RVANews

Favorite albums of 2009

Dean Christesen — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:47:17 +0000

I'm staying out of the "Best albums of the year" conversation that happens around this time each year; I haven't even come close to listening to every record that was released in 2009, so how could I be an authority on what was the "best"? And what does being on a list like that even mean for an album?

It could mean that it was a game changer, for one thing. If an artist really took creative risks and pulled them off successfully, it probably caused quite a stir in the music community and beyond. And if its influence on musicians and the community is immediately realizable, I'd say that makes for a pretty successful album. Also, consider an album released in January that people are still talking about in December; to rise above the massive ocean of new releases in quality and memorability for months at a time is a remarkable feat, one that surely will put an album in contention for "best of the year."

Critics are putting out their lists left and right, like NPR Take Five's Top 10 Jazz Records Of 2009 and Howard Mandel's Best beyond "jazz" CDs of 2009 (Howard notes that he reviewed over 1000 albums this year; I'd say he's qualified to make his picks for the "best"). I don't want this to become a list of lists, but check out some of the others by Jazz Journalist Association writers. Like Howard, I've heard a lot of music this year, many by listening to submissions for airplay on WRIR jazz programming. Unlike Howard, I posit that the number of albums I've heard falls short of 1000.

My list of "favorites of 2009" contains a mix of albums: some that were talked about as soon as they were released as being possible best of the year albums and some that simply struck my fancy this year. Let's talk about that first one. Artists who are doing great things draw the attention of the jazz community (see Iyer, Zenón), and when they release an album that takes their artistic direction to a new level, it is almost immediately branded as a potential best album of the year (see Iyer, Zenón). That's not to say their albums make any lists by default; those musicians on top of the world right now just as easily could have made mediocre albums, or taken their ideas so far out that -- even if it was brilliant in some way -- few could grasp it.

But, quite simply, they didn't.

Vijay Iyer Trio's Historicity took an interesting approach to the jazz standard of reproducing the American Song Book or contemporary pop songs. "Each cover," Iyer writes in the CD's liner notes, "becomes a conversation between the original work and something else entirely; the best word for it is 'versioning.'" The trio's versions of pieces by M.I.A., Stevie Wonder, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, Julius Hemphill, and others, do just that; the three aren't bogged down and seem to float over the ideas of the originals. You won't be sorry if you pay 99 cents right now for their performance of West Side Story's "Somewhere," and "Galang [Trio Riot Version]" would get any club rowdy.

Like Iyer, MacArthur Genius Miguel Zenón's visibility on the scene certainly helps his cause, but so does his virtuosic playing and unique vision. NPR had an exclusive first listen of the album before its release (Hype before an album's release is a good omen for an album's success). With Esta Plena, Miguel Zenón combined influences of his native Puerto Rico's plena music and the improvisational spirit of jazz. The syncopations of the folk music are throughout these tunes that are mainly in common time. The juxtaposition of traditional vocals and modern chords and rhythm is slick, with Zenón playing the common thread.

Other not-so-expected albums were some favorites of mine this year as well. If I've mentioned them in the past, the link will take you to that. So, without further ado, my favorite jazz albums of 2009:

Tigran Hamasyan - Red Hail (Plus Loin) --RVAJazz, NPR Jazz Now
Vijay Iyer Trio - Historicity (ACT Music)
Tyshawn Sorey - Koan (482 Music)
Ted Sirota's Rebel Souls - Seize The Time (Naim)
Steve Lehman Octet - Travail, Transformation, And Flow (Pi)
Miguel Zenón - Esta Plena (Marsalis Music)
Matt Wilson Quartet - That's Gonna Leave A Mark (Palmetto)
Chris Morrissey Quartet - The Morning World (Sunnyside) -- NPR Jazz Now
Darius Jones - Man'ish Boy (A Raw & Beautiful Thing) (AUM Fidelity) -- RVAJazz
Brian Jones (Guitar) Quartet - Wool (Slang Sanctuary) -- RVAJazz

Honorable mention:

Fred Hersch Pocket Orchestra - Live at Jazz Standard (Sunnyside)
Led Bib - Sensible Shoes (Cuneiform)
J.D. Allen Trio - Shine! (Sunnyside)
Amanda Tosoff - Wait and See (Cellar Live)

What are yours?

photo by indi.ca

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The Armenian Tinge: In Richmond and Beyond

Dean Christesen — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 12:00:55 +0000

This weekend, the Armenian Food Festival returns to St. James Armenian Church in Richmond. Local oudist Raffi Bandazian and his Narod Ensemble will be performing seven sets in two different arrangements over the course of the four day festival. His duo with guitarist Justin Smith performs each afternoon, and his ensemble of himself, Smith, Dan Smither (bass), Sam Sherman (drums), and Mary Lawrence Hicks (flugelhorn), hits on three of the evenings. Click here for the full entertainment schedule, or look for the Narod Ensemble listings on the RVAjazz calendar.

Bandazian says of the music's Armenian roots:

The name Narod comes from the Armenian wedding tradition. Traditionally, a "Narod" is a multicolored thread, headband that is worn by the bride and groom during a wedding ceremony. It has since been placed with a crown or a gold colored thread.
What we are striving for is to take traditional Armenian Folk music, drop it into an improvised environment, and see what happens. We have Oud, Flugelhorn, Guitar, Bass, and Drums, none of which are traditionally Armenian instruments, but our source material is Armenian. (My background is Armenian and Greek) ...This is a sound I have long been after. This gig is hopefully the first of many in the area.

