Latest releases reviewed
NOEL KELEHAN Ozone Cargo Records ***
First time on CD for a slice of Irish jazz history. Pianist and composer Kelehan's Ozone was a late-'70s working group with the then cream of local musicians. The wild, freewheeling Keith Donald (saxophones) and the late, more deliberate Mike Nolan (trumpet/flugelhorn) offered a contrasting front line, while Kelehan led an excellent rhythm section in the under-rated Frank Hess and the late, much lamented John Wadham (drums). This was essentially a straight-ahead band, with some of the rhythmic, modal and compositional structures that had enriched the post-bop melting pot more reflected in the group's distinctive, attractive originals than in the soloing. Kelehan, such a fine soloist, is a particular joy, with Nolan especially effective on Castle of Dromore. www.trendmusicstore.com
Ray Comiskey
ULF WAKENIUS Notes from the Heart ACT ***
Wakenius is the gifted Swedish guitarist who worked for six years with Oscar Peterson and was also part of the late, great bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen's trio. Here, in what is clearly a labour of love, he explores 11 of Keith Jarrett's originals. With Lars Danielsson (bass, cello and piano) and Morten Lund (drums), and using acoustic guitar, sometimes with overdubbed rhythm guitar, he demonstrates the melodic beauty of such ballads as So Tender, Memories of Tomorrow, Innocence and My Song, and playfulness of the likes of Dancing and U-Dance, and the groove of The Cure. He's a superb player, with an enormous technique kept in check to serve the songs, and engineer Joan Erik Kongshaug has captured his sound ravishingly in Oslo's Rainbow Studio. www.actmusic.com
Ray Comiskey
JOEL HARRISON Harrison on Harrison HighNote ****
Guitarist and vocalist Joel Harrison has gathered a heavyweight team for a personal take on the songs of Beatle George: Dave Liebman and Dave Binney (saxophones), Uri Caine (keyboards) and Dan Weiss (drums), with Stephan Crump (bass) and Todd Isler (percussion). The approach is twofold; either a radical recasting in a modal treatment (Here Comes the Sun, Within You Without You), or a more straight-ahead respect for the originals (While My Guitar Gently Sleeps, The Art of Dying). But, with Binney and Liebman around, the urge to push the envelope isn't absent for long, and there are fascinating solos on the rocking Taxman (over a bass pedal), Love You To and All Things Must Pass. Harrison sings on just a few tracks, but his grainy, lived-in voice is notably effective on My Sweet Lord and Isn't It a Pity. http://uk.hmboutique.com
Ray Comiskey
