Mark Lockett: Swings and Roundabouts

An album I’ve been enjoying in recent times is drummer Mark Lockett’s ‘Swings and Roundabouts’, due to be released on 1 February 2023 (Mark hooked me up with a preview copy). The album was recorded in New York City in July 2022, and features the stellar lineup of Matt Penman (bass) Duane Eubanks (trumpet) David Binney (alto saxophone) tearing it up on nine of Mark’s compositions.

I hadn’t listened to alto saxophonist David Binney in quite some time, and it served as a reminder of what serious chops he has at his disposal. It's not my favourite type of playing, but the contrast between Binney and trumpeter Duane Eubanks’ stripped back, less notey approach is something that appeals to me. 

There are some hints at the music of Ornette Coleman (and one tune is dedicated to him). Some of Mark’s compositions have a playfulness akin to Ornette (see "The Crib" and "Rhubarb Crumble"), but ‘Swings and Roundabouts’ isn’t overtly Ornette-y.  “Virtual Reality” with its Witch Hunt-esque phrase had me chuckle as I was anticipating Elvin’s fill that didn’t eventuate.  

Duane Eubanks' ‘bubbly/spluttery’ sound (for lack of better words... but I’m using that descriptor as a positive!) hints a little bit at Don Cherry, and his approach as an improviser really suits the feel of the album. I really haven't listened to much of Eubanks, and this album serves as a reminder that I need to seek out more of his work (the only other album I have featuring Eubanks is Bill McHenry's 'Sonic Pressure', which also has Matt on bass, it's about time I dusted that one off).

Matt’s woody tone and melodicism is a great fit for the album. I particularly have been enjoying his unaccompanied solo on “Rhubarb Crumble”, and “Here’s to Ornette” with Mark on brushes is fine too. Actually all his is playing hits the spot, and as I write I'm digging his up tempo walking lines on "Level 4". Side note on bass tones (disclaimer: I don’t play bass so what do I know): One thing that is a bit too common out here in NZ at times are bass players with ‘ampy’ sounds. It’s a pet peeve of mine. Listen to Matt.... great sound.

In many ways, Mark takes bit of a back seat. I’m not sure I would have picked it was a drummer led session - and that’s kind of refreshing – the focus is on the music and taking care of business rather than showy, bloated drums. More often than not Mark's playing is understated (especially by contemporary jazz standards). And even when he is featured blowing over the vamp on "G T" or the trades on "Happy Go Lucky" things never get carried away. It’s bit of an old school, tasty approach that I appreciate, but don’t always hear that much.

So if you fancy treating yourself, head over to Thick Records and dine out on ‘Swings and Roundabouts’. And to support the release, Mark will be touring in New Zealand during February, so be sure to get and support him. Joining Mark will be Roger Manins  (sax) James Guilford (trpt) and Dan Yeabsley (bass). I'm keen to hear how the different personnel tackle Mark's music.

2 February, New Plymouth, 4^th Wall

3 February, Whanganui, Savage Club

4 February, Hamilton, Nivara Lounge

8 February, Auckland, Anthology Lounge

9 February, Wellington, Moon1

10 February, Nelson, Fairfield House

11 February, Picton, Le Cafe

16 February, Christchurch, Space Academy

17 February, Dunedin, Playhouse Theatre

NZ Music Month: Root 70 - Luxury Habits

Root 70: Luxury Habits (nWog Records)
Nils Wogram (trb) Hayden Chisholm (as) Matt Penman (b) Jochen Rueckert (d)

The latest album from one of my favorite groups arrived in the mail last week. Luxury Habits is the 8^th album by Root 70 (9th if you include Heaps Dub… but that’s a different thing really).

As far as contemporary jazz groups (i.e. active during my time) go, Root 70 is one of the two that I have listened to the most (the other being the Connie Crothers Quartet). One similarity between the two is the long-standing relationships between the members. A difference is repertoire. Whereas the CCQT drew from a relatively small body of works and recorded the same pieces on multiple occasions, Root 70 record new pieces with each album. As usual Nils takes on the bulk of the composition duties. Jochen contributes one and it very much fits the vibe of the album.

After a few themed albums based on standards (On 52 ¼ St and Wise Men Can Be Wrong), blues (Listen to Your Woman), and an album with strings (Riomar), Luxury Habits recalls some of Root 70’s earlier releases and I couldn’t help thinking of their first three albums while listening this week. I didn’t make any side-by-side comparisons but I plan to. Initial impressions are that some of the youthful exuberance has refined over the years.

