Joe Alterman and Mocean Worker, “Yay Yay Yay,” Keep the Line Open (Mowo! Inc)
Les McCann was one funky mofo. As a progenitor of soul jazz, the pianist and composer, who died in late 2023, made his bones in the 1960s with hard-driving acoustic jazz that could keep any party grooving. He would also explore thoughtful, sometimes trippy terrain on subsequent albums that employed electric piano and synthesizer. But it’s mostly the former that’s celebrated by Joe Alterman and Mocean Worker (Adam Dorn) on their McCann homage Keep the Line Open (Mowo! Inc). Not that they stay unplugged — samples and hip-hop beats permeate the proceedings — but buoyant acoustic piano remains central. Dorn, the son of producer Joel Dorn, got to know McCann through his father and even played bass with him on live dates. Alterman’s friendship with McCann began when the fledgling pianist opened shows for the jazz veteran at The Blue Note in New York; they stayed in touch with near daily phone calls. Needless to say, Alterman and Dorn are coming from a place of deep knowledge and affection on their tribute, which features snippets of McCann from recorded conversations and voice mails. “Yay Yay Yay” is a prime example, as Alterman’s piano percolates atop a slinky, menacing groove, punctuated by McCann’s shouts and audience chatter, laughter and applause that reinforces the party vibe.
Brenda Russell, “You Know What It’s Like,” Songpainter (self-released)
Having developed a friendship through personal and professional connections, Roberta Flack reached out to fellow singer and composer Brenda Russell and asked her to collaborate on a song. “She sent me a track of her musicians playing the music and chords,” Russell recalls in a press release, “and I wrote the lyrics and melody.” Flack included the resultant “You Know What It’s Like” on her 1988 album Oasis. Russell, who had never recorded the song herself, remedies that on her latest release — her first in 20 years — Songpainter, paying tribute to the “Killing Me Softly” singer, who died in February. Riding a breezy Brazilian rhythm supplied by guitar, keyboards and percussion, Russell’s sultry vocal brims with desire, almost as if she were singing in a lover’s ear. She gets an assist from Brian Alexander Morgan, who adds a pillowy Take 6-style harmony arrangement around her leads. Russell, whose songs have been performed by Oleta Adams, Luther Vandross, Patti Austin and Ivan Lins, among many others, received a slew of accolades for her work on the score for the musical The Color Purple.
Anupam Shobhakar, “La Danse du Bonheur,” Liquid Reality (AGS)
Growing up in Bombay, India, Anupam Shobhakar, like many young guitarists, gravitated toward the sounds of his day and played in rock and heavy metal bands. As his chops developed, he also became fascinated by an indigenous instrument, the 25-string fretless sarod. Shobhakar began touring worldwide, and eventually settled in New York, where he once again embraced Western contemporary music, including jazz. Blending his native traditional music with modern expressions would require a special ax, and Shobhakar found the perfect vehicle in a double-necked guitar that combines both fretted and fretless instruments. His virtuosity resounds throughout Liquid Reality (AGS), his latest recording, which fuses his musical worlds in thrilling ways that honor their varied sources. On “La Danse du Bonheur,” a cover of the celebratory tune from Shakti’s 1976 album Handful of Beauty, Shobhakar’s fingers fly with dazzling acuity, at once echoing John McLaughlin’s fret craft on the original and adding his own unique touch, which can conjure the buzzy resonance of the sitar. He’s in excellent company, with Ben Parag providing the swift, classical Indian vocalizations, sometimes in unison with the guitarist and with pianist Utsav Lal, while drummer Satoshi Takeishi rains down thunder on his kit with Swaminathan Selvaganesh on Indian Percussion.
