Latest releases reviewed

NORMA WINSTONE/STAN TRACEY TRIO/BOBBY WELLINS
"Amoroso . . . Only More So"
Trio
*****

On this marvellous double CD, Winstone's voice and Wellins's malleable, highly vocalised tenor seem made for each other, while Tracey's trio, with Andy Cleyndert (bass) and Clark Tracey (drums), does more than simply offer superb support. Standards are the bedrock of both CDs, but they're memorably illuminated by the singing and playing. Winstone (left) is a gifted lyricist, too, putting words to Pen Pals (renamed Milk Wood Sky) and the title track (renamed A Love Song for All Time) from Stan Tracey's Under Milk Wood and With Love from Jazz, respectively, as well as Monk's Crepuscule with Nellie and Ellington's Melancholia; they work brilliantly. Other treasures include a beautiful setting for Robert Frost's poem, My November Guest, devised by the quintet; Alec Wilder's The Winter of My Discontent; and a sublime I Fall in Love Too Easily. Amoroso? Even more so. Sheer class. www.musicconnection.org.uk

PAUL BLEY
Solo in Mondsee
ECM
*****

Bley's first solo piano release in 35 years was recorded in 2001 and, given the quality, it's surprising that it took so long to appear. These 10 spontaneous improvisations, presumably the pick of some lengthy sessions, are not standards. But harmonically, melodically and emotionally they evoke ghostly echoes of the Great American Songbook. They're sweepingly romantic fantasies, discursively lyrical stories, brilliant in the way they discover and rework motifs, full of surprise and expectations delightfully confounded. The longer performances are the most satisfying, especially in the manner the insinuatingly songlike, questing beauty of the first, fourth, sixth, seventh and tenth variations evoke impressions, melancholy, joyful, even playfully childlike, that linger long after they finish. www.musicconnection.org.uk

HENRI TEXIER
Water Alert
  Label Bleu
****

Bassist/composer Texier unites his musical and ecological concerns in this highly visceral reflection of the African influences on his work. Some, such as Water Reggae, filter these through other idioms, but eloquently sensual pieces such as Africa Drowning reflect the music of the townships or, like SOS Peace, a hint of Arab north Africa. Texier's sextet offers a spread of voicings from clarinets and alto, through baritone, trombone and guitar, driven ferociously by the leader and Christophe Marguet's explosive drums. It's a formidable unit, with a huge sound and a dynamic range that can embrace the contrapuntal elegance of Water Waltz, the high-energy intensity of O Africa and O Elvin, and the almost demonic, raging freedom of Water Sacrifice. But whether improvising freely or adhering to Texier's scores, the sextet feels like a real band. http://uk.hmboutique.com