Record Reviews

STEPHEN MCHALE ~ WEIRD GLITCHES NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 5391524028102) ~ IRELAND ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Irish guitarist / composer Stephen McHaleFind albums by this artist, currently residing in Valencia, like many other young European Jazz musicians who study and / or teach at the local branch of the Berklee School of Music. The album was recorded with fellow Berklee cohorts, like Polish keyboardist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist, Spanish keyboardist Ricardo CurtoFind albums by this artist, Ecuadorian bassist Daniel ToledoFind albums by this artist, British drummer Joshua WheatleyFind albums by this artist and several others. The album presets eight tracks, seven of which are original compositions by McHale and one is a standard by Wayne ShorterFind albums by this artist, arranged by Toledo. From the very first note of this album it becomes immediately apparent that McHale is a "different" guitarist, with a superb individual sound and attitude, which supported by his outstanding compositions create a rare musical experience in a world filled by hordes of wannabe guitar stars. Throughout the album McHale demonstrates an astounding diversity and versatility, which spans everything from melodic lyricism, to Avant-Garde distortion, a truly unusual phenomenon. The seven original pieces are all fabulously crafted and fondly remind me of the compositions by John McLaughlinFind albums by this artist, who is my favorite guitar composer (and player of course), because he is "thinking" about guitar and its myriad of sounds when he composes music. This is about the highest compliment I can pay to the young McHale, hoping to hear more of his creations in the not too distant future. It is difficult to define this music stylistically; the electric guitar, keyboards and bass immediately suggest Jazz-Rock Fusion, but on the other hand there are not that many classic Fusion elements present here, so perhaps Electric Jazz is more appropriate. Regardless of the genre associations, this is simply some of the best music I have heard in quite a while in that particular aesthetic proximity and it is a blast to listen to from start to finish. It must be said that McHale gets a truly outstanding support by the team of musicians, who play on this album, many of which are already stars of their own, like Orzechowski, who is taking the Polish Jazz scene by storm and who gets my unvarying support for his work since his first steps. But all the other players herein are simply a dream team in every respect, and without them this album would not be as perfect as it is. To summarize, this is a most impressive and exhilarating debut release that deserves all the attention it can get, and one that surely will make many guitar enthusiasts extremely happy, if not immediately than surely in time, as it takes a while to absorb and appreciate the Artistry involved. Hats off!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted:

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DANIEL TOLEDO ~ ATRIUM FOR TUNE 0121 (Barcode: 5906395808175) ~ ECUADOR ~ Jazz Recorded: 2016 Released: 2017 In times where separatism, nationalism and xenophobia seem to be taking over the world we live in, it often seems to me that Art in general and our beloved Jazz Music in particular is more often that not the last frontier where values like tolerance, cooperation and unison are still flourishing with truly amazing results. Take this album as an example: Polish pianist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist (born 1990), Ecuadorian bassist Daniel ToledoFind albums by this artist (born 1991) and Swedish drummer Paul SvanbergFind albums by this artist (born 1984) get together to form a classic Jazz piano trio, which is a very intimate musical partnership requiring total cooperation, in order to achieve its goal of creating music together. The fact that these musicians come from different and distant countries and cultural backgrounds not only does not stand in the way of them becoming one body and mind when playing this music, but actually reinforces their ability to create music on a higher Artistic and Intellectual planes. This is the second album by Daniel Toledo, again recorded in the piano trio setting, which consistently continues the path and the direction set by the debut. The focus is again split between two layers: the compositions, all originals by Toledo, and the performance, which strives towards finesse, elegance and flair. Toledo, the composer, emerges as a masterful weaver of beautiful melodies, stretched over a complex rhythmic framework, which are versatile, both harmonically and rhythmically and constitute a mature and solid body of first-rate music. Toledo, the bassist, proves his ability to lead the trio safely over the troubled waters of this challenging music, emerging victorious again. Of course the fact that both his partners are dreamy musicians of the highest rank has a tremendous influence on the end result. Orzechowski, one of the absolute top pianists of the new generation of Polish Jazz, who feels equally confident playing Classical Music and Jazz, keeps amazing with his inventive touches of the keyboard, floating on the complex harmonic structures with seemingly effortless panache. Svanberg nails it all down with his assertive, but wonderfully sensitive drumming, playing forcefully but not overpoweringly, creating a rhythmic layer which is stylistically atypical for a Jazz recording. Nothing short of brilliant, this album proves that melodic modern Jazz can still be rewarding and fascinating, when executed sincerely and passionately. Listen and learn! Side Note The above are my liner notes included on this album's artwork. I am honored when asked by the Artists to write liner notes for their albums, always hoping that my words reflect the true spirit of the music. This is also a symbol of our mutual respect and friendship developed over the years. The same is also true when Record Labels ask me to write liner notes for their releases, mostly in the case of reissues of archival albums, which is a symbol of their appreciation of my knowledge and historical perspective and my recognition of their dedication to the preservation of the history of recorded music and the effort to keep human Culture and Aesthetics alive.