Kirk Knuffke, “Runs Red,” Window (Royal Potato Family)
Cornetist and composer Kirk Knuffke has made some assiduously challenging music with like-minded colleagues, including pianists Matthew Shipp and Myra Melford, bassists Michael Bisio and Mark Helias and guitarist Mary Halvorson. But Knuffke refuses to be pigeonholed, as projects with a range of artists attest. His latest release,Window (Royal Potato Family), provides another portal into his diverse aesthetic. In a trio with bassist Stomu Takeishi and drummer Bill Goodwin, the cornetist explores a variety of textures and feels, from bluesy and funky to ambient and meditative, his tone and phrasing never less than riveting. Knuffke even sings on the track “Runs Red,” a tune that recalls cornetist Don Cherry’s work with the group Codona. A sparse, minimalist cadence is established by Takeishi’s bass notes and Goodwin’s quietly insistent percussion, with the leader’s cornet blowing a desolate wind. The hypnotic rhythm feels rooted in folk tradition, Knuffke’s vocals recalling Native American chants, the repeated lyric filled with poetic imagery. Like Cherry’s collaborator Ornette Coleman, Knuffke says beauty is a major objective. “Even when the music is free and avant-garde,” he states on his Royal Potato Family artist page, “I want it to reach people’s hearts. I like to play fast and loud and high, but beauty is always first.”
Dave Pope Trio, “Country Nocturne,” Skyline (Blue Canoe)
Fourteen years had passed since the Dave Pope Trio had played together on its debut release, You and the Night and the Music. Then, last year, drummer Dave Pope reconvened with his brother, pianist Mike Pope, and bassist John Patitucci, at Vatican City Sound in Marriottsville, Maryland, and found that their synergistic connection remained very much intact. That much is obvious on their recent recording, Skyline (Blue Canoe), which finds the bandmates in harmonious accord on a set of well-curated tunes by Pat Metheny, Bill Evans, Steve Swallow, Wayne Shorter and Gigi Gryce, as well as a pair of original compositions penned by Dave (the title track) and Mike (“Country Nocturne”), respectively. The latter, a wistful ballad, showcases the trio at its most sensitive, with Dave’s whispery brushes and Patitucci’s minimalist bass notes accenting and supporting Mike’s emotional expression; Patitucci also offers a brief, typically beautiful solo. Despite the long hiatus and little rehearsal for the session, the trio mates display the kind of deep listening one would expect of industry veterans whose collective résumés include the likes of Randy Brecker, Chick Corea, Al Di Meola and Herbie Hancock. Mike, who’s primarily a bassist, ceded the bass spot to his friend Patitucci in the trio, although they both play six-string bass on the group’s version of Swallow’s classic “Falling Grace.”
Bonnie J Jensen, “Spain,” Rise (Metropolitan Groove Merchants)
Reading the titles on Bonnie J Jensen’s fifth recording, Rise (Metropolitan Groove Merchants), reveals much about the Australian singer’s tastes and influences. Included are interpretations of Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island” and “Butterfly,” as well as reads of “The Great City” (from Nancy Wilson’s catalog), Michael Franks’ “Jive” and The Stylistics’ “People Make the World Go Round.” Jensen also dives into the Chick Corea songbook with her version of one of the pianist’s most celebrated compositions, “Spain,” which features Al Jarreau’s wistful lyric. Aptly, Jensen begins in deep reverie, with sensitive accompaniment from pianist Matt McMahon, flutist Graham Jesse, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer/percussionist Nicholas McBride. As devotees of the tune know full well, it’s just a prelude to an impassioned reminiscence of happier days when romance was in full bloom. Jensen and her musicians pick up their heels and dance to the brisk rhythms and the memories of when “our love was a Spanish fiesta/The bright light and songs were our joy each day/And the nights were the heat of yearning.” Solos by Jesse and McMahon perfectly capture the conflicting emotions, their exuberance tempered by longing and perfectly underlining Jensen’s own nuanced performance. It’s a fine tribute to Corea and Jarreau.
Tony Davis featuring Matt Knoegel, “Trinkets From Mars,” Jessamine (self-released)
From Brad Mehldau to Wadada Leo Smith to Jackie McLean, Hartford, Connecticut, has produced or provided a home for a number of renowned jazz artists. That fact has long been evident to Hartford native guitarist and composer Tony Davis, whose father played in bands with the late McLean, a family friend who performed at his parents’ wedding. Now based in New York City, Davis still has great affection for his hometown, which he makes plain on his upcoming release Jessamine. The album’s title track, he explains in a press release, takes its name from the street on which he grew up. Fittingly, he recruited fellow Hartfordites Matt Dwonszyk and Jonathan Barber, on bass and drums respectively, for the project. With a funky rhythmic motif established from the drop, the album-opening “Trinkets From Mars” unfolds as a love letter to home — apparently, McLean used to refer to Hartford as Mars — the sentiment carried through Matt Knoegel’s warm-toned tenor sax and Chris McCarthy’s bright and somewhat wistful piano. When Davis finally uncorks his solo, it’s a joyful expression that soars with an upward trajectory toward the Red Planet, or perhaps just the 100-and-change miles north to Jessamine Street. The album is slated for release in November.
