Best of 2022

A playlist of my favourite music from the past year can be found here on Spotify

2022 was our collective “coming out” year after the tragedy and doldrums of the pandemic. Social gatherings, concerts, and a general shift to optimism started to take hold, albeit in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Musically, it was a steady year but for me was skewed more to singles than albums.

It also marked the return of live performances. After two COVID related postponements, The Doobie Brothers finally brought their 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour with Michael McDonald to Toronto. It was a quintessential rock & roll show with McDonald bringing the intensity and original singer Tom Johnston belting out the many classics he is known for. I was especially moved by an old tune, “Eyes of Silver” from the album What Once Were Vices Are Now Habits (Warner, 1974).

My musical highlight of the year was seeing Earth, Wind & Fire live for the first time. It was a bucket list experience and they were absolutely “elemental”. Santana was on the same bill and serenaded us late into the evening. Santana’s wife, Cindy Blackman Santana, 63, wailed on the drums like a spry 20-year-old, stealing the show more than a few times during the night.

Album Art Mosaic generated @ https://xsaardo.github.io/Album-Art-Collage-Creator/

Songs

1. Repettos for you my Lord, John Carrol Kirby (Stones Throw Records, 2022)
2. Footsteps in the Dark, Jarrod Lawson (Dome Records, 2022)
3. I Don’t Care, Arrested Development (Vagabond Productions, Dec 2021)
4. Woman Like Me, Chaka Khan (The SoNo Recording Group, 2022)
5. Twin Flame, KATRANADA & Anderson .Paak (Kaytranada Music & Publishing, 2022)
6. Just Stay, Brandon Coleman (Brainfeeder, 2022)
7. Fallback, Phife Dawg (Smokin’ Needles Records / AWAL Recordings, 2022)
8. Like When We Were Kids, Harrison & TOBi (Last Gang Records / MNRK Music Group, 2022)
9. Faith, Sault (Forever Living Originals, 2022)
10. Black is…, Tall Black Guy (Coalmine Records, Dec 2021)
11. All Talk, Brian Jackson (BBE Music, 2022)
12. Something for Byrd, Eric Hilton (Montserrat House, 2022)
13. City Sounds, Str4ta (Brownswood, 2022)
14. Right Now, Waajeed (Tresor Records / BMG, 2022)
15. Searching, First Beige (First Beige / Community Music, 2022)
16. Amalgamation, DoomCannon (Brownswood, 2022)
17. Freedom, Searchlight (Fallen Tree 1Hundred, 2022)
18. December Morning, Stellar Echo (3441917 Records DK, 2022)
19. Higher, Sault (Forever Living Originals, 2022)
20. This Life, Kendra Morris (Karma Chief / Colemine Records, 2022)
21. Guili – Art of Tones Remix, Souleance (First Word Records, 2022)
22. Finish The Sun, Shane Cooper & MABUTA (Dox Records, 2022)
23. Lobbo, Vieux Farka Toure & Khrangbin (Dead Oceans / Night Time Stories, 2022)
24. Noble Metals, Adrian Quesada (ATO Records, 2022)
25. Dasha, Fusion Affair (Chuwanaga, 2022)
26. Electric Dreams, Pt. 1, The Greg Foat Group (Blue Crystal Records, 2022)
27. Little Orphan Boy – Two Soul Fusion Remix, Brian Jackson (BBE Music, 2022)
28. In 2 The Light, Lakeshore Commission feat. Bluey (Z Records, 2022)
29. Atlantia – Dave lee Mix, Mike Lindup (Knapdale Records, 2022)
30. Maybe More – Ralf GUM Main Mix, Tortured Soul (GOGO Music, 2022)
31. Face The Love, The Sunburst Band feat. Angela Johnson (Z Records, 2022)
32. I’m a Believer, Idris Muhammad (Craft Recordings / Concord, 2022)
33. Tubby Chaser, Chip Wickham (Gondwana Records, 2022)
34. Feminina, Joyce Moreno (Far Out Recordings, 2022)
35. Alone on the Rooftop, Stellar Echo (3441917 Records DK, 2022)

