Jazz Now: Conclusions

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

It's been a while since we finished our Jazz Now survey, asking the Jazz Internet to recommend modern jazz starter albums. But we never really wrapped it up in any authoritative way. So here are a few observations of this whole affair.

There's one more task left still: actually getting some people to listen and engage with these selections. Still in the works from this end. In the meanwhile, some thoughts on the data and the series. This grew to be quite a monster post, so I'll give you a little table of contents:

1. On The Bad Plus & Brad Mehldau
2. I See Black People
3. Different Strokes, Or, To What Audience?
4. Jazz & Not-Jazz
5. The Long Tail

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1. On The Bad Plus & Brad Mehldau

As one might have predicted, The Bad Plus and Brad Mehldau were far and away the artists mentioned most frequently by Jazz Now contributors and commenters. Personally, I'm glad to see a consensus for such genuinely talented artists. I myself listed The Bad Plus, and I really do admire Mehldau's trio records.

But I don't fully understand why so many people have latched on to these artists' recorded works as good "starter" or "gateway" albums. I surmise it has something to do with their loving jazz embraces of not-jazz -- more on that later. That can't be all of it, though. Allow me to work through some conjectures.

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7:34 PM ET | 10-28-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: The Raw Data

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

The following is a list of all the artists and albums nominated by panelists, commenters, Twitterers and fellow bloggers for Jazz Now. If you're joining us late, Jazz Now is all about introducing new listeners to new jazz, five hand-picked albums at a time. [Note: This is not a best-of poll, as this has occasionally been misrepresented as.]

Again, there are flaws in the counting methodology. How to accurately represent the contributions of sidemen is a big one that I resolved by ignoring. (This is a bad way to discover jazz -- one should pay attention to all the individual personalities on each record -- but the only practical way to count semi-accurately.) "Main" picks got a full tally; those designated as honorable mentions a half (even though two halves ought to make more than a whole, if you think about it). And when people couldn't make up their mind exactly which album of an artist to present, I counted that as "unspecified." Or I fudged it somehow. So sue me.

Nonetheless, I think this is will be useful when analyzed. (i.e. It's actually "close enough for jazz," as opposed to the usual tragicomic sense of that phrase.) As with our previous data-gathering exercise, I'll have some thoughts and conclusions in coming days. For now, I'm exhausted with typing HTML tags into my laptop. Here's the count, organized by the number of times each bandleader or group was recognized, and for which records.

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[15]
--Brad Mehldau: Largo (6), Day Is Done (4), Live (1.5), Art Of The Trio Vol. 5 (1.5), Quartet [with Pat Metheny] (1), unspecified (1)

[14]
--The Bad Plus: These Are The Vistas (6.5), Prog (4), Suspicious Activity (1.5), Give (1), unspecified (1)

[8.5]
--Vijay Iyer: Historicity (4.5), in what language? [with Mike Ladd] (2), Tragicomic (1), Panoptic Modes (1)

[8]
--Dave Douglas: The Infinite (3), Moonshine (1), Constellations (1), Witness (1), Strange Liberation (1), Keystone (1)

[7.5]
--Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band: Season Of Changes (5), Perceptual (1.5), Brian Blade Fellowship (1)
--Maria Schneider Orchestra: Sky Blue (4), Concert In The Garden (2), Unspecified (1.5)

[5.5]
--Darcy James Argue's Secret Society: Infernal Machines (5.5)
--Robert Glasper: Double Booked (3.5), In My Element (2)
--Medeski Martin & Wood: Out Louder [with John Scofield] (1.5), Tonic (1.5), A Go Go [with John Scofield] (1), unspecified (1), Radiolarians I, II and III (.5)
--Esperanza Spalding: Esperanza (5.5, plus additional mentions)

[5]
--Guillermo Klein: El Minotauro (1), Los Guachos II (1), Los Guachos III (1), Live In Barcelona (1), Filtros (1)
--Jason Moran: Black Stars (1.5), Artist In Residence (1), Modernistic (1), Same Mother (1), Facing Left (.5)

[4.5]
--John Hollenbeck/The Claudia Quintet: A Blessing (1), The Claudia Quintet (1), I, Claudia (1), Semi-Formal (1), For (.5)
--Kurt Rosenwinkel: The Next Step (1.5), The Remedy (1), Deep Song (1), Heartcore (1)
--John Zorn/Masada: Lucifer: The Book of Angels, Vol. 10 (1), Stolas: The Book Of Angels Vol. 12, Azazel: The Book of Angels, Vol. 2 (1), unspecified (1), Live In Sevilla 2000 (.5)