There’s still plenty of energy though and the balanced ensemble sound continues to be a highlight for me. It’s all the more impressive in that they don’t play together as a unit all that often (although Matt and Jochen play together a bit in other groups), but they only come together as Root 70 a couple of times a year  - in fact they just wrapped up a tour this week. Listening to Nils and Hayden makes me realize how underutilized the trombone/alto front-line pairing is. And I'm sure I've said it before but…. the combo of Matt and Jochen is one of my favorite rhythm section pairings - a great balance between the tradition and the now (plus the Root 70 albums always seem to capture Matt’s bass sound so nicely).

There’s plenty to digest and I’m looking forward to give Luxury Habits plenty more attention.

And that wraps up NZ Music Month for 2017. I the meantime, add to the NZ jazz listening list two releases due out in June on Rattle Records -  Reuben Bradley Trio's Shark Variations and Jim Langabeer's Secret Islands (it's rare these days that someone is under-recorded, but Jim definitely is!). And for those wanting more from Hayden, the second Slowfox album has just been released. 

You can read previous NZ Music Month posts here: C.L. Bob and Bleakley/Crayford/Donaldson and Lucien Johnson.

NZ Music Month: Introduction

Jochen Rueckert: Introduction (Jazzline)
Rueckert (d) Hayden Chisholm (as) Chris Potter (ts) Johannes Weidenmuller / Matt Penman (b) Kurt Rosenwinkel / Ben Monder (g)

Before delving into Cusp of Oblivion, I decided to listen to revisit some of his earlier work, so why not go back to the album that was my introduction to Hayden Chisholm. I have to give a big thank you to Charmaine Ford for this one. Sometime during 2003 Char lent me her copy of Jochen Rueckert's Introduction as it featured Matt Penman on bass and as she handed it to me she casually remarked that apparently the saxophone player was a Kiwi too. In the evenings I would practice at the piano store where we worked, and that night I put the album on during a practice break as I ate dinner. My ear was immediately drawn to the alto saxophone. While odd-meter arrangements of standards wasn't something I was in to (they do it well though), the alto tone was right up my alley and the lines he played presented someone developing a voice all his own. I looked at the date it was recorded (1997) and then I wondered..... How could I spend three years at university studying music (saxophone and jazz no less) and have not come across his playing? In fact, no one had even whispered his name in passing.

During 2004, I spent six months in NYC studying with Richard Tabnik (more on that later!). I stayed at Matt’s for a couple of weeks (thanks Matt!) and made a point of checking out his record collection - and Introduction was there. I listened to the album a lot during those couple of weeks - everyday I would put it on, focussing on Hayden’s playing (the first couple of Root 70 albums also got plenty of airtime).

Fast forward a dozen years and it's been fun, and perhaps even a little nostalgic, giving Introduction a spin throughout the week. It's an important album in my musical development and Hayden continues to inspire to this day. Luckily for me I have 12 more new discs of Hayden's to get through.... oh, and the new Nautilus album. No complaints here (an American tour would be nice though!).

NZ Music Month: Nearness Live

Nearness Live (Moontower)
Hayden Chisholm (as) Matt Penman (b) Jochen Rueckert (d)

I picked up the first Nearness album when Root 70 toured New Zealand during 2007(?). It quickly moved into heavy rotation (from memory, around that time I was listening to plenty of Warne Marsh, Connie Crothers, Michael Moore and whatever recordings of Hayden's I could get my hands on).

Recorded in 2008 in Cologne and released as part of the monumental box set 13 Views of the Hearts Cargo (2013), Nearness Live features the same methodology as the earlier disc - improvising on material from the great American songbook. Perhaps this one is a little more outwardly energetic than the earlier studio recording. Either way, the trio provide more evidence of just how much music is left in these gems of songs.

These three have played together in various groups since the mid-90s they have developed a great rapport and the intimate nature of this album allows the subtleties come shining through (and the recording captures the individual sounds of the trio wonderfully). I continue to hear new things whenever I return to it - "May" caught my ear around 6.16 - the way the trio slides into the next 8 leapt out at me this week. Another, is the way the alto emerges out of the cymbal wash at 2.04 on "Friends." I have been getting into how much Hayden's phrasing and rhythmic approach is integral to his lyrical core - the stretch at 2.18-2.40 of "So Alone" and 2.20-2.28 of "Tout de Moi" are just a couple of (many) examples.

