Nothing like the feeling of improvisation at a jazz club.
Mark de Clive brings his formidable collection of keyboards, live electronics and piano to the hip Blue Whale club in LA and along with Josh Johnson/as-fl, Brandon Eugene Owens/b, Gene Coye/dr deliver a spacious mix of melody and improvisation. The team is able to create a gracious flow as the leader opens with a pensive piano that builds up before Johnson’s spicey alto takes over on “Evergreen. Owens’ bass delivers a hip bass line and the team gets hip hoppy on “L&H/for Yusef Lateef” and the synth gets spacy with Johnson flute on “The Golden Lady” before Clive-Lowe closes the evening with a solo intro to “Swahililand/for Ahmad Jamal” that ends in an exciting cataclysm. Stretching like a rubber band!
Mike Casey plays alto and tenor sax along with the Spartan and free support of Corey Garcia/dr and Matt Dwonszyk/b for a mix of originals and post bop covers. The rhythm team has fun on “Mack The Knife” while the drummer bears down hard to create a groove for Casey’s sharp alto on “Hydraulics” and the bluesy “Turnaround.” The leader gets lyrical over Garcia’s brushes on ”Heartbreak” while Dwonszyk’s bass creates a rich pulse on “ Miles Mode” before Garcia opens up for a hard hitting drum solo. The closing “Little Melonae” is both kinetic and loose, rising like a tidal wave around a rich bass solo. Lots of fun surprises.
Pianist Satoko Fujii delivers two cds worth of solo work in a cozy club in Mito, Japan. Known as free form pianist, she is remarkably lyrical and thoughtful throughout the ten songs. Pensive and reflective on “Gen Himmel” and “Increase” she is still open to play with the piano stings for effect on the opaque “Inori” and percussive “ Green Cab” while creating an eerie mood on “Invisible Hand.” Rich in touch, she she mixes kinetecism on the rich “I Know You Don’t Know” while leaving room for space on the dramatic opus “Floating.” As impressive in its own way as the Jarrett recordings are of the same genre.
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