[4]
--Dave Holland: Not for Nothin' (2), Prime Directive (1), Extended Play: Live At Birdland (1)
--Chris Potter: Fellow the Red Line (1.5), Underground (1), Unspoken (1), Unspecified (.5)

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6:15 PM ET | 10- 5-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Comment Ombudsman

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

We've been elated to see such a wide response to our Jazz Now series, where we and our guest contributors recommend starter albums for getting into today's jazz. We've also seen a whole lot of alternate lists and insightful comments too. So I thought I'd play "comment ombudsman" and highlight some of the interesting opinions proffered.

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on "a golden age of jazz"

A tempting thesis from commenter Dan Alford, who writes:

I think the idea of "making the case for jazz in the last decade" is hysterical, because the last ten years have produced the best jazz since the 1960s. Not just the younger greats ... but also the last ten years from the masters: Charles Lloyd (esp. Sangam), McCoy Tyner, and is there a more daring band than the Wayne Shorter Quartet is any genre?

In thinking up my own list, and listening to all the great picks from others, I'm almost in agreement. I have been hipped to some phenomenal music in the last two weeks, which makes me think the well runs deep. But then again, the 1970-1989 focus of the Ear of the Behearer project, and the Destination: OUT Best Albums of the 1990s thread implicitly argue that the greatness of this music never went anywhere. (The audiences and industry capital, on the other hand ...)

The case could be made, I think, that we are at least transitioning to a different age for jazz. At this stage in pop music, online global communication, artist self-determination, industry woes, jazz education, academic jazz studies and institutional memory, something has changed. Whether or not it's a golden age? Shoot: the quality of the music may never have changed. But the way it's produced and consumed certainly has.

Alford does bring up another interesting point about older artists. We didn't see many of those artists on Jazz Now, which is understandable. If you want to convince people that jazz is alive and more-than-well, you want some fresh faces to represent that. But artists' careers are lasting longer than ever now, and some of those older artists have been making wonderfully inventive music of late. A more complete portrait of the jazz scene now probably ought to include recent offerings from Charles Lloyd, or Ornette Coleman, or Billy Hart, or Abbey Lincoln, or Wayne Shorter, or Sam Rivers ... you get the picture.

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11:12 AM ET | 09-29-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Josh Jackson, WBGO

by Josh Jackson, WBGO

WBGO's Josh Jackson is in his mid-thirties, well under the median jazz audience demographic -- though positively ancient by Jazz Now terms. (In the e-mail chain which planned this whole mess, he signed off as "Father Time.") However, this project wouldn't be complete without his insights. By now you surely know about his wonderful radio program and podcast, The Checkout, featuring in-studio sessions and interviews with many of today's most interesting jazz artists. Moreover, it was an off-hand comment he made to me some months ago -- something about us all having to work together -- that launched this whole train of thought. His passionate commitment to current jazz, not to mention his ear to the ground, were also primary inspirations. Both a colleague and a mentor to me, Josh found five brilliant albums which have come out (or will come out) in the second half of this year alone. --Ed.

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When I moved to New York in 2000, I came for jazz. Hundreds of concerts and documentaries and interviews and radio programs later, I have met some of the most amazing individuals who walk this earth and play music. Some no longer walk this earth. The music continues.

I am in awe having these opportunities, but I've been so deeply entrenched in jazz that I sometimes forget what the point of discovery was like. It still happens every so often, but the intensity of my first engagement with jazz has only been matched in subsequent years by hearing the many moments revealed in live concerts. The older I get, the more I read; the more I listen; the less I really know about anything.

So what is modern jazz? I can only say that it is a weapon that flies from the quill of talented musicians, especially deadly when it comes from one who dedicates his or her life to beauty. It could be a promissory note, an occasional moment of self-discovery, a rebuke of time, a new technical puzzle, an internal riddle with no solution, a struggle, a resolution, a renewed sense of mission (however ephemeral), an incremental march to the infinite -- with musical notation. If improvised music today had a flavor, it would be the distilled mash of globalism run through the sieve of renegade moonshiners.

All I know is that jazz can be something for anyone, and it will be something else for you. As a listener, the terms are yours. If you need a point of entry, you might find a way in somewhere below.

