Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt
occupies an enviably open-minded space in the modern jazz landscape. A capable
traditionalist, Pelt has built his career around making acoustic post-bop, with
increasing forays into electrified, electronic-tinged fusion. His mutable choices
keep you in suspense as a listener -- you’re never sure what to expect from one
album to the next. While there are no such electronic flourishes on Pelt's 2017
effort, the warmly sophisticated Make Noise! It still pops with much of the
same cross-genre creativity he's explored in the past. The album follows his
similarly inclined 2016 effort #Jiveculture, which also featured an inventive
acoustic sound accented by legendary bassist Ron Carter. This time out, Pelt
brings along a slightly less-high-profile, if no less talented, ensemble
including pianist Victor Gould, bassist Vicente Archer, drummer Jonathan
Barber, and percussionist Jacquelene Acevedo. Together, they take an intimate
approach to expansive post-bop that straddles the line between Miles Davis'
'60s albums and Terence Blanchard's early-'80s work. Pelt has a broad,
enveloping trumpet tone and a knack for laying down highly engaging solos that
never hold a listener at arm's length. It's a skill he puts to good use
throughout Make Noise! and one complemented by his bandmates, especially
pianist Gould, who layers these tracks with a sparkling delicacy reminiscent of
the late Mulgrew Miller. Similarly, with Acevedo's kinetic percussion filtered
throughout, Make Noise! also has a strong Afro-Latin influence, a vibe
especially apparent on the roiling title track and frenetic, salsa-infused
"Bodega Social." Equally compelling, "Chateau d'Eau" has a
languid, R&B-inflected melody set to a midtempo Afro-Latin groove.
Elsewhere, Pelt pushes toward harmonically nuanced modalism, offering a
fittingly elegiac and noir-ish tribute to the departed pop icon on
"Prince," and evincing the angular, classically influenced style of
Black Codes-era Wynton Marsalis on "Cry Freedom." While much of
Pelt's work fits nicely into the jazz canon, he clearly has an open ear for
melody, a gift he exercises on "Your First Touch...", which sounds
like a Leonard Cohen song reworked as a sensuous jazz ballad. Ultimately, Make
Noise! continues to reveal Pelt's maturation into a confident artist,
comfortable enough with his place in the jazz tradition to keep subtly pushing
the edges of audience expectation. ~ Matt Collar, AMG. 4.5/5
Stars
This CD is dedicated to Amma
Sakyibea Pelt
HighNote Records, HCD 7299,
2017
Recorded 9th September, 2016
At Systems Two Recording Studios, Brooklyn, New York
Musicians:
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet
Victor Gould - Piano
Vicente Archer - Bass
Jonathan Barber - Drums
Jacquelene Acevedo -
Percussion
Tracks:
01. Prologue: Introduction to
"Make Noise!" {Jacquelene Acevedo} (0:51)
02. Make Noise! {Jeremy Pelt}
(5:23)
03. Prince {Jeremy Pelt}
(8:14)
04. Cry Freedom {Jeremy Pelt}
(5:24)
05. Digression {Simona
Premazzi} (8:35)
06. Introduction to
"Evolution" {Jonathan Barber} (2:05)
07. Evolution {Jeremy Pelt}
(5:43)
08. Chateau D'Eau {Jeremy
Pelt} (5:55)
09. Your First Touch... {Jeremy
Pelt} (5:24)
10. Bodega Social {Jeremy
Pelt} (5:07)
Credits:
Producer - Jeremy Pelt
Executive Producer - Joe
Fields
Recording Engineer - Joe
Marciano
Mixing and Mastering Engineer
- Katsuhiko Naito
Photography - Ra-Re Valverde
Design - Keiji Obata, Peter Muller, Littlefield
& Company
"I believe that this new
CD is one of the most beautiful things I have been able to do in my life: for
the musical result, and because it brings together people for whom I feel a
profound human and musical admiration, and because I believe that after almost
5 years of working together, it marks the consolidation of Andrea as an artist
and a jazz musician." ~ Joan Chamorro, Bandcamp.com.
