recommendations: June 2010 Archives

Steve Coleman and Five Elements, Harvesting Semblances And Affinities (Pi). Coleman, an audacious alto saxophonist and composer, is as progressive as ever. Even subtler at melding disparate ingredients than in his first burst of M-Base renown in the 1980s, he declares in his liner essay, "...my intent was a type of energy harvesting, i.e. the gathering, through musical symbolism, of the energy of particular moments." The music of his sextet is less metaphysical than his description. For all of the exoticism of its sources and titles, it is accessible and stimulating. "060706-2319 (Middle of Water)," for example, is a delightful polyrhythmic romp. Jen Shyu's crystalline voice functions as a full partner in the horn section.

Art Pepper, Unreleased Art, Vol V (Widow's Taste). Laurie Pepper continues to bring forth CDs of previously unreleased works by her husband. An alto saxophonist who hurled himself into his music, Pepper's astonishing energy did not flag in this concert recorded in Stuttgart, Germany in 1981, the year before his death. His formidable rhythm section was pianist Milcho Leviev, bassist Bob Magnusson and drummer Carl Burnett. Opening with an exuberant "True Blues," the two CDs include Pepper reprising his beloved "Over the Rainbow," jousting at length with Leviev on "Make a List (Make a Wish)," enjoying himself on clarinet in "Avalon" and wrapping up fiercely with a jet-speed "Cherokee."

Gail Pettis, Here in the Moment (OA2). Pettis's second album makes firm the promise of her first. To her deep contralto, clear diction and centered intonation she adds phrasing and tonal fillips that give her vocals identifiable personality. Among the indicators of her command, maturity and substantial jazz sensibility are the delight in her voice as she begins her bluesy take on "At Last," a joyful whoop on the last word in "Day in Day Out," her reflective treatment of the lyric of "The Very Thought of You," and judicious but expert scatting on "Nature Boy." As on 2007's May I Come In, Mark Ivester is the drummer throughout, with Darin Clendenin and Randy Halberstadt alternating on piano and Clipper Anderson or Jeff Johnson on bass; superb accompaniment for a rising singer.

Coleman Hawkins, Live In '62 & '64 (Jazz Icons). Cameras caught the patriarch of the tenor saxophone (1904-1969) during a final period at the top of his game. The concert in Belgium suffers slightly at the hands, and sticks, of drummer Kansas Fields, who plays well but has difficulty containing his solos. Hawkins is magisterial, as he is two years later in London, where Harry "Sweets" Edison joins him on trumpet, along with Sir Charles Thompson on piano and Jo Jones on drums. Jimmy Woode is the bassist in both concerts. George Arvanitas is the pianist in Belgium. Video and audio quality are acceptable in Belgium, superb in the BBC broadcast. This is a rare opportunity to witness at length the master's undiminished creative power late in his career.

Jack Fuller, What Is Happening To News (Chicago). Concerned about the fragmentation, dilution and manipulation news? So is Fuller. The veteran journalist worked his way up from reporter to CEO of a media conglomerate, then stepped out of the profession. Now he is using his Pulitzer Prize-winning skills to write about why, in a sophisticated media age, the primitive part of our brain lets trivia, opinion and emotion crowd out substance. Fuller believes that there are new ways to apply old values and restore the full, complex and balanced flow of information that citizens need to run a democracy. This is an important book.