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1. Robert Glasper, Double Booked (Blue Note).
Glasper's flow of hip-hop pianism can glide in an acoustic setting, or loop effortlessly in an electric outfit. On his latest recording, Double Booked, you get to hear both. The first half features Glasper's jazz trio -- piano, bass, drums -- playing original music (with a side order of Thelonious Monk's "Four In One"). Then comes the Robert Glasper Experiment, a live wire exposed. Drummer Chris Dave lays the beat for this Derrick Hodge original, while Jahi Sundance (son of saxophonist Oliver Lake) spins layers of speech narrative. Casey Benjamin adds additional vocoder effects, and Bilal permeates it all with a wordless vocal. It's music for the hip-hop generation, with a jazz feeling behind it all.

"Open Mind," from Robert Glasper, Double Booked (Blue Note). Robert Glasper, piano/keyboards; Bilal, vocals; Casey Benjamin, saxophone/vocoder; Derrick Hodge, bass; Chris Dave, drums; Jahi Sundance, turntables. Released 2009.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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7:34 PM ET | 09-25-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Sebastien Helary With Justin Wee, Nextbop.com

by Sebastien Helary with Justin Wee

Sebastien Helary and Justin Wee love jazz with their hearts on their sleeves -- and they want you to love it too. The two 23-year-old gentlemen, Montreal residents both, took out loans from their parents to create a Web site specifically designed to expose their generation to today's jazz. (This on top of being full-time college students.) The result is Nextbop, featuring streaming tracks and artist profiles from some of the hottest young artists today. For Jazz Now, co-founder Helary gave us an impassioned, personal write-up (check out the Bad Plus entry!) of 10 albums picked by both co-founders. They would have you note that there's more music where that came from at Nextbop itself. --Ed.

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I love jazz. I don't believe there's any music out there which is more exciting, interesting or stimulating than jazz -- especially today's jazz. It has brought me so much. It makes me smile. It makes me cry. It makes me think. It brings me an overwhelming amount of joy. Jazz makes me feel alive!

I find it disheartening that most people my age do not share this interest, this passion, with me. Maybe jazz isn't suited for everyone; maybe people my age won't like every type of jazz music out there. But if I listen to some hip-hop and to some rock, why don't more young people listen to some jazz?

I don't think there's any problem with the music. Every time I've played The Bad Plus at a party, I've had people ask me about it. There's a genuine interest for jazz among young people.

But the music is not reaching them. It doesn't play on the radio stations they listen to. There are no jazz music videos on the television channels they watch. The first thing that pops in people's minds when you say the word "jazz" is Louis Armstrong, or maybe Miles Davis. People are not aware that the music has made leaps and bounds since then. Once jazz fans become addicted, we quickly forget that there once was a time when we had absolutely no idea who John Coltrane was. Musicians which are celebrities or stars to us are completely unknown to most people. And if we want to reach them, we need to make more of an effort of putting ourselves in their shoes.

There's incredible jazz being made today by exceptional musicians. But who's really listening to their music? This summer I attended concerts given by The Bad Plus, Aaron Parks and Gerald Clayton at the Montreal Jazz Festival. I was absolutely shocked to see that the vast majority of people there were easily over the age of 35. And from listening to the conversations taking place before the concerts, most of them had never heard of the groups playing those evenings. Justin and I were maybe the only two twenty-somethings at the Aaron Parks and at the Gerald Clayton concerts. I couldn't believe it!

I think the problem is that no one is trying to promote jazz to people who don't already listen to the music. It might be suicidal to do so from a marketing standpoint -- yet I believe that it's something that absolutely must be done nonetheless. People my age who listen to jazz are either jazz musicians or very good friends with jazz musicians. Who is reaching out to the other young people out there? We created Nextbop.com because we believe that jazz deserves wider recognition, as well as a younger and larger audience. Our main objective is to reach out to young people and to show them what today's jazz music is all about. Jazz rocks. They just don't know it yet.

So how do you get young people interested in jazz? Our answer is to have them listen to any of these 10 albums. In alphabetical order:

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Aaron Parks, Invisible Cinema (Blue Note)
The first time I heard pianist Aaron Parks was on Christian Scott's album Anthem. That record absolutely blew me away -- more on that later -- so you can imagine how excited I was when I learned that Aaron had made a record for the prestigious Blue Note label. I had very high expectations for Invisible Cinema, but the album exceeded all of them. Parks has a gift for creating beautiful, passionate and captivating music. There's something almost poetic and Zen-like to his approach, yet his sound is also pleasantly fresh. I think that most twenty-somethings will be able to relate to the drum 'n' bass feel of Eric Harland's drumming, or to the sound of Mike Moreno's guitar. Plus, I just love the sustained intensity which Aaron brings. He's unquestionably one of the most promising pianists of his generation. When's the next album coming out?

