MARTY EHRLICH & MYRA MELFORD — Spark! (2007) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

As jazz is an instrumental medium, it's a challenge for its players to make sociopolitical statements with its music without the benefit of liner notes to give the work context. Once the listener understands some of the ideas that inspired this creative and lyrical duo's powerfully emotional project, its passionate and percussive tracks take on a deeper meaning. That doesn't mean one can't enjoy multi-movement pieces like the opening "Hymn" -- which features Myra Melford's bluesy piano touch and some of Marty Ehrlich's most urgent and emotional alto work here -- without a scorecard. It's just that when you know that the following two songs, the thoughtful and hauntingly reflective "A Generation Comes and Another Goes" and the crafty, percussive "I See a Horizon," were inspired by the poetry of Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri, a deeper meaning emerges. The duo explains that al-Jawahiri was a poet who spoke eloquently on a previous war in Iraq in the 1940s, and that they're offered here as prayers for peace and joy in Iraq and throughout the world, "wherever the sanctity of life is violated." That's heavy stuff, but it's actually hopeful in the hands of Ehrlich, whose vibrant, wistful clarinet musings counter Melford's darker piano runs. The duo also takes on more personal issues, offering a heartfelt New Orleans-inspired impressionism ("For Leroy") to pay homage to the late free jazz violinist Leroy Jenkins, a former collaborator of both. Those wondering where the Spark! is amidst the prayers and hymns will have their ears perking on the crazy-making avant-garde piece "Up Do," Robin Holcomb's strange composition that Ehrlich and Melford use as an encore when they play live. The light and engaging clarinet-piano tune "Blue Delhi" was inspired by Melford's travels to India, and it's clear that she had a rollicking good time there. The set closes with a simpler arrangement of the opening track, "Hymn," that is ultimately more emotionally effective than the first. This is a mixed bag, with some solid melodic and improvisational moments amidst the free jazz oddities. But the one thing it doesn't lack is creative Spark!  Jonathan Widran

Tracklist :
1.    Hymn  6:23
Composed By – Ehrlich
2.    A Generation Comes And Another Goes  6:06
Composed By – Melford
3.    I See A Horizon 5:59
Composed By – Melford
4.    For Leroy   7:33
Composed By – Ehrlich
5.    Up Do  3:25
Composed By – Holcomb
6.    Night  7:26
Composed By – Melford
7.    Blue Delhi  4:08
Composed By – Ehrlich
8.    Images Of Time  4:27
Composed By – Hill
9.    Hymn  5:24
Composed By – Ehrlich
Credits :
Alto Saxophone [Alto Sax], Clarinet – Marty Ehrlich
Piano – Myra Melford

MYRA MELFORD'S FIRE AND WATER QUINTET – For The Love Of Fire And Water (2022) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For the Love of Fire and Water marks the recorded debut of pianist/composer Myra Melford's 2021's quintet featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, cellist Tomeka Reid, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Susie Ibarra. All are notable bandleaders. She put the group together to play a one-off during a 2019 residency; afterwards, she was asked to record and tour with the quartet. Melford composed for this group during 2020's COVID-19 quarantine, and it was recorded in 2021 at Firehouse 12's New Haven, Connecticut studio. Melford wrote from the developmental core of a multi-part work inspired by the drawings of artist Cy Twombly, and her work will be further developed and expanded upon while touring. This installment uses the visual artist's Gaeta Set (For the Love of Fire and Water) drawings as inspiration.

Rogue Art divides the continuous 44-minute work into ten numbered selections for listening convenience, but it's performed continuously. The intro section finds Melford laying percussively wrought chord clusters for a couple of minutes before Reid enters to dialogue with her. Ibarra joins halfway through, rolling, accenting, and filling the space between. Laubrock joins a minute later, adding blips, trilled lines, and interjections in direct conversation before Halvorson appears with multi-note runs and a solo supported by rumbling undercurrents from her bandmates. A syncopated four-chord piano pulse introduces a melody in "II" played by the saxophonist and guitarist, who weave solo interactions throughout post-bop and modal blues as the piano and drums pace them. Reid offers tonal fluidity and physical energy in the middle section, pushing the group toward free interplay. The delicately articulated and gorgeously restrained processional pace of "IV" gives way to "V"'s interlude-like splintered piano chord voicings and bleating sax in a mirror image of its preceding section. "VI" is rendered abstractly as Halvorson and Melford pluck and rub their strings and Laubrock airlessly fingers the holes in her horn with a fixed, pulse-like steadiness. Shard-like guitar chords emerge suddenly and disappear just as quickly as Ibarra taps brushes and sticks over the metal frames on her kit. Reid joins during the final third, playing arco in drone-like accompaniment before Ibarra adds resonance on detuned gongs. "VII" crisscrosses free jazz and blues as Halvorson bends strings while laying down rock chords over wonky rhythmic piano accompaniment. Laubrock joins the dialogue, then assumes the spotlight. "VIII" begins with syncopated handclaps before Reid and Ibarra deliver a kinetic dialogue rich in dynamics. The final section is a beautifully articulated ballad drawn from classical, Italian folk, and flamenco sources. As Halvorson, Reid, and Laubrock add poignant, gorgeously abstract, gently dissonant solo flourishes, Melford anchors the harmonic melody as her band jointly embellishes and complements her playing at will, with a gentle, yet dramatically poetic finish. Whether or not For the Love of Fire and Water is appended by additional thematically related works is immaterial. It stands alone as an entire universe in sound, musical virtuosity, and intimately balanced communication. For now, Melford makes use of all that her quintet has to offer. 
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1.    I    7:53
2.    II    2:11
3.    III    3:17
4.    IV    5:21
5.    V    2:40
6.    VI    4:26
7.    VII    6:25
8.    VIII     2:56
9.    IX    4:16
10.    X    4:50
Credits :
 Cello – Tomeka Reid
 Drums, Percussion – Susie Ibarra
 Guitar – Mary Halvorson
 Piano, Melodica, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Myra Melford
 Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ingrid Laubrock

