One of the most unheralded poet laureates of jazz piano, Jessica Williams has quietly forged a career on the West Coast, yielding an impressive body of solo and trio work with limited touring and headlines. Her latest project for Origin is drawn from solo performances in 2009-2011 at Seattle’s Triple Door. Songs of Earth includes six original compositions and Williams’ interpretation of John Coltrane’s “To Be.” In addition to composing and performing, Williams served as the mixing and editing engineer and co-producer.

Notes Williams, “Songs of Earth is very different than other albums I have ever made. It contains much more pure improvisation… It contains all of the forms that I heard at the moment I played them. It contains very few (if any) pre-rehearsed lines…it is symphonic in nature and it adheres only marginally to any of my previous works in its forms and structures…I see colors in it and shapes within shapes, archetypal designs and natural patterns within a lacework of fragile simplicity… [and] a mysterious quality that I am personally at a loss to explain.”

The opening “Deayrhu,” notes Williams, “defined all of the pieces to follow when I began compiling this album,” and as such defies simple classification as a jazz, experimental or classical composition, suggesting Ravel, Ligeti, Satie, Mehldau, Cecil Taylor, and Marilyn Crispell—simultaneously, with dark rolling bass chords below crystalline figures (that “lacework of fragile simplicity”), evolving into an elegant epic. The haunting, vamp-driven “Poem” is “the one piece I actually notated,” says Jessica, but primarily for the purpose of recall as the bulk of the piece was spontaneously improvised. The elegant, flamenco-inspired “Montoya” is Williams’ tribute to the great Spanish guitarist, revealing layers of exquisite decorations.

“Joe and Jane” is a memorial tribute to those who have lost their lives in military service, who “are worthy of our appreciation and our dedication to a more peaceful and loving future on this Earth.” Here Williams creates a quirky hymn, somewhat reminiscent of Keith Jarrett with its bluesy harmonies and forward movement. Inspired by her Boston Terrier, “Little Angel” suggests a pup light on his feet, delicate in movements yet curious and playful. “The Enchanted Loom” references a metaphor for the human brain and particularly arousal from sleep (“a dissolving pattern… a shifting harmony of sub-patterns); the music prances, “a sort of raga in 5/4 time,” says Williams as the left hand drones in support of the brightly colored dance above.

Coltrane’s “To Be” provides the dramatic finale, Jessica noting the convergence of influences from Debussy and Satie to Montoya. If “Deayrhu” provided the album’s definition, “To Be” provides its summation, as if an exquisite elaboration of the preceding works – a droning figure in the left hand, hymnal reverence, filigree ornementations, and at times,  as Jessica notes, “the roar of the sea” and Mother Earth. The piece fits the set so well that it is easy to forget that Williams is not its composer. Yet, it is her voice that shines as clearly at the end as in the beginning, as if these seven independent stories were always intended to reveal one Song.

More about Jessica Williams at www.jessicawilliams.com , including information about the spinal surgery that will keep her away from the piano for a year (through much of 2013), and how you can help her manage without the ability to work!

On his second release for Mack Avenue (and first studio recording in six years), Detroit native Kenny Garrett offers all original compositions dedicated to his diverse “seeds of inspiration,” from his high school band director Bill Wiggins (“Wiggins”) to mentor Marcus Belgrave (“Detroit”) to Roy Haynes (“Haynes Here”), Jackie McLean (“J. Mac”) and Keith Jarrett (“Ballad Jarrett”). His core ensemble of pianist Benito Gonzalez,  bassist Nat Reeves, and drummer Ronald Bruner is augmented by percussionist Rudy Bird and vocalist Nedelka Prescod, with one track featuring a choir that includes Prescod, Bird and co-producer Donald Brown.  Overall the music unites Garrett’s fiery acoustic post-bop with his more global influences. 