"Nemesis," from Aaron Parks, Invisible Cinema (Blue Note). Aaron Parks, piano; Matt Penman, bass; Eric Harland, drums; Mike Moreno, guitar. Released 2008.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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4:48 PM ET | 09-24-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Adam Schatz & James Donahue, Search And Restore

by Adam Schatz & James Donahue

I make no secret of my admiration for Search and Restore. Adam Schatz and James Donahue book some of the hippest jazz shows you'll find in New York City; they also run a useful online hub (including a show calendar) for live jazz in the area. (See the ABS interview: part one and part two.) For Jazz Now, I granted them 10 album picks -- five for each co-founder. Adam has written the majority opinion with an enthusiasm that is irresistibly infectious, and James stepped in to voice the last three picks. --Ed.

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I came to New York City in 2006 with absolutely zero knowledge of its current jazz creators. Within the first week, Dave Binney's Welcome To Life band changed the world as I knew it.

Their live show opened the door to a community of musicians who could exert an emotional pull on listeners -- and do so in a completely fresh way every night. The album that band recorded, and nine others, have been compiled into the following list of must-hears by me and James Donahue, my partner in show presentation and audience expansion. Here are records that we believe are perfect introductions to the creative attitude running through jazz's veins today.

There seems to be a constant back-and-forth as to what can be deemed "jazz" or not. To me, it is a music that conjures melody, harmony and improvisation in any way, shape or form. Keeping the definition of jazz inclusive helps to draw in new listeners; it's hard to see anything unattractive in that.

Despite jazz's long, fruitful history, I don't think it's necessary for a new listener to be knowledgeable, or even appreciative, of what's come before now. Historical awareness will surely help them hear and feel today's jazz in a new light. However, I am completely confident that these albums stand on their own terms: as progressive, exciting new music.

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1. James Carney, Green-Wood (Songlines)
James Carney is a pianist who prizes meaningful, strong compositions -- but also wholeheartedly embraces the weird. With Green-Wood, he takes a fantastic risk by beginning the album's first track with some of the weird: a deep synth rumble, saxophonic murmurs and drum spasms only hint of what's to come. Three minutes in, the melody hits like a rock, and all is again safe. Green-Wood is full of interplay between the improvised and the composed, abandoning conventional song forms. That gives Carney full control as a composer, bandleader and space-maker. A sonic masterpiece which maximizes the versatility of every instrument, this is a great album to get lost in. --AS

"Power," from James Carney, Green-Wood (Songlines). James Carney, piano; Tony Malaby, tenor saxophone; Peter Epstein, soprano sax; Josh Roseman, trombone; Chris Lightcap, bass; Mark Ferber, drums. Released 2007.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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1:44 PM ET | 09-23-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Alex Rodriguez, Lubricity

by Alex Rodriguez

Unlike his more well-known namesake, our Alex Rodriguez plays the trombone. He also blogs at Lubricity. And writes for Jazz.com. And interns with Josh Jackson at WBGO's The Checkout. And is earning an M.A. in Jazz History and Research -- the only program of its kind -- at Rutgers. For Jazz Now, he recommends music for new jazz fans based in part on the bands' live acts. --Ed.

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I didn't discover jazz until 1997, when I was 12 years old and learning to play the trombone in my middle school band in Portland, Ore. By then, the general attitude of those presenting it to me was historically-oriented -- the era's prevailing ideology reached me through the school music curriculum. The first jazz recording that I remember hearing was Glenn Miller's "In The Mood," from a sixth grade music appreciation class. The first jazz record that I bought was Bags' Groove by Miles Davis, at the behest of my jazz band director.

My interest in the trombone soon led me to J.J. Johnson, who died when I was a junior in high school. I fell in love with the sounds of many of the music's ghosts: Count Basie, Sonny Rollins, Ben Webster, Thad Jones, Al Grey and many, many others -- most of whom had also already died (save Rollins, of course). I have fond memories of trips to Everyday Music in downtown Portland, the only record store in town that I knew had a reliable supply of used jazz CDs.

