Aram Shelton: Everything For Somebody

Aram Shelton (sax)

Everything For Somebody (Singlespeed Music, 2012)

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Tim Daisy (drums)

Anton Hatwich (bass)

What I've always loved about Aram Shelton is his investigative ethos. He continually challenges himself and his fellow band mates within each composition. This is ever-present on his newest quartet release, Everything For Somebody.

With his quartet, Shelton stays focused on a more traditional sound - a mixture of hard bop and avant garde that works perfectly. The ideas created by Ornette Coleman are here in Shelton's playing but as you move further into the record you fly deeper into the band's vortex.

"Anticipation" opens with beautiful exchanges by Jackson and Shelton. Their performance is really on fire and the addition of the always electrifying Daisy makes the piece a firecracker of an opener. It's fun, challenging and very versatile.

"Everything To Somebody" begins with a slow melodic approach before the group spins into a nice boppish groove carried through by Hatwich and Daisy. Hatwich provides a nice bridge in the middle of the piece for Jackson and Shelton to gather new concepts and rejoin with vibrancy, carrying the tune back to a somber but celebratory conclusion.

I love the freedom Shelton gives the group on "Barely Talking." The main melody and theme are established in the opening lines but from that point on, each musician crafts his own vision. Tim Daisy displays an improvising spirit that for me resembles Andrew Cyrille. Jackson and Shelton apply complimentary notes that flow with aggression and beauty. And there's a great passage in the middle of the piece between Daisy and Hatwich that is simply exquisite...and could have gone on much longer.

While Aram Shelton is pretty much based out of San Francisco now, the distance does not stop this Chicago quartet from sounding as fresh and vibrant as ever. If you were to start your journey into Aram Shelton's material Everything To Somebody is wonderful place to start. Another superb addition to my albums of the year. Highly Recommended.

Josh Berman: There Now

Josh Berman (cornet)

There Now (Delmark; 2012)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)

Joshua Abrams (bass)

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Jeb Bishop (trombone)

Frank Rosaly (drums)

Guillermo Gregorio (clarinet)

Jason Stein (bass clarinet)

Josh Berman has once again created an album built on traditional themes but with highly evolved modern structures. There Now, his latest with a revolving but closely knit contingent of the Chicago free jazz scene, Berman combines the aforementioned ideals and presents them all anew for the modern generation. It's a blast to listen to--even for the newcomer to Berman's world!

There Now is a superb homage to late '20s large ensembles, not that unsimilar to Josh Berman's outfit. But Berman also drops in his own compositions which fit nicely and build a bridge between past and future. The group work through new Berman material as well as classic but rarely heard tunes and really put their own stamp to it.


"Sugar" is almost unrecognizable under Berman's arrangement. A tune originally featuring the great Jimmy McPartland on cornet, Berman's version keep the fresh ferocity of original but infuses it with modern tempos and free movement that is reminiscent of his work with Chicago Luzern Exchange. There's a killer solo by the versatile Frank Rosaly towards the end the Gene Krupa would be proud of (or he'd probably yell at him for being so good).

"Cloudy," a Berman original, Bishop and Jackson takes the early lead with strong exchanges which are fascinating to absorb. The latter end of the piece is dominated by Adasiewicz's splendid dreamlike notes on vibes.


The ballad "Jada" sees Berman sticking slightly the traditions of the Bob Carleton original, but allowing the Gang to spin off two-thirds of the way in to improvise. Jackson stretches the sound and elevates the group upward. This is sublime compositional skill from Berman who fuses benchmarks with new forms to create a piece that is fun, intriguing and delightful.


Closing out with "Mobiles And Blues" provides the octet a chance to bring the session into the 21st Century. Harmonics and fallen structures all folding into final signal of goodbye and see you soon.

There Now swings with creativity while bridging the gap between past and future. Josh Berman is also giving all of us a nice lesson of where jazz started and a new direction of where it can go. Highly involved and highly recommended.

Jason Stein: The Story This Time

Jason Stein (clarinet)

The Story This Time (Delmark; 2011)

Keefe Jackson (sax)

Joshua Abrams (bass)

Frank Rosaly (drums)

I know Jason Stein's work more through the projects he has been a member of than his solo material. He has worked with Ken Vnadermark, Rob Mazurek and Keefe Jackson to name a few. His main instrument is bass clarinet. Stein has a style that is big and with an ability to move up and down the scale with ease, he creates a joyful and adventurous atmosphere with each recording.

Stein is quickly becoming an in-demand member as well as confident leader in the Chicago scene since landing there just under half a decade ago. Stein plays rare instrument in genre, but it is coming back in fashion thanks to strong creative performances and releases like his latest, The Story This Time (Delmark).

From the opening, "Background Music" (written by Warne Marsh), you can hear that Stein is out to change things. His tone and the nature of piece has a pile-driver force to it. Almost making it unrecognizable to the original Warne Marsh/Lee Konitz piece. The quartet display a sense of urgency all the while deploying some intricate improvising.

"Little Big Horse" is killer. Stein's seems to have learned a bit from his time with Vandermark about chord changes, timing and orchestration within his own group. There's a Dolphy-esque quality to the performance but you can hear the group bristling with life as the piece moves forward.

"Badlands" has an enveloping quality to it. Abrams bassline capture you at the gut just before then Jackson and Stein come crashing in like theme from Route 66 (U.S. early '60s TV show). Frank Rosaly's timing is to perfection with free-wheeling exchanges with both Jackson and Stein. Stein soon takes over the piece with a number spontaneous jump cuts and fluctuating patterns. It's all really amazing to hear and commands your full attention.

