Victor Gould - Clockwork (2016)

Pianist Victor Gould's debut utilizes a variety of large gears, pinions, and regulators to help fashion his own ideas. You just never know who'll be standing in for which of those parts. The high-octane combination of Gould, bassist Ben Williams, and drummer E.J. Strickland is at the center of each scene, but they're joined, at different times, by a variety of other musicians and instruments - saxophones, trumpet, flute, strings, and percussion - which help to create an intricate sonic mesh and add a variety of tonal colors to the mix. It's heady modernistic jazz language and high art rolled into one. The album opens on the title track, a bubbly Latin cauldron fired and forwarded by the aforementioned trio in cahoots with percussionist Pedrito Martinez. The pieces that follow - "Room," a sunny yet contemplative work in three, and "Chaancé," a mellow, strings-enhanced feature that puts the spotlight on Jeremy Pelt's flugelhorn and the composer's piano - stand apart in mood and musical complexion, marking Gould as a composer of great ambition and skill. While shifting focal points, different emotional tides, and the track-to-track addition and subtraction of musicians all allow the listener to indulge in a variety of musical worlds and fantasies, Gould's voice rings true in each and every one. He excels at every turn, regardless of where those turns may lead. He brilliantly works the beautiful-to-brooding range on the prelude to "Apostle John"; he shows patience and restraint over a throbbing base/bass on that tune proper, standing in stark contrast to the raw intensity that comes from his colleagues; and he delivers a scene-stealer statement full of daring and darting maneuvers on "Blue Dales." It's easy to see what his A-list employers - trumpeter Wallace Roney, drummer Ralph Peterson, and saxophonist Donald Harrison, among others - see in Gould. He's got the musical world on a string, in his mind, and at his fingertips. ~ by Dan Bilawsky, AllAboutJazz. 

Fresh Sound New Talent Records, FSNT 502, 2016
Recorded 14th Dec., 2015 & 19th Jan., 2016 At Systems Two Studios, Brooklyn, New York

Musicians:
Victor Gould - Piano, Composer
Jeremy Pelt - Trumpet (#1-3,6-8,11)
Godwin Louis - Alto Saxophone (#1-3,5-8,11)
Myron Walden - Tenor Saxophone (#1-3,6-8,11)
Anne Drummond - Flute (#3,7)
Ben Williams - Bass (#1-5,7,9-11)
E.J. Strickland - Drums (#1-5,7-11)
Pedrito Martinez - Percussion (#1,4,7)
Yoojin Park - Violin (#3,6,7)
Heejin Chang - Viola (#3,6,7)
Veronica Parrales - Cello (#3,6,7) 

Tracks:
01. Clockwork (7:39)
02. Room (7:09)
03. Chaancé (5:22)
04. Blue Dales (5:21)
05. The Return (7:55)
06. Apostle John [Prelude] (3:09)
07. Apostle John (9:00)
08. Sir Carter [Intro] (0:45)
09. Sir Carter (4:52)
10. Nefertiti (5:37)
11. Three Souls (8:06) 

All songs composed & arranged by Victor Gould, except #5 by Wayne Shorter 

Credits:
Co-Producers - Victor Gould, Myron Walden
Executive Producer - Jordi Pujol
Recording Engineer - Max Ross
Mixing & Mastering Engineer - Dave Darlington
Painting - Martel Chapman
Photos - Anne Yatskevich
Liner Notes - David R. Adler

LINK

Donald Harrison - The Ballads (2009)

"Mr. Harrison turned out to be one of the most musicologically literate jazz players to come out in ages." ~ New York Times. 

"Donald Harrison Jr. … the most interesting, most accessible, and most talented musician in the country right now." ~ East Bay Express. 

"… one of the more innovative bandleaders New Orleans has produced in the past 20 years." ~ Chicago Tribune. 

--------------------------------------------------

Nagel Heyer Records, CD 9010, 2009
Recorded 2001 - 2008 in New York City and New Orleans 

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone
Christian Scott - Trumpet (#1,2,5,6,7)
Mulgrew Miller - Piano (#5,6,7)
Eric Reed - Piano (#1,2)
Victor Gould - Piano (#8,9)
Jesse McBride - Piano (#10)
Ron Carter - Bass (#3,4)
Vicente Archer - Bass (#1,2)
Luques Curtis - Bass (#5,6,7)
Max Moran - Bass (#8,9,10)
John Lamkin - Drums (#1,2,5,6,7)
Billy Cobham - Drums (#3,4)
Joseph Dyson - Drums (#8,9,10) 