Scott Hamilton Sax Pulls
It Together Perfectly
Came across Joan Chamorro on
you tube by accident instantly smitten. Scott Hamilton is such a bonus, and
live performance adds to the atmosphere generated by this evocative cd. Perfect
for jazz lovers. Perfect for background in my home bar. ~ Jolly Roger, Amazon.com.
Beautiful Voice
Even though she is not
English her rendition of some songs comes across as so sexy in sound, perfect
and for a youngster she has a good grasp on what is required to make a
fantastic album, a little rough around the edges but that's what gives it that
relaxing sound. I would love to be in a small room when they perform, close and
personal. ~ Richie, Amazon.com.
Swit Records, SWIT15, 2013
Recorded 13th and
14th April, 2013 Live At Jamboree, Barcelona, Spain
Musicians:
Andrea Motis - Lead Vocals,
Trumpet, Alto Saxophone
Scott Hamilton - Tenor
Saxophone
Ignasi Terraza - Piano, Organ
[Hammond]
Josep Traver - Guitar
Joan Chamorro - Bass
Esteve Pi - Drums
Tracks:
01. Exactly Like You {Jimmy
McHugh, Dorothy Fields} (4:24)
02. Meditação {Antônio Carlos
Jobim, Newton Mendonça} (6:45)
03. I Fall In Love Too Easily
{Sammy Cahn, Jule Styne} (6:36)
04. Sun Showers {Arthur
Freed, Nacio Herb Brown} (4:33)
05. Someday My Prince Will
Come {Frank Churchill, Larry Morey} (7:41)
06. Moody's Mood For Love
{Fields, Jefferson, McHugh, Moody} (5:47)
07. Chega De Saudade {Antônio
Carlos Jobim, Vinícius de Moraes} (6:19)
This is Kontomanou’s debut
album, released in 1999 but to most quarters, something which was almost
entirely missed on the radar screen. The kind of vocal expression Elizabeth is
engaged in does not fit the popular vogue of female jazz vocalists. However, the
program here shows both elements of musical substance and extramusical content
in equal measure. The aesthetic persuasion that motivates her- the epic
romanticism that impelled the most powerful, immediate Jazz on the 60s, is
currently seen as outmoded. Put simply most listeners have a hard time
reconciling the fact a vocalist does not wish to deal with popular song forms
and instead wants to wrestle with an idiom that has been largely defined by
instrumental giants in the league of Coltrane and Sanders etc., Elizabeth Kontomanou,
like Flora Purim, is most committed to using her voice as an acoustic
instrument in the ideal sense through the great raw potential which lays in
wordless vocals. Here she surrounds herself with master soloists like Sam
Newsome and J.D. Allen so as not to make her abilities as an improviser go
untested. Indeed, it should be mentioned that time and time again both men, as
well as pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, lay out impressive statements that raise the
bar for her own expression. It's apparent if nothing else that the model of
John Coltrane is at the heart of her expression, and in this should lie much
interest for both Trane fans and those who cry for something different in the
vocal world. ~ Extract by Gerard Cox.
SteepleChase Records, SCCD
31467, 1999
Recorded November, 1998
Musicians:
Elisabeth Kontomanou - Vocals
Sam Newsome - Soprano
Saxophone
J.D. Allen - Tenor Saxophone
Jean-Michel Pilc - Piano
Thomas Bramerie - Bass
Abdou M'Boup - Percussion
Tracks:
1. Aliki {Elisabeth
Kontomanou} (7:40)
2. Embrace {Elisabeth
Kontomanou} (6:26)
3. Where I Wanna Be
{Elisabeth Kontomanou} (3:23)
4. Spring {Elisabeth
Kontomanou} (5:55)
5. The Light Of You
{Elisabeth Kontomanou} (9:07)
6. All Music Kinds {Elisabeth
Kontomanou} (11:35)
7. Lost Letter To A Nomad {J.D.
Allen} (10:16)
8. Clear Blue Skies
{Elisabeth Kontomanou} (10:14)
Another US jazz holy grail
finally reissued by Superfly. Probably the rarest Strata-East release, this
Erotica Suite by John Gordon is just a splendid modal jazz with deep tracks
like Neleh with enchanting flute lead or the spiritual jazz 4th movement
consequences. Absolutely cult album, beautiful repress! ~ diggersdigest.com.
