Jazz

The latest CD releases reviewed

CHARLIE HADEN - ANTONIO FORCIONE
Heartplay naim ****

Haden, who can say a lot without making the double bass sound like a guitar, forges a productive partnership with Forcione, an exceptional and individual acoustic guitarist, in a series of delicate yet robust duets of great intimacy and charm. The tonal contrast works well, and they make beautifully judged use of it to heighten the impact of their dialogue. The material, originals by Haden and Forcione, with Fred Hersch's Child's Play added, provides opportunities to explore a wide range of expression, from the flamenco echoes of Haden's La Pasionaria and the melancholy beauty of his Silence to the expressionism of Forcione's Snow and Nocturne and the lyrical romanticism of his Anna. And through the dramatic shifts of Haden's For Turiya the pair sustain the flow and interest so effectively that the 11-minute improvisation passes in a flash. Delightful. www.thenaimlabel.co.uk   Ray Comiskey

PAUL CARLON
Other Tongues Deep Tone ****

The reedman, composer and arranger unveils his own inventively contemporary take on latin jazz, with a basic trumpet/two reeds/two trombones/piano/ bass/drums octet, deploying a sparkling range of fresh lines, orchestral colour and rhythmic diversity in a series of charts packed with incident. And he has a crisp, buoyant and ebullient band to carry them off with idiomatic brio. Despite plenty of space for solos and the presence of guests - Buddy Terry (tenor), Ileana Santamaria (vocals) and Max Pollak (rumbatap, Afro-Cuban dance, and body percussion) - on a few tracks, this impresses most as an ensemble music because it clearly reflects Carlon's vision. A case in point is his latin reassessment of Strayhorn's venerable Smada, the only piece not by Carlon and ample evidence of the kind of imagination and self-belief he brings to the idiom. www.paulcarlonmusic.com  Ray Comiskey