An Invigorating Jazz Release from Usein Bekirov
Sometimes you get a record that brings together musicians who are so seasoned and such masters of their craft that the release itself brings together a fusion of energy, technical ability, heart, and melody.
This is exactly the case when it comes to the new release from Usein Bekirov, an outstanding pianist and composer who put a new album out recently and, in doing so, brought together some incredible performers and players so that the whole thing just comes through with such an exciting and flavorful blend of approaches that reach into different areas of jazz and more.
It's rare that you hear an album that encompasses quite this much. Layers upon layers of fiery riffs, melodic structure, and live performance energy are almost endless throughout this record.
If ever there was an album that was alive and breathing, this is absolutely it.
The tracks on the Dedication album burst with a colorful approach, love for the genre, and an electric aesthetic that is so incredibly infectious that you end up getting fully immersed in those tones and textures that are sort of flying around everywhere.
Now, with jazz music in general, you definitely have an element of improvisation. That just comes naturally, but there's always structure, hooks, melodies, and segments that come back throughout a piece. This record is loaded with all of the above.
Songs like "Skybins Portrait" really give you some amazing depth and an almost bright, theatrical tonality.
The song comes in with a fluttering piano, thick with octaves, and this amazing riff performed on the horns that just gives you this almost classic East Coast jazz-in-winter kind of feel.
I love the sort of warmth coming from the horns and how they mesh with the tones of the pianos.
This is a great example of what you can expect on the record. The song is explosive. You have trumpet that is just crushing it, pianos that feed into this massive energy and give it right back, and percussion that drives everything perfectly.
There are loads of these different textures and instruments coming in, scattered throughout the album and giving it that gorgeous, almost elegant but still attitude-riddled, heartfelt jazz aesthetic.
"June" has an amazing theme that sticks with you for hours after it has ended. It also has this sort of soothing, almost calm backbone that feels spacious and semi-filmic, and it's amazing to me how the percussion and drumming on this track follow the little nuances of the piano work throughout its course.
The natural tightness of the performances between the players is more than just synergistic. It's pure bliss. The way everything flows and fits together naturally. They all know exactly what to do and when to do it, and there's a sort of flawless feel.
"Crazy Heads" gives you vivacious rhythms, rolling snares, ghost notes, bopping horns, and pianos performing in unison and giving you this thick sort of sound.
This is one of my favorites on the record. It just has such a great feeling of volume to it. It's rich with these textures but also has this high level of excitement and energy shining through the entire time. It's more than flavorful.
The song bursts into these cool hooks and sort of exhales a little bit to give a little moment of calm before busting back into these crazy riffs. These guys are just running through scales and really nailing the aspect of not just the technical side of things, but that natural flow.
Everyone on this release has a pure love for jazz music and performing.
Saxophones rip and give off soulful licks while throwing in an array of shimmering notes between held-out wails.
It's all pretty brilliant.
The thing about a record like this is that it branches out but stays very consistent all at once. There's more than three or four surprises around the corners of each individual song.
What I mean by that is, when you're listening to a track, expect the unexpected to happen randomly. Expect that total change in progression, move, time signature, or even rhythm. It all balances out, but when it happens during that moment, you're taken aback because you just don't expect it.
The whole thing is put together with outstanding attention to those little nuances and details, and everything is so super tight that you can just tell this is all done by unbelievably experienced musicians who are top-tier professionals in their field.
But you can also tell the role they're in because they're in love with it.
I think that's the balance. It's the togetherness of that outstanding and almost outlandish technical ability and knowledge, blended with the heart and love for performing, that really comes together incredibly well throughout this entire thing.
The album brings together a slew of these players and performers.
This is like an All-Star jazz record, in a sense.
Performers include Vinnie Colaiuta, Chris Dave, Hadrien Feraud, Keyon Harrold, Kenneth Whalum, Rick Braun, Eric Marienthal, Yakiv Tsvietinskyi, Wayne Escoffery, Bar Filipowicz, and David Hawkins. It was produced by Randy Jackson, Robert L. Smith, and Victoria Kohana.
I think for Usein, this must have been a total joy, and the outcome showcases a lot of that.
The vivaciousness in the performances, not just from the piano, which Usein is known for, but from everybody coming together, feeding off of each other's energies and creating something amazing.
This is not a record you want to miss, especially if you are a jazz lover.
There are some outside-the-box elements and, again, segments throughout the record that will sort of blow you away and really surprise you.
It's almost the kind of record you listen to twice in a row just to be able to soak all that stuff in.
Absolutely dig into this super fun release right now, and don't skip a track.
Go from start to finish. Trust me.
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