Massimo Biolcati - Persona (2008)

Swedish-Italian bassist Massimo Biolcati has been working in support of guitarist Lionel Loueke for a decade, but asserts his role as a leader in name on this debut release. Loueke is here, with the always dynamic drummer Jeff Ballard and the surprisingly adept pianist Peter Rende. The CD is split into equal parts of five selections - "Motion" and "Stillness" - the former energetic and forward-thinking, the latter pensive and somewhat introspective, with cameo spots for vocalists Lizz Wright and Gretchen Parlato. The first five pieces feature Loueke in a way that his recordings as a leader also showcase his utterly brilliant, witty, quirky, unique sound. Using a hollowed, blanked-out amplified guitar with effect pedals, Loueke is able to straddle the electro-acoustic line without overemphasizing either. He is the new contemporary Lion King of freshness on the contemporary jazz guitar, and a parallel to the virtuoso accomplishments of Wes Montgomery, using those pretexts but sounding far removed. Check out the choppy kinetic style on "The Beginning," the late-night stealth approach on "Deconstruction," and the quick 5/4 rhythms in the more acoustic/less-processed road song "Transference" for reference points. Rende is a find, as his happy two-note phrases juxtaposed against Loueke contrast on the swinging shuffle "Wise Way." Their diffuse guitar/piano musings go very loose, free, and yet contemporary with Loueke's cheek-popping vocals during "TT." The second half of the program showcases the understated, delicate, and pretty side of Rende on "Under July," where Biolcati takes a central role on an ostinato line, with Loueke leading, but taken over by the beauty of the piano. Rende plays accordion on the 6/8 ethnic beat of "Scandinavia," evoking early-morning frosty mountainscapes in the Alps. The vocal cuts are nice enough, with Wright expressing a sheer lonely mood for "Winterhouse" and the emerging star Parlato dreamy and cerebral during "Clouds." Biolcati, clearly the director but not a dictator in these proceedings, knows how to take a back seat, but also understands the value in letting his brilliant session mates cut loose. This is an excellent debut release, and has to rank as one of the more intriguing and diverse modern jazz issues of 2008. ~ Michael G. Nastos, AMG. 

ObliqSound Records, OS 509, 2008
Recorded 13th & 14th May, 2007 at Kampo Cultural Center, New York 

Musicians:
Massimo Biolcati - Bass
Lionel Loueke - Guitar, Vocals
Peter Rende - Piano, Accordion (#10)
Jeff Ballard - Drums, Percussion
Lizz Wright - Vocals (#6)
Mona Vetrhus - Lyrics (#6)
Gretchen Parlato - Vocals, Lyrics (#8)

Tracklist:

Motion
01. The Beginning (5:08)
02. Deconstruction (5:08)
03. Wise Way (7:10)
04. Transference (8:13)
05. TT [In Memoriam Take Toriyama] (4:31)
Stillness
06. Winterhouse (4:31)
07. Hopeless Dream To Be (5:08)
08. Clouds (5:47)
09. Under July (7:40)
10. Scandinavia (6:39) 

All music composed by Massimo Biolcati 

Total Time: 59:59 

Credits:
Producer - Michele Locatelli
Engineer - Juan Pablo Alcaro
Assistant Engineer - Ariosto Arata
Product Manager - Stephanie Jo Klein
Photography - Carsten Fleck
Design - Andrea Ruggiero

LINK

Deconstruction

Chihiro Yamanaka - Lach Doch Mal [Just Laugh] (2006)

Pianist Chihiro Yamanaka’s thrilling series of jazz albums continues with her fifth audio release Lach Doch Mal, released in 2006 on Verve with twelve tracks at just under an hour’s runtime. Like Yamanaka’s previous albums, Lach Doch Mal contains a mix of originals and covers rearranged in her creative style. Fans of her previous four albums know that her amazing piano improvisation and technique are a feature of her albums, and this release is no exception. While her contemporary jazz and bop trio sound is the primary recorded sound, Yamanaka adds some additional layers with some light guitar, extra percussion, and groovy electric keyboards on a few tracks as well. Yamanaka’s piano technique is exciting and powerful as always, racing through the shifting jazz terrain like a high-speed vehicle dangerously hugging the curves along cliffside roads. About half of the songs on the album feature Yamanaka as the main improviser, playing the song melodies and intensely improvising and quoting jazz phrases while Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums provide the solid musical framework and addictive rhythms. ~ Extract by Brian McCrory, jazzofjapan.com. 

Verve Records, UCCJ-2052, 2006
Recorded 14th & 15th June, 2006 at Eastside Sound, New York City 

Musicians:
Chihiro Yamanaka - Piano, Arranger
Larry Grenadier - Bass
Jeff Ballard - Drums
John Carlini - Guitar (#1,5), Banjo (#3)

Tracks:
01. Quand Biron Voulut Danser {Traditional} (4:00)
02. Sabot {Chihiro Yamanaka} (3:57)
03. Serenade To A Cuckoo {Roland Kirk} (5:41)
04. RTG {Geri Allen} (3:54)
05. The Dolphin {Luiz Eça} (4:25)
06. Night Loop {Chihiro Yamanaka} (2:51)
07. One Step Up {Chihiro Yamanaka} (4:14)
08. Lach Doch Mal {Chihiro Yamanaka} (0:45)
09. Liebesleid {Fritz Kreisler} (5:35)
10. Mode To John {McCoy Tyner} (4:54)
11. What A Diff'rence A Day Made {Maria Grever, Stanley Adams} (7:06)
12. That's All {Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes} (5:51) 

Total Time: 53:17 

Credits:
Producer - Chihiro Yamanaka
Executive Producer - Hiroto Furuya, Tomohide Ishikawa
Recording & Mixing Engineer - Tim Conklin
Recording & Mixing [Assisted] - Marc Urselli
Mastering Engineer - Greg Calbi
Art Direction - Mikihiro Takeuchi
Photography - Koji Akita, Osamu Yokonami, Sakutaro Imaizumi

LINK

One Step Up [Video]