"Playing Changes": Five Albums That Got Away

December 11, 2018 | by Nate Chinen

Album artwork for Oakland trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire's Origami Harvest

"A lot of fabulous albums turn up in Playing Changes: Jazz For the New Century — not only throughout the course of the book, but also in an appendix of recommended releases. But the music never stops moving, and we’ve seen some excellent new releases since August, when Playing Changes was published. Here are five, by artists who are central to the book’s scope."

(Nate Chinen will discuss Playing Changes with Randall Kline at a SFJAZZ Listening Party on Dec. 17.)

Ambrose Akinmusire
Origami Harvest (Blue Note Records)

"Bay Area trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is always worth watching closely, but this stunning album soars above and beyond. A seamless, slippery meld of modern jazz, underground hip-hop, ambient electronics and contemporary chamber music, it ultimately makes a poignant statement about black masculinity in the American system. I think it’ll be seen as a landmark."

Mary Halvorson
The Maid with the Flaxen Hair (Tzadik Records)

"The final chapter in Playing Changes is a portrait of guitarist Mary Halvorson. This year she released a groundbreaking album, Code Girl, which made it into the chapter. But she also dropped this tribute to midcentury-modern guitar icon Johnny Smith, of “Moonlight in Vermont” fame. Made with Bill Frisell, another true fretboard original, it’s a clear, irregular gem, crafted without compromise.

Brad Mehldau Trio
Seymour Reads the Constitution! (Nonesuch Records)

Brad Mehldau fills an important role in the book, as a vocal member of the generation that moved us from late-20th century jazz traditionalism into our current mode of purposeful eclecticism. His latest album, which has just garnered two GRAMMY nominations, is a perfect illustration of the elegant, inquisitive imprint he has left on the legacy of modern piano trios."

Esperanza Spalding
12 Little Spells (Concord Records)

"The Esperanza Spalding chapter in Playing Changes is titled “Exposures” — a nod to her 2017 album Exposure, and the innovative terms of its creation. Spalding’s new release, 12 Little Spells, is a more deliberative work, an ambitious chamber-pop album full of lyrical, textural and harmonic complexities that she always manages to bring down to human scale."

Miguel Zenón
Yo Soy La Tradición (Miel Music)

"Alto saxophonist, composer and founding SFJAZZ Collective member Miguel Zenón has rarely if ever been caught without a new idea percolating. On this gorgeous album, featuring the Spektral Quartet, his writing for string quartet is impressive without being ostentatious, and his instrumental voice is pleading and personal. There’s an underlying message here about the ongoing plight of Puerto Rico, and Zenón delivers it with unremitting grace."