Albums

1. Forever, Phife Dawg (Smokin’ Needles Records / AWAL Recordings, 2022)
2. Searchlight, Searchlight (Fallen Tree 1Hundred, 2022)
3. Sometimes It Rains, Stellar Echo (3441917 Records DK, 2022)
4. Str4tasfear, Str4ta (Brownswood, 2022)
5. 2022 the EP, DijahSB (DijahSB, 2022)
6. Dance Ancestral, John Carrol Kirby (Stones Throw Recoreds, 2022)
7. Memoirs of Hi-Tech Jazz, Waajeed (Tresor Records / BMG, 2022)
8. Peace and Rhythm, Idris Muhammad (Craft Recordings / Concord, 2022 – Reissue)
9. Cloud 10, Chip Wickham (Gondwana Records, 2022)
10. Untitled (God), Sault (Forever Living Originals, 2022)
11. Produced with Love II, Dave Lee (Z Records, 2022)
12. Ali, Vieux Farka Toure & Khruangbin (Dead Oceans / Night Time Stories, 2022)

New to Me – (Re)discovered

My favourite twitch DJs continued to nurture me with musical discoveries, old and new. Dorothy Ashby was one such treat. The jazz harpist who released her seminal work, Afro-Harping (Cadet, 1968) more than 50 years ago is synonymous with her enigmatic instrument. I had first heard of Ashby at a Stevie Wonder show where he credited her as the original soloist on “If It’s Magic” (Tamla, 1976) but I was unaware of her solo body of work until I heard tracks from this remarkable album this past year.

My most indulgent trip to the musical past plundered the depths of jazz drummer Idris Muhammad. Active mostly in the 70s but with his last release stretching to 1998, Muhammad stands out to me because of the company he kept and the jazz-funk sound he cultivated. Spending several years with the excellent Prestige and Kudu labels, Muhammad benefited from a stable of pioneering sidemen like Bob James and Grover Washington Jr. The album, Power of Soul (Kudu, 1974) is a timeless classic. Hearing “Piece of Mind” for the first time this past year was like finding hidden treasure that was simultaneously novel and comfortable. The whole album, only 4 tracks and 34 minutes long is an immersive trip, warm, joyful, and reflective. A reissue of Muhammad’s 1971 Peace & Rhythm album made it on my best albums list. The track, “I’m a Believer”, features the vocals of Muhammad’s then wife, Sakinah Muhammad (a.k.a Dolores “LaLa” Brooks), famous for her 1963 hit, “Da Doo Ron Ron” (Philles Records).

Passings

This year saw the passing of more musical greats. Vangelis, who’s soundtrack to Blade Runner (Atlantic, 1994) remains my most favourite use of music in any film ever, even edging out Johann Strauss in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Jazz sax great Pharoah Sanders passed at the age of 81, only months after releasing a much anticipated collaboration with UK producer Floating Points. Brazilian great Gal Costa also left us, her vocal legacy unmistakable to anyone who loves the music of Brasil past, present, and future.

The most striking loss for me was jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis, 87. I saw him live in Toronto a few years back and his performance was a masterclass in, well, class. Lewis had an easy touch on keys, recorded prolifically, and had a knack for finding the right rhythm, swing, and meter to make any performance special. What’s more, Lewis was a mentor to another musical hero of mine, Maurice White. I’m grateful for Lewis’ extensive body of work, his lasting influence on jazz and pop music, and that I was able to witness his magic in person. Apparently, a biography was in the works at the time of his passing and will likely be released next year. It’s at the top of my reading list.

Ramsey Lewis (1935-2022)

Anticipating in 2023

Anything new by Herbie Hancock is worth the wait. Shall it be ’23?

Kamasi Washington: The Epic

Album Review: The Epic, Kamasi Washington (Brainfeeder, May 2015)

Kamasi Washington is a jazz saxophonist that joins the vanguard of musicians bridging jazz with contemporary music from the many genres in its orbit. Listening to his album, The Epic, I wonder if Washington is this generation’s Herbie Hancock – someone who pushes the boundaries of jazz but does so from a place of legitimacy.

You might say the same of Robert Glasper and jazz innovators before him like Guru and Ronny Jordan. But there is something different about Washington’s brand of innovation. Perhaps it is his pedigree, having played with legends like Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Harvey Mason, Kenny Burrell, and George Duke.