And it is indeed a food festival:

As for the food, it's very similar to other middle eastern cuisine, but without being biased as far as festivals, ours blows away the Greek and Lebanese. Our folks make all our food by hand. Come see. Come hungry. You won't be disappointed. And we take credit cards in case you need to blast your wallet out!

-----

This festival happens to coincide with my continuing exposure to Armenian/American jazz artists. Whether the Armenian influence is a new development in stateside jazz, I do not know. Readers of this blog know I was blown away when I first heard 22-year-old Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan's newest album Red Hail. WRIR listeners will attest that I play something from his album each and every time I go on the air. Friends probably wish I would stop talking about him. (Red Hail on Amazon)

Raffi just introduced me to Armenian pianist Vardan Ovsepian, and the similarities between what little I've heard so far and Tigran's most recent music are outstanding. Mysterious (to western ears) melodies often rely on cascading third intervals and are doubled in unison by the voice and another instrument, like saxophone or guitar. Songs tend to follow a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure that contemporary music is based on; the beautiful melodies are always worth hearing again, and improvisations don't occur until two or three minutes into a piece because of it. There is a persistently haunting vibe to much of the music, due perhaps to foreign (again, to western ears) harmonies and the melodies that determine them.

And talk about contemporary rhythm: vocalist Sara Serpa in the first video is backed by Tyshawn Sorey, the most adventurous and creative drummer on the scene today and master of jagged rhythms and legato meditations alike. Tigran's song "Falling" is based around a fast and chaotic breakbeat by Nate Wood on drums and Tigran on voice.

(Notes: 1. Serpa doesn't exhibit the strongest pitch control in the video, but look past it to her gorgeous composition and pianist Ovsepian's contributions. 2. The two videos are not meant to be evidence of the similarities between the two artists. Hopefully they will show two sides of Armenian jazz being created today.)

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgyiB0iNlDI[/youtube]
Sara Serpa, Andre Matos, Vardan Ovsepian, Chris Tordini and Tyshawn Sorey

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvj-qrqAbdA[/youtube]
Tigran Hamasyan's Aratta Rebirth: Areni Agbabian, Nate Wood, Sam Minaie, Ben Wendel
"Falling"

On a non-Armenian oud-related note, Canadian Gordon Grdina's albums have their moments. His latest album, Gordon Grdina's East Van Strings The Breathing of Statues, is for electric guitar, oud, and string trio. Free Jazz Stef's assessment of Grdina's last two albums is right on the mark. I remarked on Twitter in August, "Stunning, powerful compositions...inspired largely by Bartok."

Anybody have any Armenian musicians to share?

Twitter review: Tigran Hamasyan – Red Hail (Plus Loin, 2009)

Dean Christesen — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 14:49:00 +0000

Originally reviewed by Dean Christesen on Twitter: @RVAjazz

Tigran Hamasyan
Red Hail
Plus Loin Music
2009

Some may remember the album review I conducted on Twitter back in March. Like it or not, I did it again, this time with a young (b. 1987) Armenian pianist named Tigran Hamasyan and his newest album Red Hail. I don't necessarily predetermine that I will do an album review with Twitter; rather, while listening, I may become inspired to immediately tell others about my discovery. Such is the case with this album. For the sake of organization, preservation, and extra promotion for deserving artists like Hamasyan, I copy the tweet reviews here on RVAjazz for blog-reader consumption. Below are the nine posts I made while listening to the album.

- Listening to the young Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan on his newest album "Red Hail" [Plus Loin, 2009]. Sax'ist Ben Wendel killin as usual

- ...The first track, "Shogher Jan," absolutely knocks you out and makes you wonder what could possibly follow. And you aren't let down.

- ...Surprises around every corner, like in "Love Song," which turns from pretty melodic ballad to a brief, entrancing beat. Lush textures.

- ...Piano and drums play around the fast break-beat of "Falling" w/ total abandon, somehow locking up with each another.

- ...The rhythm section's interactions during "Sibylla" is so nuanced and sensitive. The calm mood is short-lived, however. Crashing beats!

- ...It's not surprising to hear complex multi-metered, heavily grooving music come from a 22-y.o. composer. Product of his time, influences.

- ..."Chinar Es" is a beautiful and thrilling piano/vocal duet of an Armenian folk song. Much needed before the return of distorted elec gtr.

- ...Album closes with an a capella folk song, incl. Tigran himself singing.

- ...Listening was a journey that comes highly recommended. Can't wait to see what Tigran Hamasyan does next. [End 1st impression CD review]

Tracks: Shogher Jan; Red Hail; The Glass-Hearted Queen; Love Song; Falling; Sibylla; Corrupt; Part 1: Serpentine; Part 2: Moneypulated; Chinar Es (You Are As Tall As A Plane Tree); The Awakening Of Mher; Amran Gisher (Summer Night).

Personnel: Tigran Hamasyan: piano, Fender Rhodes piano, keyboard, synthesizer; Areni Agbabian: vocals; Sam Minaie: electric guitar, acoustic bass; Ben Wendel: soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone; Nate Wood: drums.

Visit Tigran Hamasyan on the web.