my list simply because I  haven’t had the opportunity to listen to them, but of the many I have listened to these are some of my favorites.

Contemporary big band music had a  resurgence
this year.Ninety–three year old Gerald Wilson had 
an exquisite offering  with his brilliant “Legacy” .
(See you tube video here)

Another big band album that could equally be placed in  the best of Latin Jazz  category  was the cooking Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Bobby Sanabria and their marvelous
 "Tito Puente Masterworks Live" . This band of young artists just keeps getting better and better. 


The Westchester Jazz Orchestra under the direction of Mike Holber is certainly a seasoned group. This year they offered their take on the music of Herbie Hancock on their "Maiden Voyage Suite".  I was fortunate enough to catch this polished orchestra "live" this year,, with the powerhouse tenor saxophonist Joe Lovano as a guest soloist. This is a talent packed group of professional musicians who take playing tight arrangements and turn it into an art form.


Another fine "live" performance was the spectacular mulit-media show  composed and conducted by the talented D'arcy James Argue and illustrated by the artist Danijel Zezelj titled "Brooklyn Babylon".
 (see video here).


Trumpeters offered some compelling music this year. One of my  favorites included the fresh sound of the young Ambrose Akinmusire  and his quintet on his impressive  "When the Heart Emerges Glistening".  (see video here).

"The Talented Mr.Pelt" was a showcase of fine contemporary music by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and his fine quintet. Pelt has a matured tone that is wonderful to behold.
















The electric Tim Hagans demonstrated his compositional acumen as well as his instrumental virtuosity on his 
 " The Moon is Waiting".  Under appreciated guitarist  
Vic Juris was a standout on this outing. I caught Tim live at the WJO show where he was featured in a piece with saxophonist Joe Lovano on a song he arranged for the orchestra .


The trumpeter Tom Harrell came to the table with his own  quintet on his ethereal  "The Time of The Sun" . 


















With so many fine pianist offerings this year it was a daunting task to pick and choose a handfull. In the solo category Denny Zeitlin's remarkable "Labyrinth" , brilliantly recorded live at Ernie Shelton's house in California, was a standout. Denny's performance with drummer Matt Wilson and bassist extraordinaire Buster Williams at the Kitano this fall was a wonderful display of mature but daring virtuosity  that I was fortunate enough to attend..


The pianist Michael Cain's release, simply titled "Solo", was a unique combination of solo acoustic piano and electronics that I found intriguing. His "Prayer"  is an evocatively spiritual piece of music that is very meditative. ( see video here)

A delicious duet was served in Italy by masters Chick Corea  and Stefano Bollani. Titled "Orvieto", this demonstration of magical interplay was recorded live at the Umbria Winter Jazz Festival in 2010.






The pianist Benny Green, who was schooled  with stints in bands led by Ray Brown, Art Blakey and Freddie Hubbard to name a few,  blew my socks off with his swinging album "Source" a pianistic joy.

Two terrific trio recordings by pianists Sam Yahel with his 
 "From Sun to Sun" 




and Ted Rosenthal's
"Out of this World"  were both strong outings in a crowded field of exemplary performances. (see video here)




The pianists Aaron Goldberg and composer/pianist Guillermo Klein, ably assisted by drumming phenon Eric Harland and bassist Matt Penman,.produced one of my favorite albums of the year "Bienestan. ,  a musical trip to an imaginary country of the same name. I was able to see them perform this enchanting music "live" at the the Jazz Standard with the fabulous altoist Miguel Zenon,  who was also featured on the album. The live performance did not disappoint with the hypnotic original composition "Human Nature" capturing my attention.
(listen here)


At the wonderful Caramoor festival this year Joshua Redman's
new super group, which featured Aaron Parks on piano, Matt Penman on bass and the ubiquitous Eric Harland on drums, blew away the audience. There self titled album James Farm features original music composed by each of these talented players and is another must listen. ( see video here)








Alto saxophonist David Binney composed an unusual  suite of cinematic-like music titled "Graylen Epicenter" featuring some of today's most hip musicians on the New York jazz scene.

New York based tenor saxophonist Donnie McCaslin introduced the dynamic
"Perpetual Motion"   and caught my ear earlier this year.




Bassists were fully engaged this year with some creative outings.Ben Allison continues to show a rare ability to create new music by deconstructing contemporary songs from recent times and presenting them in  new and exciting ways. Allison's  Action-Refraction was inspired by  the music of composers as varied as Neil Young, P.J.Harvey, Thelonious Monk  and Donny Hathaway. ( see video here)
 




















Bassist Sean Smith had a quiet and joyful gem with his album "Trust" , with notable support from guitarist John Hart and a superb outing by the saxophonist John Ellis.

