Trailblazing a New Millennium

It’s a heartening sign for 21st century jazz that so many newly arriving players are moving beyond the neoclassic confines of bop and hard bop. That’s not to say that their individual styles, phrasing patterns and rhythmic flow have completely separated from the wellsprings of Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Bud Powell, Thelonious Monk and others. But there seems to be a growing effort to open up the music, to allow all sorts of outside stimuli to enter, and to reflect the complex cultural interplay of the changing millennium.

Here are three attractive albums from talented--but thus far relatively unknown--artists, all of whom appear determined to follow their own unique pathways.

Sam Newsome, 33, spent time working with trumpeter Terence Blanchard as well as leaders ranging from Lionel Hampton to Leon Parker. For this outing he concentrates on soprano saxophone, using his warm, sometimes delicate sound to illuminate pieces that frequently kindle world music-like, scale-based improvising. On most of the tracks, he positions his sax against sinuous vocal lines provided by either Elizabeth Kontomanou or Lisa Michel.

The oud and percussion accompaniments, filled with chattering, scratching sounds, are reminiscent of producer Craig Street’s atmospheric arrangements for Cassandra Wilson. Newsome uses them well, managing to articulate his lines with the briskness of swing while retaining an ethereal, floating connection with the melodies. (His North African-sounding variations on “Caravan” and “Afro-Blue” are good examples.)

There are times when the vocals become a bit too predominant, but Newsome has made an impressive solo debut.

Erik Friedlander, 38, is a cellist and the son of jazz photographer Lee Friedlander (whose photos were frequently seen on Atlantic albums in the ‘50s and ‘60s). Active in New York’s downtown avant-garde scene in the ‘80s while freelancing on Broadway shows and advertising jingles, Friedlander also picked up impressive jazz skills--rare on his instrument.

The compositions on “Topaz,” original except for a Miles Davis piece and two Eric Dolphy works, are played by a quartet consisting of Friedlander, alto saxophonist Andy Laster and the brother team of bassist Stomu Takeishi and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi. Sometimes sounding like contemporary avant-garde (both jazz and classical) pieces, occasionally drifting into exotic, vaguely ethnic sounds, the performances rarely fit into the framework of straight-ahead playing. But, as with the Newsome album, the range of sounds, the improvisational imagination and the subtle sense of jazz articulation make for compelling listening.

Trumpeter Russell Gunn, 27, has aggressively chosen a new look and a new sound. With his dreadlocked hair and Timberland boots, he clearly identifies himself as a Gen-Xer. And his music, filled with the sounds of hip-hop and rap, makes a similarly strong identification with his age group.

Sometimes the interfacing of funk-style rhythms, turntable scratches and vocal injections with jazz riffs works, sometimes not. What makes the album most appealing, in fact, is not the pop elements, but the strong soloing from Gunn (who reveals traces of influence from both Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard), saxophonist Gregory Tardy and pianist James Hurt.

Gunn has made a much more convincing case for himself as a straight-ahead improviser than for his belief in the melting-pot potential of jazz, rap and hip-hop.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four (excellent).