Helen Sung - Anthem For A New Day (2014)

Although she has released several trio albums, Helen Sung's 2014 album, Anthem for a New Day, is the pianist's first quintet album. As the 2007 Mary Lou Williams Piano Competition winner, Sung has displayed her virtuosic abilities backing such luminaries as trumpeter Clark Terry, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, and trumpeter Jon Faddis, just to name a few. Here, Sung takes center stage backed by a stellar cast of supporting players including saxophonist Seamus Blake, trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, bassist Reuben Rogers, drummer Obed Calvaire, and others. In a jazz world split between more esoteric avant-garde albums and safe, standards-heavy albums, with Anthem for a New Day Sung finds the perfect balance between intellectual, exploratory improvisation and no-nonsense, finely tailored jazz arranging. On Anthem for a New Day, Sung primarily delves into a handful of new compositions, from the buoyant "Armando's Rhumba" to the expansive "Hidden," as well as several well-chosen covers, including a gorgeous "Never Let Me Go," featuring violinist Regina Carter, and the tense yet funky "Epistrophy." These are immaculate and organically arranged pieces, all played in a swinging, straight-ahead style that allows for all musicians involved to shine. All of which is even more impressive when you consider that Sung, a classical student in college, didn't seriously began exploring jazz until after graduating from the University of Texas in 1995. After years of paying her dues as a sideman and "shedding" her chops in trio settings, with Anthem for a New Day Sung has delivered the soundtrack to the next phase of her career as a jazz leader. ~  by Matt Collar, AMG. 

Concord Records, CJA-34496-02, 2014
Recorded at Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York 

Musicians:
Helen Sung - Piano, Fender Rhodes, Handclaps & Foot-Stamping (#2)
Ingrid Jensen - Trumpet
Seamus Blake - Soprano & Tenor Saxophones
Reuben Rogers - Bass
Obed Calvaire - Drums, Handclaps & Foot-Stamping (#2)
Samuel Torres - Percussion, Handclaps & Foot-Stamping (#2) 

Guests:
Regina Carter - Violin (#3,7)
Paquito D'Rivera - Clarinet (#2)
John Ellis - Bass Clarinet (#6) 

Tracks:
01. Brother Thelonious {Helen Sung} (5:37)
02. Armando's Rhumba {Chick Corea} (4:37)
03. Hidden {Helen Sung} (5:48)
04. It Don't Mean A Thing [If It Ain't Got That Swing] (Ellington, Mills} (4:10)
05. Hope Springs Eternally {Helen Sung} (5:33)
06. Anthem For A New Day {Helen Sung} (5:43)
07. Never Let Me Go {Ray Evans, Jay Livingston} (7:18)
08. Chaos Theory {Helen Sung} (5:04)
09. Epistrophy {Kenneth Clarke, Thelonious Monk} (5:30)
10. Equipoise {Stanley Cowell} (2:16) 

Total Time: 51:40 

Credits:
Producer, Liner Notes - Helen Sung
Recording Engineer - Mike Marciano
Mixing Engineer - Jeremy Loucas
Mastering Engineer - Paul Blakemore
Art Direction - Albert J. Roman
Photography - Kat Villacorta

Patrick Cornelius - While We're Still Young (2016)

An alumnus of Berklee School of Music, saxophonist Patrick Cornelius has now released his sixth album containing a very fine suite of his own compositions, inspired by the poetry of A.A. Milne, the British children's author of When We Were Very Young. A brief horn introduction, reminiscent of the slow movement in Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 opens "Sand Between The Toes," rapidly ensued by a lively full ensemble section, and solos by Gerald Clayton on piano, Patrick Cornelius on alto sax, Nick Vayenas on trombone and Miles Okazaki on guitar, before returning to a robust ensemble finale. "Water Lilies" is redolent of a Kenny Wheeler tune with the initial melody played by Jason Palmer on trumpet, then taken-up by the ensemble. Palmer and Patrick Cornelius on soprano saxophone both produce excellent solos. "Jonathan Jo" is a feisty number with the ensemble sounding like a cross between the medium-sized bands of Charles Mingus and George Russell. The groove here, along with an incisive riff, sticks to the memory banks like glue. "The Invaders," by contrast, is sedately Ellingtonian, the melody led by the reeds followed by the ensemble and an appropriately mellifluous bass clarinet solo by John Ellis. The short and bop-infused "Lines and Squares" leads into an engaging guitar solo from Mike Okazaki whose amplified archtop guitar evinces a satisfyingly intriguing acoustic tone which is followed by breezy interplay between the brass. "Vespers," the longest piece at nearly eleven minutes, begins serenely with Okazaki's engaging guitar work soloing over piano, bass and drums, then moving into an ensemble section featuring solos from trumpet and alto sax and resolving with some frenetic ensemble blowing and finally more delicate guitar. Special mention should also be made of Alban Low whose delightful artwork tastefully adorns the six-panel digipak CD, respectfully channeling the Ernest Howard Shepard illustrations which, amongst many others, famously embellished A.A. Milne's most renowned book, Winnie the Pooh. This album was written with the aid of a commission from Chamber Music America and a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation, but crucially this work shouldn't just be labelled "chamber jazz" since it's very much more than that. Like its elegant cover, it's actually a work of art. ~ Roger Farbey, AAJ. 

Whirlwind Recordings, WR4682, 2016
Recorded 14th December, 2013, Avatar Studios, New York City 

Musicians:
Patrick Cornelius - Alto & Soprano Saxophones, Flute, Arranger
Jason Palmer - Trumpet
Nick Vayenas - Trombone
John Ellis - Tenor Saxophone, Bass Clarinet
Gerald Clayton - Piano
Miles Okazaki - Guitar
Peter Slavov Jr. - Bass
Kendrick Scott - Drums 

Tracks:
1. Sand Between The Toes (9:22)
2. Water Lilies (9:43)
3. Jonathan Joe (7:11)
4. Invaders (7:49)
5. Lines And Squares (2:47)
6. Vespers (10:39) 

All Compositions by Patrick Cornelius 

Total Time: 47:37

Credits:
Producer - Patrick Cornelius, Kyle Saulnier
Executive-Producer - Michael Janisch
​Engineering,​ M​ixing & M​astering - Tyler McDiarmid, New York City
Album Art & Design - Alban Low