The set begins with the catchy melody and swaying rhythm of “Boogety Boogety,” slightly washed in Latin and Eastern colors. “J. Mac” has a more distinctly bebop-and-beyond thrust, Garrett pushing the enveloped inside out from the first verse while Reeves establishes a brisk undercurrent; Gonzales cranks out a solo that merits more than sideman credit. Bass and percussion vamp through the intro to the very funky “Wiggins,” while the melodic lines of “Haynes Here” somehow suggest an amalgam of the great drummer’s favorite covers of recent years (e.g., Metheny, Corea, Parker); the blending of Garrett’s horn and Prescod’s vocals creates an eerie harmony that adds energy as well as mystery. “Detroit” was recorded with additional old vinyl-like crackles, perhaps to recall the pre-CD era, but mostly it serves as a distraction from an otherwise reverent tribute to Motor City jazz guru Marcus Belgrave. The title track conjures sights and sounds of Africa and the Middle East—the “seeds of the underground?” Garrett’s soprano soars above some frenetic activity from Bruner and Bird, inserting a little Monk (“Espistrophy”?) along the way. “Du-Wo-Mo” (as in Duke, Woody Shaw, Monk) finds Garrett in playful explorer mode, while “Ballad Jarrett” is sweet, solemn, almost classical in the simplicity of the lines and harmonies; Reeves’ steady basslines add elegance, while Gonzalez’ solo is among the album's highlights. 

The expansive “Whole Earth Song” with vocal ensemble is filled with a communal African spirit that carries over to the relatively brief, joyful finale, “Laviso, I Bon?” that was inspired by a musician in Guadeloupe. In sum, this is Garrett at his best, in the company of his most complementary, cohesive ensemble to date. Live, on any bandstand, the music will only soar even higher.

The Chick Corea/Gary Burton partnership dates back 40 years, most notably to their 1973 recording, Crystal Silence. Reprised in 2008 as The New Crystal Silence, it prompted a reunion duo tour. They’re on the road again to celebrate Hot House, their 40th anniversary commemoration mostly recorded in Corea’s home “studio” and featuring arrangements (largely handled by Corea) of nine works by favorite composers of the 1940s-1960s, as well as a new composition from Corea. This is a significant departure from the fare of their previous recordings, which were largely original compositions. Notes Burton, “We chose songs that are generally not that well known; the composers’ names are probably more familiar than the songs to most listeners. The final result feels very fresh and different to us.”  And to us, the listeners.

The music covers Bill Evans, Tadd Dameron, Dave Brubeck, Kurt Weill, Monk and Jobim, as well as a Tatum favorite and Lennon & McCartney; Corea’s “Mozart Goes Dancing” was arranged to include the Harlem String Quartet for the album’s finale. They prance through the opening “Can’t We Be Friends,” first recorded by Tatum and filled with the partners alternating swinging tumbles, finishing with more give-and-take and harmonic delights. Music of Lennon and McCartney has been fair game for jazz artists for years, but perhaps never with such regal results as at the hands of Corea and Burton. Their version of “Eleanor Rigby” (which Corea recorded solo for a 1995 GRP Beatles tribute) highlights the beauty of the melody and previously unexplored harmonic possibilities. Burton notes, “I’m not sure what Sir Paul would say.” But I suspect it would be “Jolly Good!”

Both Burton and Corea separately worked with Stan Getz who introduced them to the music of Jobim, represented here with an almost balladic “Chega de Saudade” (“No More Blues”) and a more blatantly luxurious “Once I Loved.” Elegance from the individuals and the pair also prevails on Bill Evans’ “Time Remembered,” with Burton’s sustained notes particularly haunting. The duo pays homage to bebop with Dameron’s “Hot House”, unintentionally starting to solo simultaneously and turning a  potential false start into a jagged, winning collaboration. One of Monk’s more obscure tunes, “Light Blue” provides a signature Thelonious framework for playful interaction. Although often overshadowed by the big hits of Time Out (“Take Five” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk”), Brubeck’s “Strange Meadowlark” is among his most beautiful tunes, and one of the most beautiful here as well, while Kurt Weill’s “My Ship” seems to travel in new directions with Corea and Burton exquisitely sharing the helm. They close with Corea’s “Mozart Goes Dancing,” initially planned as a duet but recast with the Harlem String Quartet and recorded at Avatar in New York. The strings add a layer of orchestral excitement that helps make this track the most powerful statement of the set and a stirring finale.

Bay-area psychiatrist/pianist Denny Zeitlin not only leads volcanic trios but is one of the pre-eminent soloists in modern jazz. To his already-substantial solo catalog (including last year’s superb Labyrinth) he now adds an album he has been wanting to make –“ a gentle, lyrical journey of mostly ballads.. to share how the music and often the exquisite lyrics of these songs have touched and intrigued me,” he explains in his liner note for Wherever You Are: Midnight Moods for Solo Piano, released recently on Sunnyside.