The rhythm section of Penman and Rueckert is a favorite of mine. Matt has a great tone and creative lines (as an accompanist and soloist) and Jochen has the ability to play lower dynamics without sacrificing any of his personality. An added bonus is that both have a little more room to move on this outing than on the first album.

NZ Music Month: Hayden Chisholm - Breve

Last month was Jazz Appreciation Month and this month is New Zealand Music Month. So I have decided to get on board and write a little on a NZ Jazz Album each week.

Hayden Chisholm - Breve (Pirouet)
Hayden Chisholm (as) Matt Penman (b) John Taylor (p) 
Recorded December 18/19, 2013.

I always look forward to new releases from Hayden, and Breve (released in March 2015) is a wonderful mix of new and slightly less new. The trio’s first release (video and audio) was on Plush Music and then partially reissued in Hayden’s box set 13 Views of the Hearts Cargo and as Breve - Live at Plush. Of the nine tracks on Breve, "Patche" and "So It Goes" (by Penman & Taylor respectively) are the only tunes that appear on the Plush concert recordings. Some of the tunes penned by Hayden also appear on earlier recordings - "Fly" and "Barely A Moon" can be found on the trio recording Fragmented Teaching (with Simon Nabatov & Jochen Rueckert). There's a vocal version of "Fly" floating around somewhere for those that want to hear it in it's stripped back (original?) form. I thought it was on Hayden's blog, but a quick search there was fruitless.

While it is not strictly a ballad album, there is a very intimate, hushed feeling, with the trio projecting a balanced approach to their collective interplay and, at times, quite a dark/introspective mood. There's plenty of nuance to tune in to - Hayden's shaping of a held note at 1:06 on "Barely A Moon" gives me a kick each time I hear it. No one is in a rush during this hour of music and even when the tempo is raised ("Tinkerbell Swing" & "Augmented Waltz") the trio maintain a relaxed demeanour. Perhaps it's the lack of drums or (more likely I feel) the trio's ability to execute Hayden's vision for this music that brings the relaxed feel and balanced ensemble sound. Either way, it doesn't really matter. During one listen through I was really drawn into Matt's work on bass. At first it was his tone the grabbed me and as the album progressed his accompaniment held my attention more and more - a great blend of support and embellishment. A couple of moments that come to mind are the way his bass lines develop during "Pass A Cage, Lea" and his conversational playing with Taylor during the piano solo on "So It Goes" (he plays a very nice solo here too). I've given the album at least half a dozen listens so far and I know it won't stop there.

Penman/Taylor/Chisholm

Recent Listening: Slowfox - The Wood

The Wood (Jazzwerkstatt) is the first release from the trio Slowfox comprised of Sebastian Gramss (bass) Hayden Chisholm (alto sax) Philip Zoubek (piano). The album was recorded in September 2013 at the Loft in Cologne and was released earlier this year.

All of the compositions are by Gramms and most of the fourteen tracks are fairly short with the longest clocking in at six-and-a-half minutes (the meditative haunting “To Keep”) and only three others break the four-minute mark. While I don’t really have too much of a problem with longer tracks, it is refreshing to have plenty of shorter pieces. 

I'm not a huge fan of prepared piano but don't mind its use in moderation - here discretion is used throughout. Its use on "Deep" sets up great groove with the bass with Chisholm floating on top. There is more subtle use of prepared piano on "But I Have" which adds to the mood, bringing things down before the return of the melody.

Those who know me know that Hayden Chisholm is one of my favourite saxophonists and musicians. I find it difficult writing about my friends but I've decided to add a few thoughts. His expressive use of bends, trills, vibrato and dynamics. The way he embraces the air in his tone – something that runs counter to many teachers thoughts on saxophone sound production. There is urgency in his higher register that popped out to me on this recording. He has explored microtonality in depth and anyone interested in microtonal concepts would be wise to check out his music (it's present on the Slowfox album). You can hear his roots in Johnny Hodges coming through in “Are Lovely.” The fleetness to his lines on the up-tempo “The Woods” and the economic approach on "To Keep" grabbed me. The effortless of it all is the high point for me. All told, he has such a distinctive voice on the horn, one that hits me on a deep personal level. 

A very enjoyable recording and I'm looking forward to future releases from Slowfox. Here's some video of the studio session and this is a 30 minute live clip from earlier in the year (sans piano).

Chisholm is part of another sax/piano/bass trio, Breve (with John Taylor and Matt Penman) who are due to release an album this year on Pirouet. The trio has a couple of earlier concerts available at Plush Music.