John Patitucci, one of the world’s great bassists, was an irreplaceable pillar of the unsurpassable Wayne Shorter Quartet for two decades. On one level, his new, Grammy-nominated disc ‘Spirit Fall’ (Edition), a trio album with saxophonist Chris Potter and drum magician and fellow Shorter alumnus Brian Blade, is merely a snapshot: the album was recorded with ideal and close colleagues in the course of a single day. But after repeated listens, it feels like a much stronger statement than that, maybe even an "apologia pro vita sua", the first-hand, updated story of what makes Patitucci so special.
On the first three and the final three of its ten tracks, he plays masterful, provoking acoustic bass, and leans into the very specific jazz heritage of the piano-less sax trio. But the central section of four tracks comes from somewhere else and is a revelation. Patitucci switches to his other lead instrument, the six-string electric bass, and explores what he calls its “orchestrational possibilities”. Magical moments abound, natural harmonics ring out subtly but gloriously. The progression from his quartet album Brooklyn (Three Faces Records, 2015) is remarkable. In the earlier album guitarists Adam Rogers and Steve Cardenas hold sway. Here he brings his own deeply personal guitar legacy from Wes Montgomery to George Van Eps out of the shadows and into the foreground. The album ends up with delight and re-affirmation, with Chris Potter dropping in playful quotes from Cole Porter’s “It’s All Right With Me”.
Other albums that have left their mark feature British musicians in their thirties who are now inevitably making their mark on the world scene. Tuba player Theon Cross delighted with a set recorded live in Blue Note NYC, Kit Downes produced magic with German guitarist Ronny Graupe and Swiss-born singer Lucia Cadotsch and Emma Smith’s new album is pure joy.
Three More Essential Albums from 2025
Ronny Graupe’s Szelest - Newfoundland Tristesse (BMG)
Theon Cross’s Affirmations (Live At Blue Note New York) (New Soil)
Kris Davis Trio - Run the Gauntlet (Pyroclastic)
Musical Experiences of the Year
Nikki Iles’s inaugural concert as Chief Conductor of the NDR Bigband, which has taken her completely to its collective heart, in a packed Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, September. Also two unforgettable Wigmore Hall experiences: Fred Hersch with Jo Lawry in September - unsurpassable; and Emmet Cohen's trio with Joe Farnsworth in November - total exuberance. Ruth Goller bossing it with Laura Jurd's group at Union Chapel, December.
Tracks of the Year
“Layla Joy” from Just by Billy Hart Quartet (ECM)
“I’m in the Middle of a Muddle” from Bitter Orange by Emma Smith (La Reserve)
“Happy Man, Finsbury Park” from Bad Trad by Jay Davis (Fresh Sound)
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