Shannon's Select Sounds

Jazz is perhaps the most constantly evolving and progressive of all musical genres -- since its birth in New Orleans a century ago, it has been characterized by improvisation and flux. In this edition of "Select Sounds" I focus on three new jazz albums, two of them formidable releases from veteran pianists, and one from a so-called new-school group who give respectful nods to their forebears while defying easy categorization to explore uncharted territory.

The late, great keyboardist and composer Joe Zawinul died of cancer in 2007, a few months after turning 75, and in February 2009, 75 was released (CD, Heads Up 3162). This two-disc concert recording of Zawinul and his band, the Zawinul Syndicate, was taped at a festival in Switzerland during that birthday celebration, and while the concert was one of Zawinul’s last, it was also one of his best. All of the compositions are original and span Zawinul’s storied career, during which he wrote for and performed with equals such as Maynard Ferguson, Cannonball Adderley, and Miles Davis. There is also material culled from his own Syndicate and Weather Report projects. His Syndicate bandmates add more greatness to the project: Alegre Correa on guitar, Linely Marthe on bass, Sabine Kabongo (of Zap Mamma) on vocals, and a venerable slew of percussionists from Brazil and Africa. An ever-present, pulsating energy is palpable on such tracks as "Zanza II" and "Fast City/Two Lines." 75 is a fitting finale for a legendary jazz artist whose legacy will undoubtedly live on.

Fellow septuagenarian pianist McCoy Tyner, still alive and well and going strong, apparently stays sharp by issuing albums such as 2008’s Guitars (CD+DVD, Half Note 4537), which features a fistful of world-class guitar geniuses and one banjo scholar, and proves that Tyner can hang with the best of them. One by one, Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Derek Trucks, Bill Frisell, and Béla Fleck were brought into the studio to join Tyner and his stacked deck of jazz trumps, including bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette. From improvisations to originals to classics to standards, the resulting 14 tracks showcase Tyner’s masterful piano playing as well as each guest’s highly recognizable and distinguishing characteristics. The Fleck composition, "Trade Winds," is an astonishingly good blend of bluegrass and jazz, the interplay of Tyner’s full-bodied piano and Fleck’s intricate banjo creating a cascading, waterfall effect. Frisell’s guitar work on the Tyner original "Contemplation" is appropriately contemplative and casual, with understated appeal. Guitars also includes a DVD capturing video of the studio sessions with each guest, giving an inside look at artists hard at work. Both discs feature well-balanced sound.

Whereas Tyner has and Zawinul did push the boundaries of jazz for many decades, the trio The Bad Plus, based in Minneapolis, have done so for only one -- yet in that time they’ve made a name for themselves as a band that isn’t afraid to step outside the limitations of categorization. For All I Care (CD, Heads Up 3148), their fifth studio release, is the first to include vocals -- several tracks feature alt-rock singer Wendy Lewis. The disc is made up entirely of covers, an eclectic exercise in breadth that juxtaposes classical works by Stravinsky and Babbitt with pop and alternative anthems from Wilco, Nirvana, Yes, Heart, Pink Floyd, and more. "Just try," the band seems to demand, "to call us jazz!" But in essence, jazz it is. Removing songs like the Bee Gees’ "How Deep Is Your Love" or Nirvana’s "Lithium" from their familiar contexts and turning them into brooding, near-monotone piano-bar reworkings is a bold conceptual move that might have come off all wrong had it not been done just right, which, for most here, it is. The addition of a singer changes only slightly the band’s dynamics. After the initial shock, longtime listeners will recognize that the core elements and energy of the original trio remain intact, and their chemistry with Lewis is natural and welcome. Approach For All I Care with an open mind and you won’t be disappointed.

Keep an ear to the ground, folks -- the jazz train is comin’. You don’t need no ticket, you just get onboard.

. . . Shannon Holliday