Jazz

Misha Mullov-Abbado
Effra
Ubuntu Music UBU0185; LP: UBU0185LP

Despite lots of other work – from the duo with his violinist mother Viktoria to the Patchwork Orchestra big band – Misha’s main project for many years now has been his enduring London sextet. Trumpeter Davison, saxophonists Herd and Rapley, pianist Dunachie and drummer Chapman have been playing Mullov-Abbado’s compositions since 2017. Here his themes range from the boisterous, gospelly blues of ‘Effra Parade’, celebrating the Brixton area beneath which runs the underground river of the title, to the serenely ecstatic ‘Rose’. And ‘Red Earth’, presented earlier in an orchestral form, comes over here in a subtle arrangement for the horns, still crossing genre boundaries in a beautiful way. SH

Sound Quality: 90%

Danielsson, Pohjola, Parricelli
Trio
ACT Music ACT 8000-2; LP: ACTLP 8000-1

Asked to put together a trio for this second release sponsored by Bordeaux vineyard Château Palmer, bassist Lars Danielsson first chose a long-term colleague, guitarist John Parricelli, then added Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola, with whom he’d worked only briefly. And with Pohjola’s trumpet sweet and soft-edged, the emphasis is on melody and atmosphere rather than solos, from the opening ‘Calme de la Château’ to a soothing ‘La Chanson d’Hélène’ and a stately ‘Mood Indigo’. Recorded in a salon of the Château itself, live in the room with no separation between the musicians, the album benefits from a warm and spacious acoustic that helps its relaxing mood. SH

Sound Quality: 85%

Snorre Kirk
What A Day!
Stunt Records STUCD24032; LP: STULP23031

Danish drummer and composer Kirk knows how to write good new tunes that sound like swing-era standards. Here to play them are Kirk’s long-time bassist Anders Fjeldsted, London-based saxophonist Giacomo Smith and Smith’s Kansas Smitty’s bandmate, pianist Joe Webb, who make up Kirk’s ‘European Quartet’. After ‘Opening Night’, actually a rather pedestrian opener, comes the fast and exciting ‘Pelagio Shout’, Smith flawlessly evoking Johnny Hodges with a touch of Earl Bostic, Webb hinting at Teddy Wilson and Kirk playing a solo that could be late-1930s Lionel Hampton. And there are engaging blues and ballads to follow, in a treat for lovers of old-school swing. SH

Sound Quality: 85%

John Patitucci
Spirit Fall
Edition Records EDN1258; LP: EDN1258LP (two discs)

Here bassist John Patitucci, who has enjoyed a stellar career since the mid-1980s, is joined by drummer Brian Blade, his colleague of the final Wayne Shorter quartet, in a new chordless trio that’s completed by the virtuoso saxophonist Chris Potter. On early tracks his acoustic bass has a huge sound and authority, but soon turns to a six-string electric, laying down a funky riff behind Potter’s tenor on ‘Thoughts And Dreams’. Then, on the title track, with Potter on soprano, Patitucci plays chords and lead lines. Elsewhere, Potter multi-tracks to form an effective horn section, and this deeply-felt set ends with a Calypso-tinged uplift in ‘Sonrisa’ (‘Smile’). SH

Sound Quality: 85%