The ubiquitous Christian McBride had a busy year with his big band performance at the Caramoor festival being a real crowd pleaser. This big band music was released as "The Good Feeling" , but his recent release "Conversations with Christian"  was the real McBride standout to me. It showcased his  virtuoso playing in some really intimate musical conversations with various artists. His duets  with the astute Dr.Billy Taylor on the composition "Spiritual" and the marvelous  Hank Jones on the song "Alone Together" , both recently passed giants of this music, were pure gold. A  duet with the soulful guitarist Russell Malone on "Sister Rosa"  demonstrated why Mr.Malone is a first call guitarist of exquisite taste. 


Bassist Jay Anderson  and fellow members of the band named BANN, drummer Adam Nussbaum , saxophonist Seamus Blake and guitarist Oz Noy, produced and played on an quirky but satisfying album from earlier in the year titled 
"As you Like".  I especially enjoyed their re-creation of the David Crosby tune "Guinnevere". (see video here)


Guitarist Jonathan Kriesberg came out with a fusion infused album that I really grooved on titled "Shadowless". It featured some impressive playing and composition by the talented guitarist and some penetrating saxophone by Will Vinson. Just listen to the lead track 

"Twenty-one" and you will be hooked. (see video here)





"Gladwell" by guitarist Julian Lage offers a musical journey, this time through a fictional town of the same name. Lage weaves a convincing picture of this place, its people and the vibes he experiences there. It is a fascinating musical trip worth taking the time to experience it through Gage's talented fingers.



The so called "Third Stream" of music  as described by Gunther Schuller was alive this year with a beautiful offerring from Carlos Franzetti and his wife Allison Brewster Franzetti titled "Alborada". It combined elements of  classical and South American folk music with the music of contemporary jazz artists like Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and Milton Nascimento.


Drummers had some important offerings this year with special mention of Eric Harland's work on Bienestan and James Farm. I was fortunate enough to see Mark Guiliana's kinetic drum work when he played an unrehearsed electronic set of pure improvisation with pianist Brad Mehldau at Tony Falco's club The Falcon in Marlboro, .NY. back in September
( see video here) . 





The drummer Ralph Peterson had a take no prisoners offering titled  
"Outer Reaches" that featured organist Pat Bianchi and  absolutely shredding guitar solos by Dave Fiuczynski on Woody Shaw's "Zoltan" and John McLaughlin's "Spectrum". Also checkout Peterson's version of the Christmas classic "We Three Kings".

Drummer Adam Cruz had an auspicious year. I caught him recently with the talented saxophonist Chris Potter and the amazing John Patitucci at Smoke in NYC. Cruz released his latest "Milestone" and indeed it was just that. With a brilliant supporting cast that included the aforementioned Potter, along with fellow saxophonists Miguel Zenon and Steve Wilson, guitarist Steve Cardenas, pianist  Edward Simon and  bassist Ben Street this one packs a punch.


Vocalists that piqued my interest this year Giacomo Gates fine tribute to the late Gil Scott Heron titled 
"The Revolution Will Be Jazz".  With Gates successfully pulling off some of the poet's most poignant music.






Gretchen Parlatto was again impressive with her latest
album "The Lost and Found" where her wispy voice continues to defy convention. Taylor Eigsti's piano work was inspired.




Two artists who were new to me this year were the violinist Majid Khaliq with his impressive "Basilisk" , a surprisingly stirring
 album from a rising talent.
(see video here)


A second surprise was the discovery of the talented saxophonist from Utah, Chaise Baird on his impressive debut album "Crosscurrent".
For those who question Jazz in Utah? Check this kid out.









Two recently recieved albums that deserve honorable mentions are the baritone saxophonist Brian Landrus' "Traverse"  and Canadian trombonist William Carn's 
"Run Stop Run". 










So there you have it, my exhaustive list of the best I have heard in jazz this year.I am sure some will scratch their heads in confusion, others will nod in agreement and others will be pleasantly surprised,  but one thing is for sure jazz is alive and thriving in 2011 and I for one predict that based on the trend 2012 will be an even better year for this music we call "jazz".

