Jojo has had a good year. A tiny jazz indie that punches way above its weight, I back up my claim because of the appearance of Ron Carter and Yotam Silberstein’s wonderful Duets and the new George Garzone peach of a thingThemes for Good Friends replete with its stirring cover of ‘Theme for Ernie.’
Saxist Asaf Yuria who is 41 hails from Tel Aviv and gigs around New York and while the leader on this latest release is the least known of the players here on what is basically a quartet album that is also enhanced by trumpet on a couple of tracks.
That’s because with him approaching twice his age the pianist is George Cables (whose part on ‘Polka Dots and Moonbeams’ is exquisite), the closer in age 55 year old Israeli bassist Omer Avital (wonderful with the Yes trio on 2024’s Spring Sings) and drummer the Mwandishi great Billy Hart and Cables’ fellow octogenarian are also involved.
Appealingly it’s Syracuse, New York State born 66 year old Joe Magnarelli who is the trumpet guest. I liked his own album Concord issued last year and also dig what he does here.
Recorded at the world’s greatest and most renowned jazz recording studio Van Gelder’s in New Jersey – where A Love Supreme the greatest jazz album in history was made – one of the things I loved most here is the knowing treatment of ‘Hipsippy Blues’ the Hank Mobley tune that the Jazz Messengers played on At the Jazz Corner of the World Volume 1 in 1959.
Yuria has a soft and persuasive, lightly swinging sound – I’m not that familiar with him but went off to check out his earlier Jojo album Exorcisms which came out 5 years ago that has people like Josh Evans and the always worth it Monty-ite Jason Brown on it after this. AY’s approach reminds me a little of of another Hank Mobley loving Israeli, Eli Degibri, whose 2010 album with Brad Mehldau Israeli Song is a classic of the last 30 years. But In Light of a New Moon isn’t as good as the Degibri. And yet it is pretty decent, far more preferable to Exorcisms, and certainly helps nostalgic listeners – and aren’t we all? – get their fix of some gems from the hard bop years and beyond played with feeling, skill and empathy.
I warm to the the fact that there is a John Hicks tune here as I used to like the bluesy gospelly Monty Alexander-like mainstream sound of Hicks a lot and you rarely hear his tunes any more on new releases. He died 20 years ago and is much missed. The poignant tune is called ‘After the Morning’ which goes back to the late-1970s but which has been interpreted by a few people down the years including Pharoah Sanders on his album Africa when Hicks was in the band of the spiritual jazz godfather they called “the son” to John Coltrane’s “father” and Albert Ayler’s “holy ghost.”
Cables ‘Circle’ which was the title track of an album of the pianist’s that came out in the mid-1980s is also among the interesting selections doted upon on the album and proves a bright, sun-drenched bossa nova in feel. More obscurely Cables’ ‘EVC’ is also here a tune that was on Cables’ 2003 album Looking for the Light that featured Gary Bartz. Fans of Mr. Beautiful, as Cables is known affectionately by his appreciators, need this above all.
The full album of Circles (Contemporary, 1985) also includes a pick your jaw up off the floor so tender it hurts version of Benny Golson’s ‘I Remember Clifford’. Mr Beautiful’s world is the gift that keeps on giving as his strong comtribution to In Light of a New Moon both in playing and compositional terms firmly underlines.
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