Neal Alger: Old Souls
Calligram Records

Alex Beltran: Rift
Calligram Records

These fine releases from saxophonist Alex Beltran and guitarist Neal Alger speak to the high calibre of Chicago's renowned jazz scene and by extension Calligram Records, which has presented their albums and those by others handsomely. The city has long been celebrated for its pivotal contributions to the form, and Beltran and Alger do their part to show how fresh and vital the scene currently is. The Chicago connections are strong in both cases: whereas Beltran's been a city fixture for over a decade, Alger's called it home since the mid-‘90s. Both also partner with local players on their respective sets, Stu Mindeman (piano, Wurlitzer), Sam Peters (bass), and Jon Deitemyer (drums) in the case of Rift and Dana Hall (drums), Clark Sommers (bass), Chris Madsen (tenor), and Chad McCullough (trumpet) for Old Souls.

On four of his album's eight cuts, Beltran augments the core unit with McCullough (trumpet) and Lenard Simpson (alto sax) on two tracks apiece (McCullough also co-produced the album, captured at Chicago's Transient Studios in May 2022). The quartet tracks aren't any less satisfying than those featuring the full ensemble; if anything, that leaner presentation allows for the splendid musicianship and chemistry of Beltran and his colleagues to be all the more evident. As a man of Mexican-American heritage (in his words, “I was the white cousin at my dad's, the Mexican cousin at my mom's”), Beltran knows what it's like to see life from different sides, and consistent with that a few tracks subtly reference the feeling of bifurcation.

Titled after his niece, “Lulu” introduces the set on a warm note, Beltran's refined tenor tone front and centre and his colleagues responding to his lead with vibrant swing. The leader's imaginative flow segues into concise statements by Mindeman and Peters as the always-great Deitemyer drives the quartet with a bop-fueled attack. That aforementioned cultural tension works its way into “Bird Dance” when Beltran and Simpson carve out serpentine pathways alongside the high-intensity dynamism of the rhythm section. As interesting as it is to monitor the push-and-pull between the players, the track's key appeal lies in the pure pleasure of hearing the saxophonists animate a slippery blues that calls to mind classic Blue Note.

Showing no slowing of momentum, “Sub Rosa” provides a strong vehicle for Beltran's acrobatic soprano and the quartet's crisp execution. With Simpson's alto adding to the high-velocity bluster of “Fragments,” the saxophonists again roar through the changes, this time exchanging solos at a blistering tempo. The collective sound shifts dramatically for “Frequency” when McCullough climbs aboard, Mindeman moves to Wurlitzer, and the outfit delivers a sparkling reimagining of a tune by electronic pop duo Sylvan Esso. The pairing of soprano sax and Wurlitzer similarly enhances the understated, folk-tinged allure of “The River Will Decide,” while Beltran's soulful side advances to the fore for “Jay,” a furiously shuffling piece as steeped in R&B as classic jazz. The quintet-styled tracks have much to recommend them, but those featuring his tight quartet interplay are no less rewarding on this solid affair.

Whereas Beltran's set couples trumpet and sax on two tracks, Alger's set utilizes them as a front-line throughout. It's the leader's guitar, however, that most differentiates Old Souls from Rift, even if Alger is as happy comping alongside his colleagues as stepping into the spotlight with his always lithe fretwork. Also like Beltran's, Alger's is a set that ventures into multiple zones, from jazz and rock to R&B and beyond. He's no dilettante, however: the guitarist's interests are born from a genuine love of different genres. All nine pieces were penned by the guitarist but for the closing “Softly She Sings,” that one credited to his fraternal twin Brian. Twenty-two years on from his debut, Here and Now, There and Before, Neil continues to make a strong impression.

It doesn't hurt that he's accompanied by a stellar crew, with Sommers and Hall a sought-after Chicago unit and Madsen and McCullough top-tier players. Recorded at Soundmine Studios in December 2023, the release is distinguished by high-level musicianship and individual expression. Reflecting Alger's wide-ranging interests, the title track draws harmonically from the prelude to Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, of all things—not that you'd necessarily know it when the gesture's folded so seamlessly into the tune's architecture. A tinge of Israeli flavouring emerges in the piece too, specifically in the unison patterns that coil aromatically before Alger steps forth with his first solo, an explorative, well-rounded statement sprinkled with tremolo and bright voicings. Solo turns are taken by the horn players thereafter, each imposing himself assertively on the performance. As the performance develops, the connection between the five grows ever more apparent and carries on through the release.

Written almost twenty years ago, “This is Not a Test” swings hard with a wailing Madsen riding a stoked, blues-bop pulse before the others take their own inspired turns. Elsewhere, Alger references Paris (“Place de la Republique”) and fellow guitar-slinger John Scofield (“Go With the Sco-Flo”). In these cases, the music moves from romantic sultriness to an earthy funkiness that evokes Scofield without outright aping his signature sound. Speaking of sultry, don't overlook the seductively slinky “Softly She Sings,” perhaps the loveliest track on the album.

April 2024