Top quality Superfly reissue
of the most elusive Strata East LP that even the most accomplished collectors
do not have, superb funky modal Jazz all the way. ~ superflyrecords.com.
Strata-East, SES-19780, 1978
Superfly Records, SRLP026, 2017
Recorded & Mixed in 1978
At Sound Ideas Studios, New York City
Musicians:
John Gordon - Trombone
Waymond Reed - Trumpet,
Flugelhorn
James R. Spaulding - Alto
Saxophone, Flute
John Miller - Piano,
Synthesizer, Strings [Stringmen]
Another out-of-print,
never-reissued LP from the infinite universe of Sonny Stitt recordings, this
one recorded in 1972 and released in 1975 on the Paula label. It's
above-average Stitt, which is to say it's leagues beyond what most any other
saxophonist could turn in. Sonny is supported by a cast of Chicago musicians on
both sides. The first side is all alto, a couple of commercial tunes aimed at
the "soul" market followed by two exceptional straight-ahead Stitt
improvisations on "Jeep's Blues" and "I Know That You
Know." But even the tunes with strings and Fender Rhodes piano can't
detract from inspired Stitt. Jodie Christian on piano here. The 2nd side is
Stitt on tenor, his preferred instrument at this time. It's extremely
competent, spirited Stitt playing, but not as fresh as the numbers featuring
his alto. Rhythm section on this side includes Richard Muhal Abrams, Wilbur
Campbell and Cleveland Eaton. This one should be reissued. Write your
congressman! ~ Samuel, Amazon.com.
Paula Records, LPS 4004, 1973
Recorded 27th September,
1973 At P. S. Studio, 323 East 23rd, Chicago, Illinois
Italian trumpeter Flavio
Boltro is a worthy heir to the old American hard bop masters. In the 90s, his
collaboration with the French branch of Blue Note began, resulting in several
very successful albums, among which is 40 Degrees. This album is a rare case
whereby Boltro has written the bulk of the tunes, allowing the brilliant
pianist Éric Legnini to add two, the remaining being a couple of well-stated
standards. His quartet includes a strong Italian rhythm section comprising of
bassist Remi Vignolo and drummer Frank Agulhon. The album is very much an
exemplary American hard bop outing regardless of its continental constituents.
Essentially, the Quartet plays quite traditionally but at the same time is very
much conversant with newer forms of jazz expression and does so quite
elegantly, which leads the group to introduce elements of freer and more modern
music. "Jazz A Doc" isn't a pure hard bop sound, it explores a warmer
less fixed structure. Boltro's sound is not always in the manner of, say, Lee
Morgan, but a lot looser with a very enviable feeling of blues. In short, he
doesn't for a moment overlook his orthodox jazz sound as have other European
players. A truly entertaining album that all jazz aficionados will appreciate.
Blue Note, 7243 580609 2 8, 2003
Recorded 12th, 13th,
14th August, 2002 At Studio 26, Antibes, France
After recording six acclaimed
albums with bassist Joan Chamorro, Barcelona-based trumpeter, singer and
composer Andrea Motis makes her solo debut on Impulse! Records with Emotional
Dance. The astonishing accord that she’s cultivated with Chamorro during the
past seven years is firmly intact on Emotional Dance. The sterling performances
features him as well as pianist Ignasi Terraza, drummer Esteve Pi, guitarist
Josep Traver as the core ensemble. Like with Chamorro, Motis has recorded and
toured consistently with these musicians.