Tracks:
01. Strange Day {Eric Reed} (7:46)
02. Swept From The Sea {John Lamkin} (5:31)
03. My Funny Valentine {Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart} (8:12)
04. Candlelight {Ron Carter} (6:33)
05. Summertime {George Gershwin} (9:28)
06. Cool Breeze {Donald Harrison} (5:20)
07. Sincerely Yours {Donald Harrison} (9:26)
08. They Can't Take That Away From Me {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:46)
09. If I Were A Bell {Frank Loesser} (6:32)
10. To Nola With Love {Donald Harrison} (9:49) 

Total Time: 74:23 

Notes:
#1,2 - Real Life Stories (2002) Nagel Heyer [2022]
#3,4 - Heroes (2004) Nagel Heyer [2041]
#5,6,7 - Survivor (2006) Nagel Heyer [2068]
#8,9,10 - The Chosen (2008) Nagel Heyer [2084]

Donald Harrison - The Chosen (2008)

At this point in his career-25 years after his breakthrough New York Second Line album with partner Terence Blanchard and following invaluable apprenticeships with Art Blakey and Eddie Palmieri-alto saxophonist Harrison has become a seasoned veteran and respected bandleader-talent scout (his young nephew and discovery, trumpeter Christian Scott, has already struck out on a promising career of his own). On The Chosen, his fifth outing for Nagel Heyer, Harrison is in the company of a new crew of gifted youngbloods in pianist Victor Gould, bassist Max Moran and the sensational drummer Joseph Dyson Jr. Together they cover a wide swath of stylistic territory, from the all-out burn of Trane's "Mr. P.C.," featuring an intense sax-drums breakdown between Harrison and Dyson, to a relaxed, loosely swinging rendition of "If I Were a Bell" full of tricky bits of metric modulation, to the infectiously melodic title track and the rousing second-line groover "I’m the Big Chief of Congo Square," in which the alto saxophonist (an authentic Mardi Gras Indian Chief) resurrects his rich New Orleans heritage, harkening back to his great 1991 recording Indian Blues. Strangely, Harrison chooses to sit one out, opting to showcase his talented rhythm section on a piano-trio rendition of Juan Tizol's "Caravan." He returns for a soulful take on the George and Ira Gershwin nugget "They Can’t Take That Away From Me," blowing that familiar melody with the simplicity and charm of a vocalist before breaking away for some lofty, Bird-inspired flights. He plays with a relaxed soulfulness on his evocative ballad "To Nola With Love," eventually stretching out on some gospel-tinged bits of testifying through the course of this 10-minute paean to the Crescent City. His other originals include the urgent, R&B-flavored "The Right Touch," underscored by Fender Rhodes electric piano and Dyson's slick hip-hop-flavored beat, and the dreamy "Urban Serengeti." And he joins in on snare and ride cymbal along with a crew of four New Orleans parade drummers on the ultra-funky "Drum Line." A potent package from start to finish with no filler in between. ~ by Bill Milkowski, JazzTimes.com.

Nagel Heyer Records, NHCD 2084, 2008
Recorded 10^th, 11^th & 12^th January, 2008 At Word Of Mouth, New Orleans

Musicians:
Donald Harrison - Alto Saxophone, Fender Rhodes (#9), Percussion (#9)
Victor Gould - Piano
Max Moran - Bass
Joseph Dyson - Drums 

Plus:
Jesse McBride - Piano (#6)
Conun Pappas - Fender Rhodes (#7)
The Old School Drum Line from New Orleans (#9)
- Barry "Bamm Bamm" Harrison - Snare Drum
- Orlandez "Big Ike" Pierre - Tenor Drum
- James "Jim Brown" Henderson - Tenor Drum
- Jonathan "Dick-A-Lou" Williams - Bass Drum 

Tracks:
01. Mr. P.C. {John Coltrane} (6:58)
02. The Chosen {Donald Harrison} (5:33)
03. If I Were A Bell {Frank Loesser} (6:30)
04. Caravan {Juan Tizol, Duke Ellington} (5:16)
05. They Can't Take That Away From Me {George & Ira Gershwin} (5:44)
06. To Nola With Love {Donald Harrison} (9:48)
07. The Right Touch {Donald Harrison} (4:16)
08. Urban Serengeti {Donald Harrison} (6:34)
09. Drum Line {Harrison, Harrison, Pierre, Henderson, Williams} (6:02)
10. I'm The Big Chief Of Congo Square {Donald Harrison} (8:47) 

Total Time: 65:28

Credits:
Producer - Frank Nagel-Heyer
Mastering - Ben Ahrens
Photos [Cover+Page 2] - Kiel Scott
Booklet & Photo [Back] - Tomas Ovalle
Cover Design - Woellergestaltung, Hamburg

Jeremy Pelt - Make Noise! (2017)

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