Aakash Mittal / Miles Okazaki / Rajna Swaminathan

Ohad Talmor Trio

Mise en Place

Intakt CD 366

Dealing with contrasting ethnic sound concepts, New York guitarist Miles Okazaki’s adaptable playing contributes to the outcome of each of these trio session. This side of straight-ahead Jazz, Mise en Place combines the talents of the guitarist and his long-time associate drummer Dan Weiss in a program of nine mostly original compositions by Swiss-Israeli tenor saxophonist Ohad Talmor. Nocturne is more distinct. It was conceived by India-born American alto saxophonist Aakash Mittal to join sonic samples recorded in Kolkata with Hindustani-influenced improvised music. Besides his saxophone and Okazaki’s guitar, the nine tracks are rhythmically amplified by mridangam and kanjira beats from Rajna Swaminathan, who moves among the areas of traditional and popular South Asian musics plus Jazz and Western creative music

While the subcontinental streetscape clamor provides a jangling, thumping authentic and boisterous backdrop, Nocturne’s definition is expressed in the integration of distinct geographic sound properties. Succinctly showcased beginning with “Nocturne II”, the narrative defines itself as Swaminathan’s splayed patterning and Okazaki’s distinctive bass-string strums maintain a pulsating groove with some timbral detours. Meanwhile Mittal’s split tones and smears break up the continuum. Yet by the track’s final minutes a Jazz-identified exposition is reestablished with horizontal string frails harmonizing with sax tongue clicks over a flowing Western-like drum r

This east-west equivalence is maintained throughout the session, with some motifs listing towards traditional Indian scales and others accepting the melodies and stresses of Euro-American tones. With interludes of verbal cross-talk, infants cries and street orchestras thumping and tooting, the same strategy is adapted to less frenetic material. One such is “7. Nocturne IV”, which comes across as a slender variant on a Coltrane ballad. Linear and bright, the relaxed reed theme projection is interweaved with multi-string concordance from the guitarist and playful percussion bounces. Although the suite evolution sometimes speeds up to tightened intensity, melodic overlay is maintained. This consistency is confirmed on the concluding “Street Music Part III” in spite of stop-time guitar riffs and a suggestion of ney-like qualities emanating from Mittal’s reed. With Swaminathan’s percussion asides again encompassing a mixed Carnatic and North American beat, multiple sonic traditions are celebrated.

Lacking the underlying percussive drone of the other session, Mise en Place sounds sparser and more obviously western. The faint Coltrane illusions on Nocturne are given full reign here since the trio plays two Coltrane compositions, But the relaxed, almost folksy gentleness the three bring to these reinterpretation is secondary to their illuminations of the Talmor originals.

Despite a full kit Weiss’ crumpled ruffs and cymbal cranks aren’t overly intrusive, joining with assertive guitar frails and carefully arranged reed trills to move the performances forward. Another common trope is for Okazaki and Talmor to harmonize so it appears as if they’re playing identical, usually high pitches at the same time. Along with consistent string vamps and dips into the lowest region of the saxophone, a connective beat is maintained with rat-tat-tats and asides from the drummer. This is put into clearest focus on mid-set affiliated tracks: “Pairs “ and “Theme and Variations”. Oddly enough the latter tile seems more appropriate for the first tune as the performance moves from adagio to allegro and back again. The concentrated introduction is elaborated through pinched guitar stops and vibrating reed slurs with accompanying drum volleys; and then via strums and picks from Okazaki, sax honks and irregular drum beats that speed up and slow down to the end. The real “Theme and Variations” follows a less rigid paradigm with hip hop-like drumming, short, emphasized reed bites, harder string strokes and a double-timed ending.

What fully defines the trio and the program are the emotions and urgency expressed throughout and especially on the penultimate tracks. “Rupak Tukra” makes space for limitless theme variations from Talmor and equivalent slurred fingering variations from the guitarist until the piece ends abruptly with Weiss’ hard drum beats. Even harder and heavier, “Back of the Plane” suggests avoiding air travel in that part of the vehicle since the turbulence appears to include a clashing backbeat and is encouraged by honking choruses from the saxophonist.

As ethically mixed as the players are each group has come up with a provocative take on the trio form from a western or eastern perspective. Plus Okazaki’s adaptable playing allows each band to realize its goals.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Nocturne: 1. Opening 2. Nocturne I 3. Street Music Part I 4. Nocturne II 5. Nocturne II 6. Street Music Part II 7. Nocturne IV 8. Nocturne V 9. Street Music Part III

Personnel: Nocturne: Aakash Mittal (alto saxophone); Miles Okazaki (guitar) and Rajna Swaminathan (mridangam and kanjira)

Track Listing: 1. Kamali 2. Mixo Mode 19 3. Shymal Bose Chakradar 4. Pairs 5. Theme and Variations 6. Wise One 7. Rupak Tukra 8. Back of the Plane 9. After the Rain

Personnel: Ohad Talmor (tenor saxophone); Miles Okazaki (guitar) and Dan Weiss (drums)