"Hoke's Dream" is definitely the more experimental piece on the album. The composition lays squarely on Stein as he improvises through a number a changes while Rosaly adds unabashed clings and clangs for full effect. Abrams and  Jackson join in towards the end to provide colour and tone but this is clearly a lead into free form that works perfectly in the Monk composition "Work." "Work" I think is a re-imagining of "Nice Work If You Can Get It" and feels completely pulled apart and reassembled into a dark free formed nightmare. I loved it!

The Story This Time is another bullet out of the Chicago scene that must be heard by a wider audience. Jason Stein has proven in just a short amount of time that scene and all of its many musicians have a lot to contribute. And each has their own voice that is distinct and bursting with ideas. The Story This Time is brilliant and invigorating.

Klang: Other Doors

Klang (group)

Other Doors (Allos Musica; 2011)

James Falzone (clarinet)
Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone)
Jason Roebke (bass)
Tim Daisy (drums)

Guest Musicians
Jeb Bishop (trombone)
Josh Berman (cornet)
Keefe Jackson (sax; bass clarinet)
Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello; electronics)

There once was a time when Benny Goodman was considered "avant garde", "outside the mainstream" or just plain "what the hell was that he just played". Goodman's ground-breaking benchmark, Live At Carnegie Hall is evidence of how left of center Goodman was for his time. Fast forward just under 75 years later to Goodman's hometown of Chicago. You will find a vibrant avant-garde/free jazz scene that while not based on Goodman's playing, definitely has Goodman's spirit of collectiveness. Enter the quartet Klang led by clarinetist, James Falzone. Klang, with an unusual lineup of clarinet, vibes, bass and drum have set forth a different direction compared to their more veracious Chicago contemporaries.

Klang's third album, Other Doors investigates the music and legacy of Mr. Goodman but with a very unique free form spin. The album was originally born out of a Chicago Jazz Festival performance that paid tribute to the Chicago native and legendary clarinetist. Other Doors is fun, crisp and filled with improvised moments that turn this session into one of the best Chicago outings of the last few years. "Stompin' At The Savoy" sounds completely fresh and revitalized in the hands of this quartet. It contains all the elements of the swing classic but it's infused with spontaneous exchanges and ethereal swirls (led by Jason Adasiewicz's always sublime performance on vibes). Falzone's playing is respectful but never imitating. He brings some gentle phrasing to certain lines raising this version far above homage and places it into a post modern must listen.

"Memories Of You", a midtempo ballad gets deep, dark re-visitation under Klang's direction. With some great manipulation of space by Falzone, Adasiewicz, and guest Longberg-Holm. Falzone's performance is passionate and introspective and reflects Goodman's own moments were he gets lost in the music but the listener become wrapped inside the rhythm. The title track has an impressionist approach. It's lyrically beautiful and paints a slow but delightful picture that is led by the horn section. Rich and textural with a free spirit, you will find very rewarding.

"The Already And The Not Yet", a track originally written on one of Falzone's earlier albums by the same name, is a delicate but operatic piece that becomes hypnotic and enveloping towards its conclusion. "Goodman's Paradox" is the moment in which the group let's loose (sort of) and delivers an extended workout of swing and experimentation that will take you by surprise but it fits perfectly in context. Goodman would be wowed.

While each of the members and the guest musicians on Other Doors lead their own groups, as Klang they together achieve something completely different from their respective groups. This is a dynamic quartet that experiments with past themes and creating future music. Other Doors is no tribute. It's a complete enlightened re-imagining of one of the most legendary and important figures in jazz. Highly Recommended.

Aram Shelton...Rising Above It All

Aram Shelton (sax)

There Was... (Clean Feed Records)

Tim Daisy (drums)

Jason Roebke (bass)

Jason Adasiewicz (vibes)

Aram Shelton has spent years moving and developing his musical language. From his home state of Florida to Washington D.C., Chicago and now currently residing in San Francisco, Shelton is becoming one of the most revered saxophonist's in underground circles. All the while, he has maintained a creativity that is both skillfully harmonic and resolutely improvised. Aram Shelton encompasses both the free jazz aesthetics of Ornette Coleman and the tonal language of Jackie McLean. Shelton was an integral part of the Chicago scene with the groups Fast Citizens (w/Keefe Jackson), Dragon 1976, and his most consistent and flourishing, Arrive.

Arrive is now on their third record, There Was... (Clean Feed Records) the quartet puts together some fantastic arrangements with dizzying improvised moments in between. There Was... could be considered the second official album. The previous album Live At Elastic includes all but the title track "There Was". The Elastic album is a bit rawer and possibly more "works in progress" until fully realized for There Was.. On the opener and title track, Shelton and Daisy interchange some aggressive and fun-filled passages. This is met with the same energy when the trio of Daisy, Roebke and Adasiewicz gather and tear through chord changes. It's a well structured melodic piece with improvised moments that settle nicely inside your ear.

"Lost" really experiments with time, rhythm and harmonics. The group gently improvises its way through the first half with a steady and balanced groove laid just underneath by Roebke and Shelton. Adasiewicz later takes the group into "third stream" territory. It's a frenetic dreamlike moment between the trio again before Shelton completely lets loose. It's the type of aggression that makes his collaborative efforts with Keefe Jackson shine.

"Golden" quickly becomes an expression of free acoustic magnification (I kinda made that one up. Needed something that sounded good.). But "Golden" does typify everything Aram Shelton is about--exploring new structures, deconstruction and re-framing/reshaping the sense of things. It's has ballad-like quality that slowly builds into a triumphant exclamation of purpose.

With There Was... Aram Shelton again makes the case that Chicago artists (whether in Chicago or just leaving) are on the boundaries of jazz and testing it, to see what come next. Highly Recommended stuff.