Updated: 19/09/2018Posted: 10/04/2017

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DANIEL TOLEDO ~ ELAPSE NOT ON LABEL (Barcode: 889211081240) ~ ECUADOR ~ Jazz Recorded: 2014 Released: 2014 This is the debut album by Ecuadorian bassist / composer Daniel ToledoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic piano trio setting with excellent Polish Jazz pianist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist and British drummer Joshua WheatleyFind albums by this artist. The album presents five original compositions by Toledo and one standard composed by Miles DavisFind albums by this artist. Orzechowski is of course one of the top young Jazz pianist in his country and in the last few years his activities have been documented mainly in the role of a solo piano player, therefore this recording should be of great interest to all Polish Jazz fans. Toledo emerges on this debut recording as an excellent bassist of a highly personal style, which is characterized by groovy pulsations, which are usually produced by electric bass guitar rather than by the upright bass, and a danceable attitude, which most probably has its roots in his South American roots. But he is definitely also a highly talented composer and his tunes serve as ideal vehicles for the trio to explore and develop the basic melody lines into lengthy improvisations. Naturally the pianist draws most of the listener´s attention, as he is the main soloist here. Toledo made a wise choice combining forces with Orzechowski, as there are very few such versatile and skillful pianists as him. It´s a pleasure to hear Orzechowski keep the groove and funky feel of this album alive, even on the slow pieces, which display a more lyrical approach. Wheatley fits the bill perfectly, supporting the bass with his steady rhythmic patterns, keeping time and at the same time allowing for a lot of rhythmic fluidity, which makes the music much more interesting. This approach is strongly felt on the trio´s interpretation of the Miles Davis composition, which is given a highly unusual treatment. Overall this is definitely a superb debut effort, as well as one of the most personal / unique albums that I happened to listen to in 2014. Hopefully this trio will produce more of such gems in the future. I can´t wait to see where it will all lead to. Nice work Gentlemen!

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DANIEL TOLEDO ~ FLETCH AUDIO CAVE 2020/002 (Barcode: 5908298549018) ~ ECUADOR ~ Avant-Garde Jazz Recorded: 2018 Released: 2020 This is the third album by Ecuadorian bassist / composer Daniel ToledoFind albums by this artist, recorded in a classic quartet setting with all Polish team consisting of saxophonist Kuba WiecekFind albums by this artist, pianist Piotr OrzechowskiFind albums by this artist and drummer Michal MiskiewiczFind albums by this artist. The album presents seven original compositions, all composed by Toledo. The music was recorded at the excellent Monochrom Studio and engineered by Ignacy GruszeckiFind albums by this artist. Toledo´s steady output of albums, starting in 2014 and offering a new recording every couple of years (I had the pleasure of writing the liner notes for his second album "AtriumFind albums with this title"), as well as his cooperation with Orzechowski, follow a steady course of development as a composer and player. The music on this album significantly departs from the earlier melody based conventional modern Jazz into a way more spacey, free spirited ventures and complex odd meters based rhythmic background. The metamorphosis is quite dramatic and presents Toledo in a completely new perception. Orzechowski, who plays both acoustic and electric piano, and who is the focal soloist, takes upon himself a major role in voicing this new approach, playing of course as brilliantly as always, but again quite differently from his usual environment, and listeners familiar with his impressive output as instrumentalist will have an opportunity to hear him from a different point of view. Wiecek steps in boldly and this music seems to suit his stylistic preferences ideally. Although his statements are relatively limited they are all right on the money. Miskiewicz, one of Poland´s most versatile and experienced drummers, handles the difficult rhythmic challenges without a hitch, as expected. Toledo´s solid bass parts are of course the spinal chord which connects all the ingredients together. Overall this is a difficult, serious piece of music, which although demanding, can be a source of great musical enjoyment, as long as the listener allows it the required attention and time needed to penetrate the external crust. Full of great ideas and superb performances, this is definitely something worthy of serious investigation.

Updated: 19/03/2020Posted: 19/03/2020

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