Both Venezuelan pianist/composer Edward Simon and Hungarian-American singer/songwriter Zoltán Székely combine different musical influences into a unique voice, but with very different results.
Edward Simon with Afinidad and Imani Winds
Sorrows & Triumphs (Sunnyside Records)
A review
On Sorrows & Triumphs,* Venezuelan Edward Simon braids together elements of minimalism, traditional Venezuelan folk music, jazz, and chamber music to deliver a compelling collection that reflects his deep thoughtfulness as a composer and his elegance and grace as a pianist. The material, which is packed with ideas but light on its feet, is a recombination of eight compositions from two suites commissioned by Chamber Music of America’s New Jazz Works program, Sorrows and Triumphs (SAT) and House of Numbers (HON), and one additional composition. Simon’s longstanding quartet Afinidad—with David Binney (alto sax), Scott Colley (bass), and Brian Blade (drums)—does the heavy lifting, with guest appearances by vocalist Gretchen Parlato, guitarist Adam Rogers, and percussionists Rogerio Baccato and Luis Quintero. The Imani Winds—Valerie Coleman (flute), Toyin Spellman-Diaz (oboe), Monica Ellis (bassoon), Mark Dover (clarinet), Jeff Scott (French horn)—appear on several tracks, including the four from HON. The three tracks from SAT, which reflect Simon’s Buddhist practice, build on trancelike rhythmic repetitions. The HON tracks seamlessly blend composed and improvisational sections. The music—melodic, accessible, and rhythmically propelled across every track—offers exceptional textural complexity. Highlights include “Triangle” (HON) whose earthiness and fluidity could be a musical score for the movement of jungle creatures. “Venezuela Unida” expresses Simon’s hope for a peaceful resolution of his native country’s profound difficulties and features a memorable Binney solo. Binney’s playing, as architecturally sound as it is rhapsodic, makes a perfect match with Simon’s writing. The caress of “Equanimity” (SAT) comes from Parlato’s delicate wordless vocal over a repeating rhythmic figure, and Simon’s comping under Rogers’ solo provides a master class in improvisational balance.
Zoltán and the Fortune Tellers
Mad as a Hatter (indie)
A review
Mad as a Hatter, the latest release from Zoltán and the Fortune Tellers—Zoltán Székely (guitar, vocals), Byron Ripley (tuba, vocals), and Fernando Garavito (drums, vocals)—is certifiably entertaining if hard to classify. The band inhabits a genre all its own. There’s a touch of Eastern European folk, ragtime, trad jazz, bluegrass, country—sometimes all at the same time—and they work together quite well. The various musical strands reflect frontman Székely’s personal history: Born in Transylvania and raised in Hungary, he first encountered Hungarian folk songs and the music of the Roma people. He absorbed classical traditions in middle school, playing violin in the orchestra, and soaked up American music in films. His family emigrated to Canada when he was a youngster and to New Mexico in the late ’90s when he was a teenager. Add to that Ripley’s background in honky-tonk, Western swing, and traditional country, and Garavito’s Colombian roots and jazz chops, and you’ve got a sui generis genre. As on the band’s 2016 recording, Songs of Spring, the songs—all originals except for a lively take on Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” with a terrific tuba solo—address topics that you won’t likely encounter elsewhere. There’s “Nude Anthem,” for example, which extols the virtues of going naked, as things “wobble in the wind.” “Heartless Man” tells the story not of a cruel character, but of a man missing a critical body part. Then, there’s “Dreaming of Lemurs,” which finds Székely contemplating a trip to Africa, where he can hang out with lemurs while “sipping on tea and eating delicious croissants.” His romantic side comes to the fore in “I Like the Way You Smell Today.” The band writes children’s songs for adults and delivers them with a zany and endearing energy. Like many children’s songs, these tunes are often silly, always fun, and sometimes wrap a moral in irreverence.
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© 2018 Mel Minter