Lemek featuring Adrian Crutchfield, “Boundless,” Boundless (Trippin N Rhythm)
As the son of saxophonist Quintin Gerard W., New Orleans-area guitarist Lemek grew up listening to a variety of music. Pat Metheny and Stanley Jordan were on his playlist, but so were The Gap Band, Michael Jackson and even alt-rock and metal bands. Judging by his rising star status, that blend of influences has proven successful, with Lemek’s debut album, Emergence, reaching more than a million streams on Spotify and spending nine weeks (collectively) at No. 1 on the Billboard Smooth Jazz chart. His followup, Boundless (Trippin N Rhythm), reveals an artist firmly in the contemporary jazz tradition. The album’s title track showcases his clean-burning leads and eloquent picking, as he rides a slinky R&B/hip-hop-influenced groove. Lemek’s bluesy tone is matched by the tenor saxophone of another up-and-comer, Adrian Crutchfield, and the back-and-forth between the pair is a highlight of the track. Produced by Chris “Big Dog” Davis, the song begins on a mellow note with a brief keyboard and guitar intro before it takes flight, with momentum provided by bass, drums and horn section hits.
Roberto Restuccia, “De Nada,” Hand 2 Heart (Trippin N Rhythm)
Growing up in the U.K., Roberto Restuccia taught himself to play guitar, in part by watching concert videos of Guns N’ Roses and its top-hatted ax man Slash. His tastes expanded as the burgeoning guitarist discovered jazz guitar greats such as George Benson, Larry Carlton, Robben Ford, Jeff Golub, Ronny Jordan and Chuck Loeb. With those particular artists as guide posts, Restuccia developed a sound anchored in the contemporary jazz world and expressed on his recordings of the past decade. Since 2021, he’s found a home on the Trippin N Rhythm label, and even scored a No. 1 Billboard Smooth Jazz single with the cut “1979” from his 2023 release Lounge Kats. Restuccia follows that album with Hand 2 Heart (Trippin N Rhythm), which has already produced a Top 30 hit on the Smooth Jazz Network chart with “De Nada.” The deeply romantic cut spotlights Restuccia’s textured leads as he weaves in and out of a sensual rhythmic palette that includes wah-wah guitar and a slinky bass and drum groove. Burning and soothing, the guitarist puts a few streaks of lightning in the Quiet Storm. The song’s title, “De Nada,” translates to “you’re welcome” in Spanish, although we’re too polite to inquire for what he’s being thanked.
Cryptic Cadet featuring Lyle Workman, “Undetected,” Terminus (Blue Canoe)
Prog rock is alive and well and in the capable hands of Cryptic Cadet. Comprising keyboardist Mark Owen, bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Cam Tyler, the power trio and its guests offer an update of the genre on Terminus (Blue Canoe), its latest release. Owen’s vision is realized through 11 original songs, for which he wrote lyrics and meticulously mixed and mastered. “Undetected” kicks the album off at a gallop, with a pulse-quickening electronic pulse bolstered by tribal drumming and a fathoms-deep bass line. Will Champlin’s vocals recall those of Jon Anderson, further cementing a connection to prog rock bands such as Yes. Matt Ascione adds to the propulsive sonic palette, although he cedes the solo spotlight to fellow guitarist Lyle Workman, who lends his fire and texture to the mix. Owen and Tyler likely honed their flair for the visual and dramatic while working with Cirque du Soleil, and Lefebvre’s time with David Bowie and the Tedeschi Trucks Band likewise left a residue on his playing. The soulful Champlin, who was a Season 5 finalist on The Voice, is also marked by deep influences: His dad, Bill Champlin, was the vocalist for Bay Area ’60s-’70s rock band The Sons of Champlin.