Eventually, my conversation with the past was interrupted by actual concerts. I didn't start going to see live music until high school, when I would see live jazz at the Port Townsend Jazz Festival, occasionally check out a show at Portland's only jazz club (Jimmy Mak's), or catch a concert at Portland's Crystal Ballroom. I remember catching New Orleans-based funk band Galactic from the very front of the stage; I prided myself on being so close to Maceo Parker's trombonist Greg Boyer at a show a few months later that he almost emptied his spit valve on my forehead. None of these acts were particularly groundbreaking from a jazz standpoint, but they certainly stand out in the development of my relationship to music today.

As a Master's Degree candidate in Jazz History and Research, my conversation with the music's past continues. But the new jazz being created by today's outstanding musicians provides an important frame for the historical work. I sense a changing paradigm in the way today's musicians are having their own interaction with the music's history; the rapid development of the jazz community online has mirrored that shifting trend. Through these networks, as well as my recent move to the New York City area, I've been hipped to a lot of great stuff that's being done in the name of jazz.

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1. Rebirth Brass Band, Rebirth For Life (Tipitina's)
I became aware of this group when I was still in high school, but I never caught them live until my sophomore year in college. The experience confirmed what I had always been told (which comes through to a lesser extent on the recordings): these guys can make your booty shake like nobody else in the business. I don't think I've compared anyone to a deity as many times as I have Phil Frazier, the group's leader and powerfully funky tubist (as in: oh man, Phil Frazier is a GOD!). Released in 2006, Rebirth For Life is the group's first post-Katrina record, but it maintains the loose, hard-partying spirit that defines their sound. "Stereo" is a typically fun and exciting groove that features typical ensemble riffs and brilliant, gutsy solos.

"Stereo," from Rebirth Brass Brand, Rebirth For Life (Tipitina's). Released 2006.

Purchase: Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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10:51 AM ET | 09-22-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Mike Katzif, NPR Music

by Michael Katzif

At NPR Music, Mike Katzif is something of a Swiss army knife. He writes about plenty of not-jazz for Song Of The Day and a variety of other features. He's also the keeper of all things podcast throughout the entire NPR.org universe. But he comes from a background as a jazz guitarist, and at A Blog Supreme, he gets to write about this music. His Jazz Now list introduces new listeners to "contemporary and personally meaningful records." --Ed.

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People who know me probably know that baseball is my favorite sport. It has a beautiful history and an amazing folklore. Admittedly, it also features deliberate and slow-paced action drawn out over a long summer, and -- let's face it -- a lot of nuance and minutiae that the average person doesn't care about. There's no way I would introduce a friend to baseball with old newspaper boxscore clippings, reruns on ESPN Classic or historical artifacts. As important and fascinating as that stuff can be, the first thing I'd do is say, "Let's go see a game."

The same goes for any type of music, but especially in jazz. Yet anyone who's ever spent time in a jazz history survey knows that most of the time is spent with the classics and little else. By the time you get to anything modern or recognizable, the class is over.

Up until recently (thanks, burgeoning Jazz Internets!), rare were there opportunities to learn about or talk publicly in the ways of today's jazz. For novices newer jazz can be daunting. Listeners need time to attune their ears to the language, and yet we drop them into this foreign territory and say "Good luck." Is it any wonder why some people get turned off?

Instead, why not start with the now and work backward? It's important to look back and know the past, but were I to teach one of those history of jazz lectures, I would introduce great artists creating exciting work that you can go out and experience in person (fine bourbon or craft brew in hand, natch).

In approaching this list of five great jazz albums of the last decade (give or take), I treated it as a way to introduce five contemporary and personally meaningful records. These are packages I would use as an introduction to jazz for those still on the bench -- but looking to play.

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1. Medeski Martin & Wood, Tonic (Blue Note)
You can tell a lot about a musician from a stripped-down, acoustic performance. Such is the case with Medeski Martin and Wood's live classic Tonic, which pares away the Hammond B-3 organ, fuzzed-out Wurlitzer and Hofner bass for a simple piano, bass and drums. MMW earned crossover appeal thanks to their funkier tendencies, but they maintained cred in other circles for their more experimental breakdowns and inventive communication. In this cozy setting, the trio masters tension-and-release playing, slowly building a song only to deconstruct it into blissful cacophony. For fans who were already sold on their more groove-based material, this is a great segue into more off-kilter pianists like Cecil Taylor or Thelonious Monk.