2011 Caramoor Jazz Festival: Powerhouse "James Farm" in Top Form

 Just a stone's throw form the streaming hustle of the North-South corridor known as Interstate 684, off exit 6 in the hamlet of Katonah, New York, lies the beautiful Rosen Estate, home of the Caramoor, a music and performing arts center. Caramoor was so named after a previous owner Caroline Moore Hoyt. But it was  Walter and Lucie Rosen, who because of their love of music, became  patrons of the musical arts and fostered performances in this most conducive of settings. They appointed this gorgeous bucolic 90 acre estate for the expressed purpose of enjoying music. In 1958 the Rosen's opened the Venetian theater, a tented 1600 seat outdoor stage, to the public. Each season the venue presents some of the most  exciting and culturally diverse musical performances offered anywhere. Part of the charm of this magical place is the manicured Italianate gardens, a stroll through which transforms you to another place, with its bursting flora and manicured walkways. The overall atmosphere is sublime.

The Garden's at Caramoor

While Caramoor is known for its International series of music performances, featuring some of the world's greatest artist in the field of classical music, the weekend of August 5th through 7th was dedicated to jazz. Despite competing jazz festivals at both Litchfield and Newport occurring on the same weekend, one couldn't ask for a more exciting and contemporary selection of musical performers to choose from.

Friday night featured the vibrant, Canadian born pianist Renee (pronounced Ree Nee) Rosnes in the Spanish Courtyard with her own seasoned quartet of Steve Nelson on vibes, Victor Lewis on drums and Peter Washington on bass. Rosnes has played with a myriad of veteran players including trombonist J.J. Johnson, vibes master Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson and Wayne Shorter to name a few.

I was fortunate enough to attend the Saturday night show which featured an eclectic group of performers. Producer Jim Luce should be applauded for bringing together a gumbo of musical tastes. This approach serves to open audiences to the myriad of possibilities within the broad jazz  genre. He wisely chose to keep the program diverse without succumbing to the temptation of including artists better known in the areas of pop or rock music. Recently the inclusion of these types of artists on "so-called" jazz venues, has been used by other promoters as a vehicle to sell more tickets at the expense of diluting what one would come to expect from a true jazz festival.

The days activities started out at 3:00pm with the Cuban troubadour and guitar player Juan-Carlos Formell. The group consisted of Formell on guitar and vocals, Lewis Kahn on trombone, Ricky Rodriguez on bass, Manuel Valera on piano and a percussionist whose name I didn't catch. They presented a comfortable Latin inspired set of mostly Formell compositions. The singer/guitarist has an appealing stage presence and his music offers a gentle, authethically Latin/island sway to it that is infectious. Formell and company played with relish  and managed to nicely warm up the late arriving crowd with their musicality and joyous congeniality.

Saxophonist Joshua Redman of James Farm

 

 

 

 

The crowd grew in size as the expectation for the next group started to be felt in the air like the electricity that raises the hair on your skin  before a major storm. James Farm is a group of extremely talented musicians whose recent self-titled album is a tour de force. The group is comprised of Joshua Redman on tenor, Aaron Parks on piano, Matt Penman on Bass and the ubiquitous Eric Harland on drums. With such extraordinary musicianship it is little wonder that these guys create compelling music.  While some groups seem to star one particular player, James Farm has taken a collective approach that works wonderfully. Each musician is both virtuoso and  composer in his own right and they have subdued their own egos for the betterment of the musical message to great success.

The set started with the Penman's composition "1981"  A rhythmic piece that features a lyrical Parks on piano and Redman's  silky tenor. Penman's bass lines drive the piece as Harland demonstrates he is as creative a percussionist as you will see anywhere. They moved into Redman's more jagged composition   "If by Air" . Watching Redman on stage you get the felling he absorbs the pulse of the music into his musculature. His lean and elastic body projects a wave of energy that emits from his horn in total mind/body communion. When he solos it is like he is excorcising his thoughts. 

James Farm's Aaron Parks

The group moves into the Aaron Parks introspective composition " Unravel".  The moody piece is demonstrative of this group's effort to play as a cohesive unit with no real showcase of individual talent. Penman takes a thoughtful bass solo, but for the most part piano, bass and sax create a unified sound that is delicately complimented by Harland's gossamer mallet and brush work.

"Polywog" is an Redman composition that has a fast paced beat that allowed the tenor man to provide one of his most explosive solos of the evening.

Matt Penman

Park's "Chronos" features an ostinato bass line that allows Redman to explore vestiges of Middle Eastern music on the melody. Parks utilizes sweeping crescendos of sound with his right hand as his left hand relentlessly plays the repeating bass lines. Harland solos with a fusillade of explosive cracks, bombs and crashes.

On Parks "Bijou" we are treated to the most melodic song of the evening. Redman is particularly beautiful in his playing reaching the high register for poignancy without any anxiety. The crowd was mesmerized throughout the set. The band left the stage and would make their way to Newport for a show the following evening. If a group can be categorized as all stars than James Farm certainly proved they qualify for this moniker in every category.

