# New music by Nicholas Payton, Michele Rosewoman, Michael Dease, Nels Cline with Yuka Honda, and Big Band of Brothers: Photos, Videos, Sounds

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2019/10/28/new-music-by-nicholas-payton-michele-rosewoman-michael-dease-nels-cline-with-yuka-honda-and-big-band-of-brothers-photos-videos-sounds/
- Published: 2019-10-28T15:16:08+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

**Also: new music by Nicholas Payton, Michael Dease, Nels Cline with Yuka Honda,
and Big Band of Brothers.**

**Michele Rosewoman’s New Yor-Uba, “We Need You Now (Elegguá, Oggún, Ochosi)”**

Thirty-five years ago, pianist and composer Michele Rosewoman broke ground on what
would become a signature achievement, the Afro-Cuban jazz ensemble New Yor-Uba. 
The group has evolved since then, with multiple changes in personnel, but its mission
has been steadfast. On some level it’s never been clearer than it is on a new album,
Hallowed, which releases this Friday on Advance Dance Disques.

Most of the album, which Rosewoman produced with Liberty Ellman, consists of a suite
titled _Oru de Oro, _which loosely translates to “sacred room.” Inspired by the 
liturgical rhythms associated with Batá drumming, known as _Oru del Igbodu_, it’s
one long statement parsed into 10 tracks, the first of which is an invocation pointedly
titled “We Need You Now (Elegguá, Oggún, Ochosi).”

[  ](https://i0.wp.com/mediad.publicbroadcasting.net/p/wbgo/files/styles/x_large/public/201910/Rosewoman-Hallowed_cover.jpg?ssl=1)

As on the entirety of _Oru de Oro_, there’s a crucial role here for the batá mastery
of Román Díaz. His drumming is the first sound you hear, as a kind of hinge. It 
moves steadily through the rest of the track, as the rhythmic frame both constricts
and uncoils. You’ll hear concise solo commentary by trumpeter Alex Norris, tenor
saxophonist Stacy Dillard and alto saxophonist Román Filiú, along with Rosewoman
herself.

As she puts it, the music moves from one energy to the next, “representing creation
and humanity — featuring each master soloist and folklorist in a complete integration
of musical forms — further reflecting on the links between these profound musical
traditions.”

**Michael Dease, “Blue Jay”**

The new album by trombonist Michael Dease, was conceived as a tribute to Charlie
Parker. But it’s not a collection of Parker’s tunes so much as a mapping of his 
influence. Dease and his first-rate rhythm section — Renee Rosnes on piano, Lewis
Nash on drums and either Gerald Cannon or Rufus Reid on bass — play a bundle of 
songs mostly associated with Parker’s peers or followers, like Billy Taylor, J.J.
Johnson and Jackie McLean.

“Blue Jay” is the lone Dease original on the album. It’s not only a nod to Johnson,
but also a celebration of bebop itself. “J.J. did for the trombone what Bird did
for the saxophone,” Dease observes in his album notes. “He liberated it from a one-
dimensional style and technique in the way that Parker combined and extended the
innovations of Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young.” The trombone solo he fashions,
over an uptempo 12-bar blues, serves as an eloquent tribute.

**Nicholas Payton, “Relaxin’ with Nick”**

By now it should no longer be news that Nicholas Payton has branched beyond the 
trumpet. In performance and on record, he has put himself forward as a multi-tasking
piano player at least since 2014, when I reviewed him to that effect in _The New
York Times. _Still, it can be a surprise to hear just how _much_ piano (acoustic
and Fender Rhodes) he plays on a new release, _Relaxin’ with Nick_.

The album was recorded live at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club, where Payton performs this
Thursday through Sunday. As on the album, he’ll be working with Peter Washington
on bass and Kenny Washington on drums — the blue-chip rhythm team best known for
its work in the Bill Charlap Trio. Wait, is that some kind of flex? Payton surely
has an answer for that.

**CUP, “Berries”**

CUP is the name for an improvising duo composed of Yuka C. Honda, on keyboards and
programming, and Nels Cline, on guitar. The two artists, also partners by marriage,
come to the table with some noted affiliations (Wilco for him, Cibo Matto for her),
but the more important factor is a common affinity for sculpturing sound.

That process finds intoxicating traction on CUP’s debut album, Spinning Creature,
which releases this Friday on Northern Spy. On “Berries,” an ethereal waft of guitar
chords and wordless vocals gradually morphs into a futurist vision of Afrobeat music.
It’s a good indication of what Honda and Cline will be up to during an album-release
show on Friday at Nublu 151.

**Big Band of Brothers, “It’s Not My Cross to Bear (Feat. Ruthie Foster)”**

If you’ve ever settled into a marathon concert by The Allman Brothers — or savored
recordings of the band back when Duane Allman was around — you should be familiar
with the argument that jazz improvisation is a secret key to its soaring magic. 
That notion has now yielded an album, _Big Band of Brothers: A Jazz Celebration 
of the Allman Brothers Band_, due out on New West Records on Nov. 22.

_Big Band of Brothers_ is a brainchild of drummer Mark Lanter, who produced the 
album with Charles Driebe and John Harvey. Along with a 15-piece big band, it features
guest contributions by trombonist Wycliffe Gordon, former Allmans guitarist Jack
Pearson, and singers Marc Broussard and Ruthie Foster. The track above, a showcase
for Foster, is “It’s Not My Cross to Bear,” a Gregg Allman song that appeared on
the Allman Brothers’ debut album, 50 years ago.

![Michele Rosewoman's New Yor-Uba features Roman Diaz on a new album, 'Hallowed.'](
https://i0.wp.com/www.wbgo.org/sites/wbgo/files/styles/medium/public/201910/572a3870_rosewoman_3_final.
jpg?w=640&ssl=1)

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