"Seven Deadlies," from Medeski Martin & Wood, Tonic (Blue Note). John Medeski, piano; Chris Wood, bass; Billy Martin, drums. Released 2000.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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10:09 AM ET | 09-21-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Lars Gotrich, NPR Music

by Lars Gotrich

The first real conversation I ever had with Lars Gotrich was about the Peter Brotzmann and Han Bennink U.S. duo tour of 2007. That's how I knew dude was OK in my eyes. Lars keeps tabs on the whole spectrum of jazz for NPR Music -- he Web produces Take Five, Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz, JazzSet, and much of our Newport Jazz Festival coverage. But he's the special correspondent for out music at ABS, and even releases some avant-improv on his own record label. His list is an newbie's introduction to the free jazz of today. --Ed.

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All week long you've dreaded it. You've touched your toes in the jazz water, and it's been cool and refreshing, but there are rapids ahead ... wild, disjointed and arrhythmic rapids. And for some reason, Sun Ra is your raft guide.

Yes, it's here. Oh, God, not the free jazz!

Fear not, jazz travelers, for I too stood at the shore, uncertain of this path. After a brief introduction to musicians like Matthew Shipp by way of a graveyard DJ shift at WUOG, I checked out New York Is Now! by Phil Freeman from the UGA library. Its basic premise (and sometimes over-simplication/-implication) was that if you like one form of extreme music (say, death metal), then you'd also like free jazz. That's simple enough if you already enjoy Cannibal Corpse, but it doesn't quite account for the free jazz that isn't all the screams-from-hell variety (for more on that, John Zorn's Painkiller is the way to go).

True to Freeman's idea, I was a metal-head (still am, by the way) attracted to the squeals and chaotic nature of free jazz. In fact, the true moment of conversion came upon the first blat of sound out of Peter Brotzmann's Chicago Tentet at the ACME Festival on Apr. 3, 2004. Driven to the 40 Watt out of sheer curiosity (and a free ticket), I sat through The Vandermark 5 and a Joe Maneri trio (R.I.P. Joe) until Brotzmann's menacing band took the stage. I was being sonically assaulted and I couldn't help but smile until the set was over. There was no turning back.

But I have little reason to sonically assault noobs. My five avant-jazz recommendations mix bright nostalgia with creative innovation, veterans making new music as well as today's most promising talents. (But if you do want the noise, check out the honorable mentions.)

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1. Matthew Shipp, Nu Bop (Thirsty Ear)
I credit a trio of 2003 Matthew Shipp albums as the initial sparks for my love of free- and avant-garde jazz: Equilibrium, the sometimes brilliant hip-hop collaboration Antipop Consortium vs. Matthew Shipp, and Nu Bop. Shipp put some serious work into curating the Blue Series for the Thirsty Ear label (and still does), pushing unlikely collaborations outside the jazz realm. Not all of the experiments work to my ears, but the funky Nu Bop was a revelation. The tasteful programming and synths of FLAM added a fresh current and bed to Shipp's full-bodied piano chords. And if there's one thing Shipp loves, it's a good vamp, especially with longtime collaborator and bassist William Parker in tow. Shipp gets all Erik Satie on the few ambient pieces that lace the album, but the stars go to the instantly funky cuts which hit grooves immediately upon impact.

"Space Shipp," from Matthew Shipp, Nu Bop (Thirsty Ear). Matthew Shipp, piano; FLAM, programming; William Parker, bass; Daniel Carter, saxophone; Guillermo E. Brown, drums. Released 2002.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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10:22 AM ET | 09-18-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Dean Christesen, RVAJazz.com

by Dean Christesen

The jazz and improvised music scene in Richmond, Va. is small but vibrant, thanks to the enterprising DIY efforts of its members. In 2007, as a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dean Christesen launched RVAJazz.com to promote the music of his role models and friends. So successful was his online calendar and news service that he decided to put together the first RVAjazzfest earlier this year. On top of that -- and a full courseload -- Dean is also a volunteer jazz radio programmer, and a multi-genre drummer in a number of Richmond outfits. Appropriately, for our Jazz Now series, he's picked five albums with a view to contemporary rhythms. --Ed.

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The majority of people relate with the rhythm of their time. Swing, rock 'n' roll, disco and beyond possess distinct rhythmic foundations, and have all been considered popular music at one time.

So consider us, the young people of today. We don't know what it's like to really sing the blues, and we certainly didn't grow up with swing at the forefront of pop culture. We listen to rock, hip-hop, metal, etc.: These rhythms are embedded within us, and the rhythms that we are most familiar with are the elements that we tend to create with. In listening to the music of the past, we are inspired to learn from it, imitate it, and then make it our own. This is the role of jazz to young people today.

