New Orleans Jazz CDs of 2013

By Geraldine Wyckoff
Contributing Writer

In year-end reviews on whatever topic, some trend often makes itself apparent. However, 2013’s crop of album releases by New Orleans jazz musicians show few such tendencies. They are all over the place. Diversity, which can be found not only among the CDs but within them, seems to be the foremost inclination. Artists have blurred the boundaries by adding guest musicians, electronics, switching up instruments and/or fusing other styles to their music.

A good example of that can be found on trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s 2013, Grammy nominated release, Magnetic, as this jazz journey travels in many directions sometimes within a single song. In an unusual move, he takes the music into spacey places by altering his horn with electronics that gives it a guitar-like sound.

On his 2013 CD, Social Music, pianist Jon Batiste, who locals know and undoubtedly still refer to as Jonathan, moves from playing acoustic piano on a classical piece to the melodica, a hand-held, blown keyboard and offers some Latin jazz and more. Once famous as a straight-up modern jazz player, Batiste, 26, has matured enough to make all of this work.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band that has been inching out of its traditional role made a big leap on That’s It! The legendary group’s album is its first featuring all original material that was written or co-written by leader/tuba player Ben Jaffe. The PHJB here sounds more like a small big band than an ensemble and proves that when the roots of the music are strong the branches can successfully reach in many directions.

On the other hand, trumpeter/vocalist Kermit Ruffins thoughtfully and musically takes a step back to the classic jazz tunes he learned and loved at the beginning of his career on We Partyin’ Traditional Style! on the locally owned Basin Street Records. He goes with some of this city’s aces of the genre for this disc with artists including drummer Shannon Powell and trombonist Lucien Barbarin.

It might be difficult to imagine, but on Jason Marsalis Vibes Quartet’s In a World of Mallets, another fine Basin Street release, the jazz group offers some classical overtones on a tune aptly dubbed “Ballet Class.” Masalis, who is primarily known as a drummer though this fine album has earned him great praise for his vibraphone work, also explores the blues.

The surprise on saxophonist Kidd Jordan’s and percussionist Hamid Drake’s A Night in November – Live in New Orleans on New Orleans’ own Valid Records is that on the opening selection Jordan plays alto saxophone. It’s a horn on which he rarely performs though it’s the one he started on before switching to tenor. Recorded in front of a live audience at Piety Street Recording studio, the two creative jazz masters “spontaneously composed” the night’s music with joy, spirituality and exuberance.

Saxophonist Clarence Johnson III is perhaps best known as a straight-up or creative jazz musician though is regularly heard playing rhythm and blues. On Watch Him Work, however, he turns to the smooth jazz style, or as violinist Michael Ward, one of the best known purveyors of the genre likes to call it, “contemporary instrumental music.” That definition works better here as in the hands of Johnson, smooth jazz finds its edge.

While Bleu Orleans, which is led by trumpeter Edward Anderson and keyboardist Darrell Lavigne, gained its reputation in the smooth jazz field, on its 2013 CD,Transformation, it reached out to other realms with some hefty, straight-ahead jazz and a touch of funk. A string quintet was even added on four tunes and percussionist Bill Summers and drummer Terrence Higgins come in on several numbers.

It might be important for some people to know that trumpeter Nicholas Payton was commissioned to perform and record trumpeter Miles Davis’ and composer Gil Evans’ masterpiece, Sketches of Spain with Switzerland’s Sinfonieor-chester Basel orchestra. It wasn’t Payton’s idea but it was an excellent idea. For those who miss hearing Payton blow a lot of horn since he now also plays piano, his brilliant trumpet is heard on 90 percent of the 40-minute suite.

Vibraphonist James Westfall, a Houston native who again makes his residence in New Orleans, is an immaculate player who assembled The Wee Trio, a talented and aggressive group, in 2005. The Wee Trio Live at the Bistro stands as an excellent representation of the variety of rhythms, styles and textures – from funk, to swing and even a cover of David Bowie’s “Queen Bitch” – of their performances.

It seems impossible to write about jazz albums that were released in 2013 without mentioning saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s tremendously adventurous Without a Net. Though Shorter isn’t from here, with Shreveport native and one-time New Orleans resident Brian Blade behind the drums, there’s definitely a Louisiana connection. It magically caught the quartet — with pianist Danilo Perez and bassist John Patitucci – live during its 2011 European tour and marked Shorter’s return to the Blue Note label after 40 years.

This article originally published in the January 6, 2014 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.