Chamber-Jazz: recommended artists or ensembles

Iver,

Some of the old Windham Hill releases may be a good start, names like Nightnoise and Wim Mertens spring to mind. Also, Jim Brickman, Roland Hanna and Jacques Loussier are worth checking out. Spotify is a good source (as usual). Hope I am on the right track!

Happy hunting,

Richard.

Hi Iver,

Don't fully understand what you are looking for when you are talking about chamber jazz. Is it intended as quiet good sounding music or what do you mean.

quiet good sounding examples: Tord Gustavsen, Helge Lien Trio and many others....., but not sure if that's the type you are after.

Hi Bert,

Chamber-Jazz are often very small ensembles (max 4)  playing mostly acoustic jazz. One often sees the group members "talk" to eachother using their instruments. I know Helga Lien, and like her music. A well known artist in the Chamber-Jazz is Wayne Shorter.

hope this clarifies.

iver

Hi Iver,

Not a serious jazz listener but have found the following:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...amber_jazz_musicians

The following have sources describing them as musicians who have performed chamber jazz. In some cases it is unclear if they agree with that description. Further many or most of these musicians are primarily known for other genres of jazz or other genres of music.

Billy Childs

Eddie Daniels

Dave Douglas

Mark Feldman

Erik Friedlander

Jimmy Giuffre

Chico Hamilton - An early proponent.

Mark Isham

Brad Mehldau

Modern Jazz Quartet

Meg Okura - She has been dubbed "The Queen of Chamber Jazz."

Peter Sprague

Russel Walder

Regards. Erich

Iver

Is that the same Wayne Shorter who was part of the famous Miles Davis Quintet with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter and Tony Williams and has recorded many albums under his own name including "Juju" and "Speal No Evil"? Is so, Chamber Jazz?

Dave

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your reply! Wayne Shorter definately has two or three albums one can categorize as Chamber Jazz. The influences of Folk music are quite obvious on these albums. Also Charlie Hayden has two.

@Erich, thanks for the Wiki. I am going to do some discovery via YT and Spotify. If I like something, i'll try to purchase an album.

cheers

iver

Chamber jazz is a kind of semi-composed, semi-improvised music, that draws a lot from melodic (tonal) classical chamber music, usually within the bounds of a jazz typical quartet (piano, sax, bass/cello, drums).

ECM has championed most of this music the last 20 years, with varying degrees of success. Personally I find most of it rather blunt, but there are exceptions. Giuffre's 1961 is a masterpiece. François Couturier or Christian Wallumrød have some interesting music out.

One thing for sure is that almost all recordings I have listened to sound awesome in terms of SQ. Evidence that digital audio -when done properly- did go a long way further than analogue ever had before.

The issue most people have with Chamber Jazz is that it is neither Chamber Music nor Jazz. One could claim it is a watered down aggregate of both forms, that lacks the nuisance, complexity, richness that either genre offers. ECM has managed to incorporate pieces of ethnic music into it (thinking of Anouar Brahem for instance), but again too much watering down to fit the genre.

- Wayne Shorter Chamber Jazz!?!? I don't think so.

- Windham Hill releases (as far as I know) are nearer Richard Clayderman than Jazz or Chamber Jazz.

- Interesting that Chico Hamilton is mentioned above -who probably started the genre in the 50s- I like some of his later music (El Chico, The Dealer), but his chamber music, not so much.

…and some recommendations...

Jimmy Giuffre - 1961 (ECM)

Franz Koglmann - We thought about Duke (hat Art)

Christian Wallumrod - A Year from Easter (ECM)

Espen Eriksen - You Had Me At Goodbuy (Rune Grammofon)

Charles Lloyd - The Water is Wide (ECM)

Wayne Horvitz - Todos Santos (Sound Aspects)

Bohren & Der Club Of Gore - Sunset Mission (Wonder)

John Taylor Trio - Rosslyn (ECM - Best SQ I have ever listened is on this disc)

Oskar Aichinger - Elements of Poetry (Between the Lines)

Ok I do get it a bit better with the last explanation I would then come if with some of the following names:

Collin Vallon

Helge Lien Trio

Brad Mehldau (some of his albums - Ode very good album)

Michael Wollny

Marcin Wascilewski

Sebastian Gahler

Vijay Iyer (sometimes a bit avant garde)

if you need more let me know.

I didn't add trio/quartet as they have made albums in different constructions.