The '70s saw fusion combining improvisation and jazz elements with contemporary rock- and funk-based rhythms. Today, we are experiencing a much more complex fusion of musics. To many artists, nothing is off-limits when creating. Jazz is no longer jazz as its pioneers saw it. But it's jazz to us.

Given the opportunity to present examples of jazz today to an open-minded person who is unfamiliar with the jazz world, I would play the following five albums. Each one is unique, but they are all similar in that the elements of contemporary rhythm are crucial characteristics of the music. This may be a subconscious realization for the layman, but being aware of rhythms in jazz today should affect your appreciation for the music, the artists and the creative process.

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1. Tigran Hamasyan Arratta Rebirth, Red Hail (Plus Loin)
The expert and the layman can unite over their awe for pianist Tigran Hamasyan. His ability to stay true to Armenian folk verse while incorporating musical elements that are nothing but modern is fascinating. Likening Red Hail to the multi-metered, guitar-driven ethos of progressive rock only seems natural: memorable yet lopsided riffs characterize certain pieces, while jazz waltzes or breakbeats make up the bulk of others. If you're new to jazz, you may not realize that this is a bold statement from a jazzman, a refusal to comply with the standards set before us. But at 22 years old, this young one embodies jazz's present and future.

"Sibylla," from Tigran Hamasyan's Arratta Rebirth, Red Hail (Plus Loin Music). Tigran Hamasyan, piano; Areni Agbabian, vocals; Nate Wood, drums; Ben Wendel, soprano saxophone; Sam Minaie, bass; Charles Altura, guitar. Laguna Beach, Calif.: Aug. 20, 2008.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3

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8:35 AM ET | 09-17-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Lucas Gillan, AccuJazz

by Lucas Gillan

Lucas Gillan, 23, is a natural fit for Jazz Now. For one, he absorbs tons of music while programming AccuJazz, a promising Internet radio service. He's also an active drummer, teaching plenty of lessons and performing throughout the Chicagoland area. (And not just jazz, either.) On a recent visit to Chicago, I met up with him, and he graciously told me the bands I had to see while I was in town. Of course, his list covers a lot of territory well beyond the upper Midwest. --Ed.

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Despite growing up in a relatively conservative Christian home where worship music was the norm on the living room stereo, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to a huge variety of music as a child and teen. My oldest brother, a lifelong music lover in constant pursuit of new sounds, introduced my sister, brother and me to everything from ska (before its 15 minutes of '90s fame) to underground hardcore to jazz. As a teen musician, I spent equal amounts of time performing and listening to indie rock, jazz, and Christian music.

From my experience as a university jazz student, I found that a lot of my colleagues had narrow-minded views of what they perceived to be proper listening habits. A trombonist roommate once scolded me upon finding that there were only 6 jazz tracks in the top 10 of my "Most Played" list on iTunes. In this current discussion of building a young jazz audience, I feel uniquely qualified to advise jazz-agnostic music fans through the sometimes daunting waters of jazz listening.

To be perfectly honest, the jazz that most often packs the biggest emotional punch for me is that which exhibits some awareness of non-jazz styles. If I were to put together a list of my favorite jazz albums from the last 10 years, it wouldn't look all that different from the list I'm offering now: it's designed for maximum appeal to young music fans still unsure about jazz. There are visceral grooves, engaging melodies, exhilarating improvisations, and intelligent orchestrations. Most of all, every track has something that should pull in any casual listener and make them want more.

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1. Brad Mehldau, Largo (Nonesuch)
This album was a big one for me: it fuses masterful jazz improvisation with modern rock production. It's also the one jazz album that excited my indie rock-obsessed high school friends (who openly admitted that they only attended my jazz gigs to support me, not for the music). Some of them even purchased their own copies of Largo with actual money!

Brad Mehldau has been called the most influential jazz musician of his generation (Generation X, that is), and he has never been afraid to wear his rock and folk influences on his sleeve, often covering Radiohead and Nick Drake alongside Cole Porter and the Gershwins. Largo, however, brought the rock influence to the fore, with the assistance of superstar producer Jon Brion and some of L.A.'s best studio musicians. The lead-off track, "When it Rains," has everything I love about the album: a gorgeously simple melody, lush wind orchestration, deeply grooving drumming, a heart-stopping piano solo and even some good old 3-over-4 polyrhythms for the drumming nerd in me.

