Last I heard him was two years ago at Chelsea venue the Pheasantry in singer Tessa Souter’s band with her husband Billy Drummond and Conor Chaplin.
The standards selected for this upcoming release include jazz choices Hoagy Carmichael’s ‘The Nearness of You’, Thelonious Monk’s ‘Round Midnight’ Johnny Green’s ‘Body and Soul’ and ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’ by Rodgers and Hart plus pop and rock covers of Paul Simon’s ‘Old Friends’ and The Band’s ‘The Weight.’
A studio album this was recorded during three days of the early half of May in 2023. It’s pretty middle of the road fare and I don’t mean that as a criticism. These aren’t weasel words, it’s just what it is.
If you want the more pulsating side of Watson it isn’t here – go hear that on his album released more than a decade ago with Manu Katché Live in Concert.
But with the eye more on the sparrow and what’s to expect for me ‘The Nearness of You’ and ‘Body and Soul’ work best of all.
I suppose if you are a rock fan and then a jazz fan (with me it’s the other way round) you will go to the Paul Simon and The Band tracks first. They are quite manicured but then most solo piano albums in the jazz idiom covering anything respectfully are quite manicured. Again that isn’t a criticism just an observation.
As for his own originals Watson’s sentimental side is certainly expressed. You get an Abdullah Ibrahim quality to the lilting title track ‘Calling You Home’ which works very well. The fat clusters of notes that spread all over ‘Tetrad’ streaming ahead of release also coagulate into brightly voiced evocative splodges of sound and cadential passion. Stylistically Watson is like Acoustic Ladyland’s Tom Cawley a bit and also reminds me of the sound of Nick Ramm (known for his work with flautist Finn Peters).
I’m a Billy Jenkins fan more than a Katie Melua one – both artists with whom Watson has worked.
So just by these examples you can see how versatile Watson is whether accompanying a songstress, playing jazz on his own self squired releases or the blues.
The album I like that he is on most is Guy Barker 2002 Provocateur classic Soundtrack.
Watson’s jazz chops can be heard on an album like The Loop probably even more than on this new work.
I’d say on this new one at the risk of stating the obvious that Watson has assimilated a lot of his interests and past experiences musically into both his subtle writing and playing style. But that means he isn’t a ventriloquist or even more subtly going down the esque-is-more route not that there’s anything wrong with that. (That’s playing in the mould of someone else or doing a tribute to them.) So Calling You Home is an original conception even bearing in mind the familiarities of the framing. It’s highly decorous, very easy on the ear, classy and on the basis certainly a connoisseur choice of clout with the only caveat that if you’re looking for a little edge you’ll have been misdirected. No animals were hurt in the making of this recording. But equally there’s no need at all for Watson to kill his darlings given the concision and clarity of these carefully carved out renderings.
- Hear Watson back in Chelsea next month at the 606 on 8 July.
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Kurt Elling and Yellowjackets are in their element
The twist is this isn’t just re-telling it’s finding a context that’s true but not replication and one that finds proper space for vocals that does justice to the instrumentalism.
A slice of live Slovak action that’s twice as nice as it sees a coming together of one of the most credible jazz rock fusion bands since Weather Report in tandem with one of the most applauded male jazz singers since Mark Murphy in Kurt Elling – to reiterate a claim often made in these pages: he is up there with Gregory Porter and Ian Shaw all masters at work and a triumvirate who have fully flowered since the Velvet Fog departed this vale of tears as if he passed on the baton to them.
Kurt Elling and the Yellowjackets have joined forces for a bold, live reimagining of some of Weather Report’s most enduring compositions, captured on Play Weather Report Alive in Europe + Bonus Studio Recordings, out today via Elling and Bryan Farina’s label Big Shoulders Records, his home after a lengthy stint at English indie Edition illuminated most of all by his superb collaboration with Panamanian master Danilo Pérez – Secrets Are the Best Stories and there is a link to that in the glassy stillness and shared communion found on ‘The Fanfold Hawk’ and ‘A Certain Continuum’ lashed together to become a tapestry of dream weaving.
This latest album, recorded during the 50th anniversary of the Bratislava Jazz Days, finds Elling bringing his distinctive vocal approach and original lyrics to a repertoire defined by Wayne Shorter, Joe Zawinul and Jaco Pastorius, while the Yellowjackets supply their signature blend of acoustic fluency and electric groove.
Shorter’s compositional voice is represented most tellingly within ‘Pallas’ Palace (Palladium)’, which is just brilliant the soaring, harmonically rich piece from Heavy Weather (1977) providing scaffolding. That was Weather Report’s best‑selling album and a landmark of jazz‑fusion that also featured ‘Birdland’ and ‘Teen Town’. ‘Palladium’ has an admirably raucous opening in this arrangement. I prefer the live version to the studio one – Elling’s vocalese here is breath taking and deserves a hatful of awards for just that portion of the number.
The audience start to go a bit potty for ‘Palladium’. After all – you want atmosphere on a live album and you get it here.
Shorter’s influence is further felt in the group’s interplay and improvisatory approach throughout the set. Joe Zawinul’s presence is marked by ‘Current Affairs’, taken from the final Weather Report studio album, Weather Report (1982), a track that blends Zawinul’s synth‑led textures with Shorter’s saxophone lyricism.
For years I thought the natural successors to Weather Report, however different their sound, were Snarky Puppy. But this live recording where Yellowjackets place their tanks on the lawn with hefty authority and conviction debunks such armchair general thinking.
Nestled among these Weather Report classics is ‘Intrigue’, a Bob Mintzer original that first appeared on the Yellowjackets’ 2022 album Parallel Motion – a sleek, jazz‑funk number that sits comfortably alongside the fusion heritage of the main repertoire.