The title does not do justice to the sophistication of these arrangements and two original works that fill the disc, recorded at Double Helix Studio in Kentfield, CA. If “Midnight Moods” suggests relaxed easy listening, be assured this is not “smooth” background music. The choices surely point to a musician of diverse tastes and moods extending well beyond midnight—from the classics “Body and Soul,” “I Hear a Rhapsody” and “Last Night When We Were Young” to the blues, from the pens of Gordon Jenkins and Jobim to a Doris Day hit. And as diverse as is the source material, Zeitlin performs the set as if one long suite, barely pausing between tunes to take a breath.

It’s an ominous midnight mood that launches the set, as Zeitlin reharmonizes “Body and Soul” with dramatic, orchestral elegance, episodes of abstraction countering his lyrical rendering of the familiar melody. Moved by the Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle version, Zeitlin explores the angst of Gordon Jenkins’ “Goodbye,” shaping crystals of delicate beauty and shards of exquisite pain. Yin and Yang of emotion are also explored in Zeitlin’s melding of two Jobim standards, “Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars” and “How Insensitive,” the former “extols the rapture of love” while the latter reflects “a moment of painful asymmetry.” Intending to only record “Quiet Nights,” the pianist found himself improvising on “Insensitive” –the yin and yang came spontaneously, and the result likely surpasses any had he planned the pairing. The harmonies fit together so well that one has to wonder if Jobim was truly improvising on himself.

Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg’s “Last Night When We Were Young” reflects another of Zeitlin’s preferences for the Frank Sinatra/Nelson Riddle partnership, a favorite dating back to his high school days. The pianist builds drama with an increasingly slow tempo that highlights his respect for the majesty of the composition. Extended harmonies glorify the otherwise well-worn “I Hear a Rhapsody” – what Zeitlin describes as a “beautiful example of love ‘found.’” Sometimes the familiar melody all but disappears beneath Zeitlin’s elegant experiments. Far less familiar, Harry Warren/Ralph Blane’s “My Dream Is Yours” (which Denny recalls hearing performed by Doris Day) features Zeitlin’s signature altered, complex harmonies. The blues get their due, largely rubato reworkings of an extended “The Meaning of the Blues” and contemplative “You Don’t Know What Love Is” (lyrics, of course, pointing back to “the meaning of the blues”).

Of the two Zeitlin originals, the relatively brief meandering “Time Remembers One Time Once” dates back to medical school days, first recorded with Charlie Haden in 1983. If a lyric was to be written for the title track (previously recorded with John Abercrombie in 1984), “the singer would be describing how love transcends all boundaries, all geography,” notes the composer. This description truly reflects the full recording, music that transcends time and place. Denny Zeitlin strikes the universal chords of love lost and found, creating moods for whenever, wherever you are.

Is it a stretch to conceive of these artists as collaborators? Not really, and the results reflect their unique and collective talents perfectly, just as the title suggests—Across the Imaginary Divide (Rounder Records). Bela Fleck of course is the legendary banjoist, leader of The Flecktones, and known for other not-so-obvious collaborations such as his 2007 project with Chick Corea (The Enchantment). Marcus Roberts makes “mainstream” jazz an ultimate compliment, one of the finest purveyors of modern swing and interpreters of standard repertoire from Gershwin to Ellington. Their collaboration began at the Savannah Music Festival a couple years ago, when Fleck stayed late to listen to Roberts’ jam session, adding his unique voice to the trio, featuring Rodney Jordan on bass and Jason Marsalis on drums.

The music here, all composed by either Fleck or Roberts, has as wash of bouncy bluegrass twang (“Some Roads Lead Home,” “Petunia”), nods to the blues (“One Blue Truth”), hints of gypsy swagger (note Jordan’s dancing arco work) melded to a cartoonish soundtrack (“Let’s Go”), touches of Crescent City roots music (the title track and “I’m Going to Tell You This Story One More Time”), even Latin sway in ragtime (“That Ragtime Feeling”).  Yet, the rhythms and harmonies belong to  swing and bebop, perhaps most notably on “The Sunshine and the Moonlight,” which showcases Jordan’s walking chops, and “That Old Thing,” which seems to come right out of the Great American Songbook… with banjo. Hey, there’s an idea for their next project!