The Epic is an incredibly immersive listening experience. I would liken it to a concept album by a band like Pink Floyd or an opus like Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew. It’s not the ethereality or electronic treatment that inspires this comparison. Rather, it is the ambition, the grandioseness of this album. It is truly the epic jazz album of the year, if not this decade.

The Epic’s ambience is established through a combination of Washington’s improvisation, a steady and pervasive baseline from Miles Mosley’s acoustic bass, and 20-person choir that evokes a blend of 60’s spiritual jazz and sci-fi cinematic scores. This sound emerges as Washington’s signature while being subdued enough to support, not displace, the profound range and depth of performances and compositions on the album.

With nearly 3 hours of music, the musicians are well showcased. I can’t recall the last time I heard so many generous and wonderful trombone solos, as played by Ryan Porter on tracks like “Leroy and Lanisha” and “Re-Run Home.” Igmar Thomas’ trumpet is another capable foil to Washington’s tenor sax. Stephen Bruner (a.k.a. Thundercat) brings his unique electric bass sound to “Askim,” interplaying fantastically with the majestic choir conducted by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson. Atwood-Ferguson, incidentally, worked on another recent spiritual jazz revival of sorts, my personal pick for 2014 album of the year, Church, by Mark de Clive Lowe.

Washington himself is a remarkable talent on the saxophone. His range is broad, from hard blowing dissonance reminiscent of Pharoah Sanders to the easy swing of a popular saxophonist like Grover Washington Jr. Kamasi Washington is comfortable and capable at both extremes and this album sees him traverse the expanse.

The Epic’s more conventional arrangements include “Cherokee,” a lovely tune sung by Patrice Quinn in the best tradition of lounge jazz and a version of Debussy’s “Clair de Lune,” arranged in 3/4 time while maintaining the composition’s lilting beauty.

To me, this album’s appeal is peculiar because I find it simultaneously exhilarating and comforting. I’m excited by its newness – but also comforted that we have a new and credible steward to lead jazz forward. With The Epic, Kamasi Washington sets forth.

 

The Players: Kamasi Washington – Tenor Saxophone; Thundercat – Electric Bass; Miles Mosley – Acoustic Bass; Ronald Bruner Jr. – Drums; Tony Austin – Drums; Leon Mobley – Percussion; Cameron Graves – Piano; Brandon Coleman – Keyboards; Ryan Porter – Trombone; Igmar Thomas – Trumpet; Patrice Quinn – Lead Vocal; Dwight Tribble – Lead Vocal

Gerardo Frisina: Latin Jazz’ “Progressive Conservative”

Music Review: Movement, Gerardo Frisina (Schema Records, 2014)

Latin influenced jazz had its beginnings in the 1940’s and was later popularized by Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaria with his recording of “Afro Blue” in 1959. Soon after, Latin Jazz blossomed, attracting a caravan of masters recording hundreds of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian-influenced standards.

One of the best collections of these is the Blue Bossa collection from Blue Note Records (1992) featuring greats like Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, and Kenny Dorham. Incidentally, Mobley’s “Ricado Bossa Nova” from that collection is one of my all-time favourite Blue Note recordings.

It is squarely in this tradition that Italian jazz composer and producer Gerardo Frisina has built his repertoire. His latest release, Movement, remains grounded in Latin Jazz while incorporating modern elements of jazz dance and soul jazz music. He achieves this with well-chosen vocal, electric piano, and organ accompaniment. Frisina also blends Afrobeat influences in tracks like “Eastern Vibrations – Shout It” with its fat brass section.

I was so taken with the authenticity and musicianship on Movement, that I explored Frisina’s back catalog and was impressed even more deeply with his 2010 release, Join the Dance (Schema Records). More classic and straight-ahead than Movement’s modernized sound, Join the Dance evokes the masters that embraced this music. “Another Waltz,” features the vibes of Pasquale Bardaro and a steady groove that could have come off of a circa 1970 Bobby Hutcherson album. “Mille E Una Notte” is a easy-going musical sojourn through the Arabian peninsula, reminiscent of Pharaoh Sanders.

With both of these albums and his earlier work, Frisina’s body of work is a faithful extension to a tradition dating back more than five decades. He brings a freshness to the genre, not through gimmickry but rather through great composition and musicianship. In this sense, Frisina is not a mere preservationist. He is a progressive, who conserves the essence of what makes this music great, while allowing it to change and resonate with today’s tastes.