Elling is Zelig like in being in all the right places at all the right times whether it’s in a crowd of rhythm or rattling around in a lonelier avenue of gaping space that only he knows how to fill
The collection is completed by three bonus studio recordings that offer a more intimate, refined counterpoint to the live energy. They are certainly cleaner and less febrile, the yin to the yang of the equally terrific Slovak ones. Featuring Elling with pianist Joey Calderazzo, guitarist Mike Moreno, bassist Dane Alderson and drummer Marcus Finnie, these tracks are ‘The Elegant Ride’, ‘Pallas’ Palace’ and in-one’s-cups ditty ‘The Face in the Barroom Mirror’. The studio ‘Elegant Ride’ is better than the live one, mainly because of the use of sticks on glistening cymbals at the outset rather than the thump of toms on the live opening and the slightly more exacting feel.
‘The Face in the Barroom Mirror’ is another Shorter composition supplemented by Elling’s Waitsian lyrics and isn’t on the live tracks, its moody harmonic landscape providing a fitting close to the album’s dual live and studio narratives. Rating: ****
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The sound of Tony Bennett and Bill Evans touched upon by Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson and Marc Copland
“Love’s the greatest healer to be found” – Willie Nelson
In The Blink of An Eye is a balladic vocals and piano conception that represents the first formal musical pairing for the duo of Philly cousins Ray Benson (75) and Marc Copland (78). To jazz listeners Copland is far better known. He built his reputation as a modern jazz pianist and composer, while to country listeners the nexus of involved interest swivels around a different axis, as Benson spent his career fronting Asleep at the Wheel, an American roots-music group formed in 1970.
Based in Austin, Texas Asleep at the Wheel do Western swing, a genre that blends traditional country, blues and big band jazz elements. With Benson as the central, consistent member through numerous lineup changes, the band has released more than 20 albums and received 10 Grammy Awards over its 55-year history. Their work focuses heavily on preserving and performing traditional American roots music, highlighted by signature hits like their US country chart success ‘The Letter (That Johnny Walker Read).’
By contrast Copland initially worked as a jazz saxophonist in New York during the 1960s before taking a decade-long hiatus to completely retrain on the piano. Since debuting as a leader as Marc Cohen with the 1988 quintet album My Foolish Heart, he has amassed a prolific discography of over 40 albums. His career is distinguished by extensive recordings for the prestigious ECM label and enduring collaborations with jazz icons such as Gary Peacock, John Abercrombie and Joey Baron. I very much liked his 2019 album And I Love Her [click for a review] with Drew Gress and the Frisellian Baron. I often go back and listen to beautiful old Steve Kuhn records especially today Three Waves when I think of Copland’s sound somehow trying to excavate it in my mind – but without resorting – honest, guv in this instance – to an algorithm.
Turning to this new release: it was recorded live at Benson’s Texas studio and involves renditions of original compositions, jazz standards and acoustic interpretations of songs by Willie Nelson and Hank Williams.
I think Benson utilises his fairly deep voice, where you will sometimes also find hints of Mark Murphy in the timbre perhaps, to evoke the stylings of Tony Bennett on several tracks best. And given the skill of the piano accompaniment that approach has authenticity, gravitas and a context. Copland’s sound is as expressive as Fred Hersch‘s and as modally compelling as the man from Plainfield, New Jersey himself – dear Bill. The album’s inclusion of ‘Some Other Time’, ‘But Beautiful’, and ‘Waltz for Debby’, the obvious and striking musical reference point for the project is Tony Bennett’s historical duet collaborations with Evans.
The title track, a Benson original, is quite poignant and one of the best numbers emotionally. However, it steps out of the main core direction of the album a little bit, as does the country song ‘I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry’, which I didn’t take to so much although I do like some jazz covers of it including Jack Walrath‘s brilliant treatment many years ago on Master of Suspense.
“I patched up your broken wing, and hung around a while, trying to keep your spirits up, and your fever down” – Willie Nelson
The tracklist of this new release includes intimate treatments of country staples, including Willie Nelson’s poignant Honeysuckle Rose ballad ‘Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground’ which lots of people have covered including Alison Krauss and Bob Dylan whose version is simply wonderful.
In the Blink of an Eye (issued on Benson’s very own Bismeaux Records) is a credible work that is stronger when it sticks to the Bennett and Evans type material but the country inflected material isn’t without merit either and given Benson’s expertise in the area that’s a genre mash up that resonates. An album that sounds more like a jazz album than a country one starts a weekend of new listening on the right footing.
★★★½☆
What’s on
Steve Nelson Quartet PIZZA EXPRESS LIVE, SOHO 3 Sep
Emma Rawicz Jazz Orchestra RONNIE SCOTT’S, LONDON 5 Sep
Derek Nash All-Stars Quartet TAP SOCIAL, BOTLEY 9 Sep
Tom Barford Quintet THE GRASSHOPPER, POOLE 10 Sep
Zak Irvine Quartet MATT AND PHRED’S, MANCHESTER 16 Sep
Chris Batchelor feat. Andrew Bain FRANK AND MARK’S, OXFORD 16 Sep
Florian Arbenz Organ Trio feat. Chris Cheek HIDDEN ROOMS, CAMBRIDGE 18 Sep
Nikki Iles 1000 TRADES, BIRMINGHAM 19 Sep
Yolanda Charles 606, LONDON 21 Sep
Will Barnes Quartet VICTORY CLUB, CHELTENHAM 21 Sep
Rachel Lightbody GLAD CAFE, GLASGOW 22 Sep
Robert Glasper BLUE NOTE, LONDON 23-24 Sep
Zoe Rahman Trio WOLVERHAMPTON ARTS CENTRE, WOLVERHAMPTON 24 Sep
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