Here are a couple of releases from a bit of an obscure label. One is from an old fav, the other one a bit more obscure.
Fred Hersch is slowly becoming one of my favorite living pianists. He’s always got something important to say, usually something different to say, and says it in a clever and heartfelt way. This time around, he meets up with clarinetist Nico Gori and delves into the rarely trodden ground of jazz sonatas. The gig works, and amazingly well. Hersh’s touch as a mix of percussive pulse that gently drives, but never runs up the back of the mellow wooden evocations delivered by Gori. There is clever interplay on a standard such as “Old Devil Moon,” as well as some Schubert/Chopin romantic weaving on the title track. Warm latin passions are evident on the tango-ed “Mandevilla” as well as the dance-worthy “Doce de Coco.” Gori’s deep registered stick is sonorous on the luminescent “”2-5” and nicely bopping “Lee’s Dream,” making this a well rounded conversation between two eloquent friends.
Magic Malik’s flute and vocals is on the forefront of this post-fusion session with sane Van Hek/tp, Jozef Dumoulin/key, Jean-luc Lehr/b and Maxime Zampieri/dr. The music, filled with electronic noodlings (as on”Limited XP2,” an d”Chant Amerindian Alternate”) makes one think that these might be long lost out takes on a Pink Floyd album. Vocal regurgetatiions, free form fluting, and herky jerk rhythms feel like ideas that never come to fruition, while the plodding drive of “Junon 6” comes across as a bumpy ride on a truck with weak shock absorbers. Can someone love both this and the previous release?
Bee Jazz Records