MYRA MELFORD'S FIRE AND WATER QUINTET — For the Love of Fire and Water (2022) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

For the Love of Fire and Water marks the recorded debut of pianist/composer Myra Melford's 2021's quintet featuring guitarist Mary Halvorson, cellist Tomeka Reid, saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, and drummer Susie Ibarra. All are notable bandleaders. She put the group together to play a one-off during a 2019 residency; afterwards, she was asked to record and tour with the quartet. Melford composed for this group during 2020's COVID-19 quarantine, and it was recorded in 2021 at Firehouse 12's New Haven, Connecticut studio. Melford wrote from the developmental core of a multi-part work inspired by the drawings of artist Cy Twombly, and her work will be further developed and expanded upon while touring. This installment uses the visual artist's Gaeta Set (For the Love of Fire and Water) drawings as inspiration.

Rogue Art divides the continuous 44-minute work into ten numbered selections for listening convenience, but it's performed continuously. The intro section finds Melford laying percussively wrought chord clusters for a couple of minutes before Reid enters to dialogue with her. Ibarra joins halfway through, rolling, accenting, and filling the space between. Laubrock joins a minute later, adding blips, trilled lines, and interjections in direct conversation before Halvorson appears with multi-note runs and a solo supported by rumbling undercurrents from her bandmates. A syncopated four-chord piano pulse introduces a melody in "II" played by the saxophonist and guitarist, who weave solo interactions throughout post-bop and modal blues as the piano and drums pace them. Reid offers tonal fluidity and physical energy in the middle section, pushing the group toward free interplay. The delicately articulated and gorgeously restrained processional pace of "IV" gives way to "V"'s interlude-like splintered piano chord voicings and bleating sax in a mirror image of its preceding section. "VI" is rendered abstractly as Halvorson and Melford pluck and rub their strings and Laubrock airlessly fingers the holes in her horn with a fixed, pulse-like steadiness. Shard-like guitar chords emerge suddenly and disappear just as quickly as Ibarra taps brushes and sticks over the metal frames on her kit. Reid joins during the final third, playing arco in drone-like accompaniment before Ibarra adds resonance on detuned gongs. "VII" crisscrosses free jazz and blues as Halvorson bends strings while laying down rock chords over wonky rhythmic piano accompaniment. Laubrock joins the dialogue, then assumes the spotlight. "VIII" begins with syncopated handclaps before Reid and Ibarra deliver a kinetic dialogue rich in dynamics. The final section is a beautifully articulated ballad drawn from classical, Italian folk, and flamenco sources. As Halvorson, Reid, and Laubrock add poignant, gorgeously abstract, gently dissonant solo flourishes, Melford anchors the harmonic melody as her band jointly embellishes and complements her playing at will, with a gentle, yet dramatically poetic finish. Whether or not For the Love of Fire and Water is appended by additional thematically related works is immaterial. It stands alone as an entire universe in sound, musical virtuosity, and intimately balanced communication. For now, Melford makes use of all that her quintet has to offer.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <-
Tracklist :
1    I    7:53
2    II    2:11
3    III    3:17
4    IV    5:21
5    V    2:40
6    VI    4:26
7    VII    6:25
8    VIII    2:56
9    IX    4:16
10    X    4:50
Credits :
Cello – Tomeka Reid
Drums, Percussion – Susie Ibarra
Guitar – Mary Halvorson
Piano, Melodica, Composed By [All Compositions By] – Myra Melford
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone – Ingrid Laubrock

MYRA MELFORD | ZEENA PARKINS | MIYA MASAOKA — M Z M (2017) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist :
1    Red Spider    3:28
2    Bug    4:45
3    Saturn    4:56
4    Eight-burst    6:37
5    Retina    3:33
6    Taurus    3:57
7    Southern Owl    5:44
8    Spiral    6:04
9    Ant    8:29
10    Rosette    6:11
Credits :
Harp [Electric] – Zeena Parkins
Koto [21 String], Design – Miya Masaoka
Piano [Acoustic Piano], Piano [Prepared Piano] – Myra Melford