The latest releases reviewed.
TETE MONTOLIU A Tot Jazz! Fresh Sound ****
In the mid-1960s, Montoliu led the house rhythm section, with Eric Peters (bass) and Billy Brooks, at a noted Barcelona jazz club. It was, as this CD debut for the trio's complete recordings for the rare Spanish Concèntric label shows, a superbly integrated group. The pianist is in stunning form, his ideas abundantly arrayed in a dazzlingly Tatumesque technique and informed by the kind of intensity Bud Powell had, but with a greater sense of light and shade. On a repertoire of standards and well-known jazz originals, he remains true to his bop lineage and doesn't push the boat out too far in terms of harmonic liberties, but his playing is infused by a staunchless drive to find fresh things to say. The piano could have been better and the bass is slightly over-recorded, but this is vibrant playing by a memorable artist. www.freshsoundrecords.com
RAY COMISKEY
JOEL HARRISON Harbor HighNote *****
This splendid album puts the spotlight on Harrison as a composer as well as guitarist. But "composer" here means much more than simply writing originals for a basic quintet, which includes Dave Binney (alto) and the remarkable Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Lê. Harrison mixes his musical personalities like colours from a palette (two pieces also use a different band behind himself and Binney), all the while adding more to the jazz melting pot from such disparate sources as classical (Messiaen, no less) and eastern and Indian elements. But it's done with a satisfying sense of wholeness that goes beyond mere borrowing; this is no rattling of cultural loose change. And, even with outstanding soloists in the mix, he also achieves a striking balance between improvisation, writing, texture and colour. The feel is contemporary, the moods varied, the results impressive. http://uk.hmboutique.com
RAY COMISKEY
PIETRO TONOLO/GIL GOLDSTEIN/STEVE SWALLOW/PAUL MOTIAN Your Songs: The Music of Elton John Obliq Sound ***
If the presence of Swallow and Motian raises expectations that are not really satisfied, this is still an attractive, easygoing taste of some of Elton's more iconic songs, among them Blue Eyes, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word. With Tonolo's tenor prominent, the readings are fairly straight, and pianist Goldstein's overdubbed occasional accordion adds some moody extra shades. The impression is of exceptional musicians playing within themselves, and Motian, that master of percussive colour, is mostly locked into a more specific timekeeper's role. On an album which, despite this, does have its elegant moments, the quartet's rubato treatment of The One probably gives the best glimpse of what they can do. www.musicconnection.org.uk
RAY COMISKEY
BRETT DENNEN So Much More Dualtone ****
This one kind of slips in under your radar with a hazy familiarity and a warm, fuzzy feeling of being in good company. This is the second album of Brett Dennen, a 27-year- old Californian singer-songwriter. He has obviously listened to Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, Dave Matthews, Marvin Gaye, Ben Harper, Nina Simone, Neil Young and Van Morrison - obvious not because he says so, but because their influences course through his thoughtful, infectious, gently rocky music, acoustic guitar-based songs of private drama and subtle public protest. But Dannen asserts his individuality with quiet assurance, his slightly reluctant voice underlining the "positive, hopeful and uplifting" nature of songs such as Darlin' Do Not Fear, notwith- standing the Dylanish questioning of songs such as I Asked When. www.brettdennen.com JOE BREEN
Download tracks: Ain't No Reason, Someday, Darlin' Do Not Fear
XAVIER RUDD White Moth Epitaph ***
Shades of Ben Harper lurch across deep-vein Australian fault lines on Xavier Rudd's fourth CD. In between there are echoes of that quiet- voiced first cousin of Paul Simon who wooed us with Good Spirit and Food in the Belly in 2005. Rudd's world view is defined by shades of green and brown, an earthiness that betrays his roots in the south coast of Australia, and amplified by Yothu Yindi's saturnine presence in the shadows, where Footprint and Land Rights seek out resonances way beyond their antipodean origins. What sets Rudd apart is a singular vision and a tangible charisma, particularly on the title track. Paying his dues to Australia's aboriginal inheritance, there's a sense of Rudd singing the world into existence through White Moth's songlines. www.xavierrudd.com SIOBHÁN LONG
Download Track: White Moth
VARIOUS ARTISTS Anchored in Love Dualtone ***
The recording of this collection, subtitled A Tribute to June Carter Cash, was clearly an emotional occasion for those involved, many of whom had strong ties to Johnny Cash's wife. June Carter Cash was born into country royalty but, carried by her Christian faith, she set aside her career and dedicated herself to supporting Johnny in his epic wayward journey. These songs, including covers (Tim Hardin's If I Was a Carpenter), family classics (Will the Circle Be Unbroken) and June's own Ring of Fire are given respectful but not dull treatments by the likes of Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson, June's daughter Carlene Carter, Ronnie Dunn, Brady Paisley, stepdaughter Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Kris Kristofferson, and Patty Loveless. Produced by son John Carter Cash, this is a worthy tribute to a key country music figure in her own right. www.anchoredinlove.com
JOE BREEN
Download tracks: Far Side Banks of Jordan, Kneeling Drunkard's Plea, Jackson