"When it Rains," from Brad Mehldau, Largo (Nonesuch). Brad Mehldau, piano; Larry Grenadier, acoustic bass; Matt Chamberlain, drums; Steve Kujala, David Shostac, flute; Jon Clark, Earle Dumler, oboe; Gary Gray, Emile Bernstein, clarinet; Peter Mandell, Rose Corrigan, bassoon. Released 2002.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

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8:57 AM ET | 09-16-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Patrick Jarenwattananon, Editor

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

I'll confess: I had to learn to appreciate what's going on in the jazz scene today. Growing up in a small mid-size Midwestern city, I didn't have immediate access to many masters of the present moment. So I listened to lots of records -- in particular, old records. Even when I was living in New York, it took some time to unlearn the tendency to compare new music to the recordings of yesteryear.

But more than ever, today's jazz musicians don't worry about positioning themselves within the canon. Much of the music mentioned here does mine jazz's rich history for inspiration, sure, but it's not necessarily in a "worship the ancestors" sort of way. And once I understood that this music wasn't designed to be validated in light of, say, Art Blakey, I began to appreciate the diverse array of people searching for original voices within their own personal experiences. Jazz now is inspired by, workshopped on and recorded in ways that deserve their own terms of evaluation.

For our Jazz Now series, I picked five albums with an eye toward immediate gratification -- all made with the sort of seriousness that reveals itself fully after multiple listens. I also considered some of the narratives and trends I see in modern jazz, but this isn't intended as a comprehensive portrait of the scene today, either. This is just some stuff I like, which I think others would like, too.

Enough chatter. Here's my list:

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1. The Bad Plus, These Are The Vistas (Columbia)
I think this was the first jazz record I ever wrote about; I did a review of it for my high-school newspaper back when it came out in 2003. (I don't think it's been archived on the Internet yet, fortunately.) I recall effusively praising the trio's embrace of Nirvana, Blondie and Aphex Twin anthems.

Years later, that doesn't seem as revolutionary as it did when I was 17, but the whole record (including the stellar originals) still stands out to me as a landmark of contemporary jazz. If they weren't the first to tackle modern pop covers, they certainly drew a lot of media attention for it. (I think I actually heard about the record on All Songs Considered, well before working with Bob Boilen was even a remote possibility.)

The way they did it -- by treating those covers as vehicles for serious, uniquely styled musicianship, thus collapsing allegedly high and low art -- was not only mind-expanding to me; it was also sonically addictive. So many of the sounds seemed new, but anchored by familiarity: Ethan Iverson's swirling piano solos, Dave King's virtuosity in abundance, the palpable but not overbearing post-production craft. These guys were (are?) the Bee's Knees of the jazz media for a reason. Take time to engage with what they're trying, and their music keeps giving.

"Smells Like Teen Spirit," from The Bad Plus, These Are The Vistas. Ethan Iverson, piano; Reid Anderson, bass; David King, drums. Wiltshire, United Kingdom: Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2002.

Purchase: Amazon.com / Amazon MP3 / iTunes

See Also:
--Mostly Other People Do The Killing, This Is Our Moosic (Hot Cup): Post-modernism at its psychotic funnest.
--Vijay Iyer Trio, Historicity (ACT Music): Includes the smartest, most rigorous way anyone has ever tackled the music of M.I.A. (among other covers).

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7:00 AM ET | 09-15-2009 | permalink

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Jazz Now: Introducing Music Of The Present Moment

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

Earlier this year, we posted a fun jazz feature called "The First Five: One Man's Introduction To Jazz." Long-time NPR Arts editor Tom Cole recalled walking into a Washington, D.C. area record store decades ago and telling a clerk that he wanted to get into jazz. So the staffer, who went by the name TP, picked out five great discs -- among them offerings from Charles Mingus, the Bird and Diz LP, and Eric Dolphy (featuring Booker Little) -- and Cole was hooked.

Lots of people wrote in to tell us about their first five jazz records. We even did some number-crunching with the responses we got. But one of the comments, from a reader named Will Haight, I found particularly interesting:

I love Dolphy, Mingus, Coltrane, Miles as well. But I find it discouraging that any discussions of "jazz" ... fail to mention recordings made in the last 30 years. With that in mind, I've chosen titles which fit with the ideals expressed in this excellent little piece, and which have been released in this millennium.

He then submitted a list of 5 albums of recent vintage that he would recommend to people as a TP-like introduction to improvised music of today. Which got me thinking: hey, we should do that too.

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7:00 AM ET | 09-15-2009 | permalink

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