Chamorro coproduced Emotional
Dance with Brian Bacchus and Jay Newland. Through Bacchus and Universal
Records’, A&R director Jean-Philippe Allard's sage suggestion, Motis
augmented the personnel with a handful of U.S.-based musicians – vibraphonist
Warren Wolf, accordionist Gil Goldstein, baritone saxophonist Scott Robinson,
percussionist Café Da Silva. Three tunes also feature the famed American tenor
saxophonist Joel Frahm, who'd worked with Motis and Chamorro before. "We
invited [Joel] to play with us in Barcelona in 2016. He was so amazing that we
knew we wanted him for this album," Motis enthuses.
Even though, Motis is only
21-years-old, she displays a mature musicality beyond her years. That’s because
she began playing the trumpet at age seven; three years later she began
studying jazz at the Municipal School of Music of Sant Andreu under Chamorro,
who soon after recruited her for his band while she was still a teenager. While
at the school, she was also a member of the Sant Andreu Jazz Band for nine
years with which she recorded eight discs and played with such acclaimed
musicians as trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, saxophonist Jesse Davis, clarinetist
Bobby Gordon, and saxophonist Dick Oatts, among others. In addition to trumpet,
Motis plays alto saxophone. But it was with Chamorro's band that she began
singing. "The trumpet will always be my first instrument," Motis says
when asked if she likes being a singer or an instrumentalist the most.
"Playing the trumpet is like mediating; it’s such a part of my life. But I
never want to choose just one side of my artistic sides because I love doing
them all."
On Emotional Dance, Motis'
singing mostly takes center stage. She possesses an alluring, supple alto. With
its subtle vibrato and her succinct phrasing, Motis' singing has drawn
comparisons to such stylists as Billie Holiday and Norah Jones. Her vocal
prowess reveals itself immediately on Charles Daniels and Richard Whiting's
classic, "He's Funny That Way," which opens the disc. Perhaps, it's
no coincidence that the jazz standard has long been associated with Lady Day;
Motis and her ensemble certainly do the composition justice by underscoring it
with a quintessential swing-era shuffle that paves the way for an absorbing
solo from Robinson. Motis follows his lead by blowing a delightful trumpet solo
that accentuates her citrus tone and her assured sense of melodic swing.
Motis sees Emotional Dance as
an extension and evolution of her work with Chamorro. Like their previous
efforts, the new album contains it fair share of jazz standards. In addition to
"He's Funny That Way," Motis delivers captivating renditions of
Franck Loesser's "Never Will I Marry," Cole Porter's "You’d Be
So Nice To Come Home To," Eddie Jefferson's "Baby Girl," Johnny Mercer's
"I Remember You," Horace Silver's "Señor Blues," and
Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius De Moraes' "Chega de Saudade."
Emotional Dance reveals some
of Motis' artistic growth with the presence of Frederico Sires Puig's "La
Gavina," Els Amics de les Arts' "Louisiana O Els Camps De Cotó,"
and Perico Sambeat's "Matlida." On all three tunes Motis sings in
Catalan - a first for her on disc. The latter tune even features Sambeat on a
billowing soprano saxophone accompaniment and solo.
Also, for the first time,
Motis exhibits her gifts as composer. She penned three of Emotional Dance's 13
songs. The first song she composed for the disc was "If You Give More Than
You Can," a poignant ballad containing heartfelt lyrics about being
overwhelmed with multiple responsibilities. Her ebullient, "I Didn't Tell
Them Why" shows Motis' friskier side as she sings about keeping a
blossoming romance on the down low, while her swaggering hard-bop instrumental,
"Save the Orangutan" best illustrates her command and improvisation
heft on the trumpet as she shares the frontline with Frahm.
As for the sparkling title
track, Terraza wrote it several years ago as an instrumental. Motis wasn't even
aware of Terraza's compositional abilities until she heard the song on the
radio. "We thought that the title of that song was very representative of
the feeling that we had during the making of this first album for Impulse!
Records," Motis says. "The title conveys all the positive changes and
new directions we've taken with my music while acknowledging that things are
moving forward in the right direction." ~ Andrea Motis.com.