Thanks Yan & Bert for your suggestions .... I know what to do tomorrow :-)

FWIW In the 50's/60's chamber jazz was possibly defined the albums of Jimmy Giuffre and the MJQ but these days improvised (jazz) music is so diverse I tend to follow artists rather than any particular genre. e.g. Andy Sheppard, who has recorded under his own name, and with Carla Bley, on ECM, I have seen described as playing "new age music" and he is one of my favourite saxophone players as are Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, etc. Not very helpful Ivor but that is my take on the topic.

Dave

It is helpfull Dave ! Tx mate !

If I've understood the request correctly, here are some more thoughts:

• Dave Brubeck (the classic late 50s recordings like Time Out, but also much more recent outings like London Sharp, London Flat)
• Trichotomy on the Naim label - I'm enjoying The Gentle War; Fact Finding Mission is similar but a little more avant garde
• Jacques Loussier's jazz interpretations of Bach. His albums from about 10-15 years ago on Telarc are good, and very well recorded to boot
• Avishai Cohen Trio - Gently Disturbed is a favourite
• Keith Jarrett's many trio recordings on ECM are good if you can get past his grunting and groaning
• Michel Petrucciani was a fabulous pianist and any of his trio recordings are worth a listen
• Oscar Peterson's set from the Blue Note in 1990 on Telarc is trio playing of the highest calibre
• Andre Previn did three trio albums (piano, guitar and bass), also on Telarc in the early 1990s. I think the best is Uptown, but they're all fine work.
• Fred Simon of this very parish also richly deserves a mention if you haven't discovered his Naim label albums yet!
• I bought Aaron Diehl's recent album The Bespoke Man's Narrative as a blind purchase and was bowled over.

That lot will hopefully keep you amused for a while...

Mark

Hi Iver,

i just published shed an album of Steve Kuhn under the listening session. Should also fit your requirement.

further additions

Alboran Trio

Benjamin Schaefer

Peter Erskine

let me know if you need more

Dave Brubeck, Keith Jarrett's trio recordings, Michel Petrucciani, Oscar Peterson, great music but is it chamber jazz? Rather proves the point I was trying to make earlier, i.e. attempting to define "what is jazz?" can be difficult but when you get to sub-genre(s) it's almost impossible. IMHO of course.

Dave

It's not hard to define it. The more you listen to Jazz music the easier it becomes to understand the difference in the various threads. And, it helps when you talk about it with others. 

A lot of Jazz musicians cross genres, but Brubeck, Jarrett and Oscar Peterson are not Chamber jazz. Jarrett has recorded works of classical piano.

YanC

I agree with you on several points but are you saying if you are well informed, it's all very clear, and jazz sub-genres can be easily defined? Is Andy Sheppard "new age music"? Whatever that means. At the end of the day does it really matter what genre it is? If you like the artist, and their music, then go for it. Personally I think some people posting on this thread have been talking a load of b******s. Also listening to music, rather than talking about it, is the preferred option.

Dave

Iver, 

If you find something you like, please tell me, tht way I'm going to learn to listen more jazz.

Regards.  Erich

If someone said Coltrane was the best Soul-Funk Jazz Sax of the 60s, that wouldn't be quite right. It wouldn't help conversation either. Surely it's through awareness that you can tell that Coltrane's music was substantially different than say Jimmy McGriff's music.

Two more discs that I find quite good and fitting (both on ECM):

Mary Crispell - Vignettes

Misha Alperin - At Home

Both are solo piano discs. But I feel they fit under Chamber Jazz (Sonata Jazz?). 

Alperin is mostly a classical piano player and it shows through the disc, but Crispell? 

For those who heard of her, she comes from a Free Jazz/Braxton background. So this disc is quite a surprising blend of the warmth, emotional weight and lyrical composition of classical piano, with the unpredictability of Jazz.

Hi Erich, 

I keep you posted on my discovery of everything suggested here. Especially thanks to Yan, Ebor and Bert !! Thanks guys.

iver

Try this, it's wonderful.

As is this......

Hi Iver -

Many of Bill Frisell's wonderful albums are influenced by either traditional American or world folk music.

1) History, Mystery, 2) Gone, Just Like a Train, and 3) East/West are good ones to start with.

ATB.

Hook

Streaming on Spotify Premium.

James' voice reminds me of Johnny Hartman.

Dave

Mark, thanks so much for the kind endorsement; I'm grateful you enjoy my music. I'd definitely consider my three Naim albums to be chamber jazz, and humbly recommend them to anyone who loves good music.

Happy holidays to all!

Fred