Eric Harland

The next performer was one who was new to me. The vocalist Jose James. James is  originally from Minneapolis and attended the New School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC. He has played with the pianist Junior Mance as well as the drummer Chico Hamilton. He  possess a smoky baritone that reminds me of a cross between Gil Scot-Heron and Johnny Hartman.  His delivery is an amalgam of traditional jazz vocal stylizing, wording and hip hop rap. For this evening he was joined by the talented guitarist Nir Felder, the keyboard artist Frank Lo Castro, the bassist Chris Smith and the drummer Nate Smith. Despite having to follow the powerhouse James Farm, Mr. James captured his audience's attention with his mellow musings on the ballad "Save Your Love for Me" , made famous by the chanteuse Miss Nancy Wilson, which he performed beautifully. He followed with a song dedication to John Coltrane where he deftly interjected some lines from Gil Scot-Heron's  "The Bottle"  conjuring up images of the late poet/troubadour's soulful baritone. On  "Dedicated to You" James' warm low register voice melted the crowd like a pat of butter over steaming pancakes. A Mark Murphy inspired, rap-influenced version of Freddie Hubbard's  song
"Red Clay"  was a high light and featured an ripping guitar solo by the creative Nir Felder. Mr. James's  lush voice and contemporary sound was fresh and for the most part entertaining. He is a young artist who is to be watched.

Bartitone Jose James with Guitarist Nir Felder

The finale of the evening was the big band of the superlative bassist Christan McBride. McBride is currently one of the premier bassist of his generation having played with some of the most influential musicians of the last two decades. His joyous approach to the instrument has made him the bassist of choice for many notable artists from Sting to Chick Corea.. Having played at Caramoor last year with Roy Haynes, Chick Corea and Kenny Garrett, he chose this year to use the familiar Caramoor stage to debut his Christian McBride 17 piece big band. For this challenging endeavor McBride was aided by  a supporting cast that includes a trumpet section made up of Narate Isles, Frank Greene, Mike Rodriguez and Brandon Lee. His Trombone section includes Mike Dease, Steve Davis, James Burton II and Douglas Purviance. The saxophone section included Ron Blake, Loren Schoenberg, Todd Bashore, Steve Wilson and Carl Maraghi. Xavier Davis is featured on piano, with young Ben Williams seconding on bass and Ulysses Owens Jr. handling drum duties. The band also featured McBride's wife Melissa Walker on vocals.

Melissa Walker w the Christian McBride Big Band

The band played to a now full house as the rain started to pour outside. No one was concerned. The band  started the set with "Shake & Bake" and "Broadway" . McBride told the crowd an anecdote about James Brown's penchant for calling people"Brother Mister" which became the name of the next composition. Young Ben Williams was introduced on bass as McBride jumped from his upright to conducting the band. Saxophonist Steve Wilson played a beautiful soprano solo and trumpeter Brandon Lee soared. McBride''s wife Melisa Walker came out to do " When I Fall in Love" . McBride introduced the next song "A Taste of Honey" , made famous by Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass,  to the acknowledgment of the crowd.

The next song was titled "Science Fiction" and McBride used a nice arrangement of flutes and bass clarinet in the mix. The bassist played an amazing solo on his upright double bass that was technically brilliant.It was easy to see he has few equals on his instrument. McBride creates a wide and imposing presence on stage, but when he pick ups his bass he is as facile as a wood sprite dancing through a forest. Alto saxophonist Todd Bashore tore it up for a full four minute solo that was a highlight of the evening.

Christian McBride leading his Big Band at Caramoor

The second set included "Blues in the Asphalt City" with a fine trombone solo by Steve Davis and a song dedicated to pianist Cedar Walton " Shade of the Cedar Tree". Singer Melissa Walker sang "The More I Want You" and did a slightly corny duet with hubby McBride on his bass on  "Just in Time". The finale was a barn burner titled " In a Hurray" which aptly moved at great neck speed, testing the cohesiveness of the large ensemble.  The McBride big band was a hit with the Caramoor audience and it was good to see that competent big bands still have their appeal to astute audiences.

While I was unable to attend the Sunday show, it featured another thrilling line up with artists including guitarist John Scofield, pianist/producer  Robert Glasper's group and pianist Jason Moran's Bandwagon.

Bravo to impressario Jim Luce for such an incredible line up.The Rosen's would be proud. For those who missed this year's performances may I strongly suggest you plan to attend next year at this wonderful music friendly venue.