Heads-up Dept: Three New Jazz Releases
New recordings from Akiko/Hamilton/Dechter, the Franco Ambrosetti Quartet, and Roxy Coss
By Rick Anderson
Swiss trumpeter/flugelhornist Franco Ambrosetti has assembled a jaw-droppingly fine quintet for Long Waves, his latest outing as a leader: guitarist John Scofield, pianist Uri Caine, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Jack DeJohnette all join him on a program comprised mainly of originals with a handful of standards (including a wonderfully solid version of “On Green Dolphin Street”). The set swings really hard, but there’s also plenty of funk (particularly in Scofield’s trademarked bluesy solos) and more than a hint of slippery New Orleans second-line rhythmic flavor (notably on the George Grunz composition”One for the Kids”). Ambrosetti himself veers between a burnished tone and a straight-ahead style and a more discursive, envelope-pushing approach on his solos. Everyone sounds like they’re having a blast, and you will too.
Speaking of having a blast, whenever organist Akiko Tsuruga is leading a classic organ trio, you know it’s going to be a party. On Equal Time, she’s teamed up with veteran drummer Jeff Hamilton and up-and-coming guitarist Graham Dechter for a program of originals, standards, and hard bop classics, all delivered in a no-apologies straight-ahead style. This is music designed to celebrate a tradition, not to expand it, and all the better for that: as is typical of organ trios, there’s no bass player; Tsuruga plays walking basslines on her organ pedals even as she plays chords and melody on the keyboard. Dechter is both a polished soloist and a generous accompanist, and Hamilton is, as always, the engine that drives a powerfully swinging beat. As is also typical of organ trios, those beats are funky and greasy as often as they’re smooth. Brilliant.
Then there’s Roxy Coss, who has, over the course of five albums, become one of the most exciting combo leaders in New York’s famously cutthroat jazz scene. Equally adepts as a soloist, arranger, and composer, on Quintet she showcases all of those talents—but especially her compositional chops. The program consists of seven originals and one standard, and all display her love of classic bebop complexity (check out the lead track, “Don’t Cross the Coss”) and spunky, outspoken tune titles (ditto; also, “Females Are Strong As Hell”). One can only wish that the dark, powerfully restrained tune called “Mr. President” came with lyrics. But as always, the politics are expressed in the music mainly by means of exceptional writing and playing, both of which are in ample supply here. Another essential recording from a brilliant artist.