Listening Notes, Ultra-Brief
Kirk Knuffke, Arms & Hands (Royal Potato Family)
The cornetist’s articulation is a marvel. Occasional guests from Daniel Carter to Jeff Lederer are warmly welcomed. But how about that rhythm section? Bassist Mark Helias is the outside guy: Braxton alum, Dewey Redman player. Bill Goodwin is the inside guy: Phil Woods, Mose Allison, Bill Evans. Attentively meeting in the middle, the duo roam across 15 brief numbers deep inside the pulse, whether it’s Goodwin’s hi-hat pulling funk duty on “Elevator” or Helias going full rockabilly slap in “Pepper”. No, not Art, Jim - drawn to overlooked histories, Knuffke raises his horn to the Creek/Kaw “Witchi-Tai-To” composer. Elsewhere, the slo-mo bop of “Chirp” conjures not Charlie Parker but the sparse open-endedness of early 60s Steve Lacy. And by closing on a jaunty Ernest Tubb take, Knuffke aligns himself with the good humor of Sonny Rollins and Lester Bowie, who both loved a good song no matter the source.
Mavis Staples, Your Good Fortune (Anti-/Epitaph)
Mavis the great swaps out roots-leaning Jeff Tweedy for actual (sometime) Roots collaborator Son Little, who brings two new compositions just for her on this atmospheric four-cut EP. The words suit her disposition: “I can tell you a story/ tell it simple and plain”; "Eve of destruction, but you talkin’ free trade”. The cavernous Blind Lemon Jefferson cover works just fine. An infectious 2:47 treatment of Pops’ “Wish I Had Answered” takes wing.