Jazz

Monkin’ Around
4In1
Ubuntu Music UBU0179CD

Back in 2019, saxophonist Dave O’Higgins teamed up with guitarist Rob Luft to tour as a duo and record O’Higgins & Luft Play Monk & Trane. In the process, they played all 70-odd compositions by Thelonious Monk. Now Dave has adopted this repertoire for his new piano-less trio, with bassist Luke Fowler and drummer Billy Pod – here adding trumpeter Martin Shaw on four tracks and pianist Sean Fyfe on five, to give four different lineups altogether. Hence the album title, also the title of one of the less well-known Monk tunes included. Dave recorded all the album tracks live in his own JVG Studio with no separation, headphones or overdubs, and the sonics are exceptional, quite ‘close’ and dry but exhilaratingly clean. SH

Sound Quality: 90%

Simon Oslender
All That Matters
Jazzline Leopard CD 31453; LP: LP 31454

Ageless Late Show bassist Will Lee played on Oslender’s Peace Of Mind in 2021, and in 2022 Oslender played on the WDR Big Band’s Center Stage with drummer Steve Gadd, who told him ‘All that matters... it’s got to feel good’. And here the young German pianist/organist fulfils a dream by fronting a trio with both of these funk/fusion heroes. Also heard are guitarist Bruno Müller, who guested on About Time (2020), and fluent young saxophonist Jakob Manz, while there’s a guest spot for the great trombonist Nils Landgren. Oslender majors on organ but adds piano too, bluesy, jazzy or gospelly by turns, while Gadd and Lee groove as if glued together. SH

Sound Quality: 85%

The Oscar Peterson Quartet
City Lights: Live In Munich, 1994
Mack Avenue MAC1212; LP: MAC1212LP

In May 1993, after decades of exhausting touring, Oscar Peterson suffered a stroke on stage. When he returned to performing 14 months later, it was with a severely impaired left hand. For his 1994 European tour Peterson expanded his trio by adding Canadian guitarist Lorne Lofsky, creating a quartet rather different from anything that had gone before. Lofsky doesn’t really substitute for OP’s left hand, but plays some nice solos. Bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen is more prominent and plays ‘Samba Petite’ as a complete solo. But for his crowd-pleasing ‘Satin Doll’ finale, Peterson needed no help from anyone and was as powerful and exuberant as ever. SH

Sound Quality: 80%

Joe Sanders
Parallels
Whirlwind Recordings WR4827; LP: WR4827LP

With a huge resonant sound, bassist Joe Sanders has recorded with Ambrose Akinmusire, Walter Smith III, and recently Joshua Redman. His own Introducing... (2011) was followed by Humanity in 2017. Since then he’s moved to France where these tracks were recorded, but as Whirlwind’s boss (and bassist) Michael Janisch suggests, Sanders’ work reflects both East and West Coast US trends. While four tracks showcase the contrasting saxophonists Seamus Blake and Logan Richardson, the other six were made by Sanders at home on keys and electric bass, with guest spots for sax player Jure Pukl and pianist Taylor Eigsti. Intriguing. SH

Sound Quality: 80%