The Most Beautiful Sounds Next to Silence

At 85, Steve Swallow sounds as inspired as ever, maintaining the stylistic poise on electric bass, post-bop refinement, and functional compositional forms that have defined both his solo career and his work with his late partner in music and life, Carla Bley, as well as Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and George Russell. More meditative than exploratory, Winter Songs is his first album in a decade, featuring nine untitled original compositions. For the occasion, he assembled a group of simpatico musicians—a frontline of savvy melodicists comprising tenor saxophonist Chris Cheek and trumpeter Mike Rodriguez, alongside a solid rhythm section with pianist Gil Goldstein, guitarist Steve Cardenas, and drummer Adam Nussbaum.

What the sextet plays is consistently lucid and alive, beginning with “One”, a smooth, elegant post-bop piece elevated by Goldstein’s magnetic pianism. Rodriguez demonstrates his trademark fluency and articulation, while Swallow and Nussbaum engage in empathic interplay beneath the surface. The piece culminates in a thematic unison before leading naturally into “Two”, a 3/4 delight in which Swallow’s electric bass gently propels the flow over Nussbaum’s supple brushwork. The drummer is deeply musical, softly caressing the kit to create an effortless sense of cohesion.

You can feel Swallow reconnecting with elements of his musical past, and “Three”, a 4/4 ballad harmonically enriched by Steve Cardenas’ guitar, together with “Four”, whose radiantly blissful, bohemian character carries an elegant swing, reminds us that jazz—in its purest forms—is far from dead. At the outset, Cheek unfolds a glossy improvisation before joining Rodriguez in persuasive unison figures that pave the way for Goldstein’s charismatic solo.

Cerebrally constructed, “Six” is a swinging vehicle for the horn players to stretch out, “Eight” is a slow-burning meditation with Cheek taking the lead, and “Nine” closes the album in a gently mournful mood. Winter Songs may not be particularly innovative, but it is infused with lyrical sophistication and harmonic finesse. Swallow’s instinctive, unforced playing continues to keep the finest traditions of jazz alive while subtly renewing them.

(https://jazztrail.net)