Guitar Forms 2024

These are a few recent releases where guitars have a featured role.

Jeanfrancois Prins
Blue Note Mode
GAM Records
2024

Guitarist Jeanfrancois Prins is from Belgium but his music comes straight out of the American jazz tradition. He recorded this album at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder studio in New Jersey, the sound of which enhances the warmth of his playing, particularly in a melancholy turn through "Round Midnight." Prins shows a knack for conveying tender and mellow moods on tracks like "Our Prayer for Peace" and Wayne Shorter's "Diana," and he also grooves convincingly in the blues-funk bag of "Ornette-Lee." Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt and saxophonist Jaleel Shaw add atmosphere and fire in their guest appearances, while the rhythm section of Danny Grissett, Jay Anderson, and E.J. Strickland give solid support throughout

Neal Alger
Old Souls
Calligram
2024

Chicago-based guitarist Neal Alger shows a wide range of influences on this album. All the compositions here are his own and they contain elements of funk, Latin, and classical music as well as jazz. There is a distinct classical tinge to the dreamy flow of "Old Souls" while "Choro Delinquente" starts with a brisk Brazilian rhythm but drifts into choppy soul as Chad McCullough's trumpet and Chris Madsen's tenor sax dance with Alger's guitar. The horn players are part of the music throughout, accenting moments like the pulsing chatter-funk of "Go with the Sco-Flow." "Dance of the Miscreants" is another standout, a particularly twisty groove noted for its horn arranging, Alger's thick lines, and Dana Hall's excellent drum groove.

Jose Gobbo Trio
Current
Self Produced
2024

José Gobbo's music has a stream-of-consciousness feel. He sings in a whispery tone in Portuguese and plays his guitar, through a thick, foggy mix that also involves bass and drums. Samba and bossa nova rhythms show up during the album but even the livelier moments such as Gobbo's guitar solo on "Dia Das Criancas" or Max Beckman's bass solo on "Father's Day" are permeated by a shadowy intimacy. That intimate atmosphere makes this album stand out.

Tucker Brothers
Live At Chatterbox
Self Produced
2024

Guitarist Joel Tucker and his bassist brother Nick Tucker head this band, recorded live in Indianapolis. Joel has an intelligent and imaginative touch evident from the beginning when he starts up Hoagy Carmichael's "Skylark" with an African rhythm. Being a live recording, the tracks here are long enough to let the group stretch out. Sean Imboden's tenor saxophone is a lively co-lead with Joel's guitar as they barrel through "Caravan" and "You and the Night and the Music." Nick Tucker gets to shine on bass, droning against the long, folksy lines rolled out by guitar and tenor on 'Mantra." "Shakshuka" has Joel slipping around and through Imboden's brawling sax with a slippery ease that recalls another Indianapolis guitarist, Wes Montgomery.

Travis Reuter
Quintet Music
Self Produced
2024

Travis Reuter's album is a disorienting burst of energy akin to the work of Steve Coleman and Steve Lehman, an explosion of crisscrossing rhythms and tempos that draws its strength from the abilities of the musicians involved. The quintet uses guitar, tenor sax, vibraphone, bass and drums with the music beeping and swirling in interlocking patterns. On "Fast Louis," Reuter's guitar ripples and whoops over Tyshawn Sorey's tricky drum tattoo. Peter Schlamb's vibes run wild on "#13 F34" over Sorey and Harish Raghavan's bass. Meanwhile on "#9 Low/High 1" Reuter hits heavy staccato chords out of Captain Beefheart as Sorey rolls relentlessly and saxophonist Mark Shim honks. This music is dense, frothy, and breathless, a wild, relentless ride.

Tracks and Personnel

Blue Note Mode

Tracks: Blue Note Mode; I'm Movin' On; Our Prayer for Peace; H and C's Dance; Blues Sea; Ornette-Lee; Diana; J Mood; Daahoud; 'Round Midnight; Move or Be Moved; Too Late Now.

Personnel: Jeanfrancois Prins: guitar; Danny Grissett: piano; Jay Anderson: bass; E. J. Strickland: drums; Jeremy Pelt: trumpet (1,4,9,11); Jaleel Shaw: alto sax (5, 7, 11).

Old Souls

Tracks: Old Souls; This is Not a Test; Place de la Republique; Go with the Sco-Flow; Moment Intro; If Only For A Moment; Choro Delinquente; Dance of the Miscreants; Softly She Sings.

Personnel: Neal Alger: guitar; Chris Madsen: tenor saxophone; Chad McCullough: trumpet, flugelhorn; Clark Sommers: acoustic bass; Dana Hall: drums and cymbals.

Current

Tracks: Mais Feliz; Dia Das Criancas; Perdido Na Correnteza; Clareou; Father's Day; Toda Simpatia; Hope.

Personnel: Jose Gobbo: guitar, vocals; Jay Ferguson: drums; Max Beckman: bass.

Live at Chatterbox

Tracks: Skylark (Live); Shakshuka; Caravan; Mantra; Away; You and the Night and the Music; Rhythm Changed.

Personnel: Joel Tucker: guitar; Nick Tucker: bass; Sean Imboden: tenor saxophone; Carrington Clinton: drums.

Quintet Music

Tracks: Same Song; #13 F34; Interlude 1 (Reuter); #8 D@z; Fast Louis; Interlude 1 (Shim); #9 Low/High 1; Interlude 1 (Schlamb); #15; Carrico Real.

Personnel: Travis Reuter: guitar; Mark Shim: tenor saxophone; Peter Schlamb: vibraphone; Harish Raghavan: bass; Tyshawn Sorey: drums.

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