Jeff Miguel
Perseverance
jeffmiguel.com
Saxophonist Jeff Miguel is a recent graduate of the University of Iowa jazz studies program, which has in recent years spawned bands like Euforquestra and Koplant No. Perserverance collects eight of Miguel’s own compositions, which is a gutsy move in the context of traditional jazz, a genre where musicians are still finding something new in standards from the last century.
Miguel’s music is very much in the tradition of composers like Bill Evans or Keith Jarrett. He doesn’t restrict himself to the verse-chorus structure of jazz standards, but neither does he visit the planets occupied by Ornette Coleman and Sun Ra. Miguel focuses on melody and sophisticated chord progressions to express himself. His playing is relaxed and subtle, and his shifting rhythmic accents keep the listener involved. “Complete Contemplation” has two lovely solos from Miguel, but its heart is in the electric piano of Jon Snell, which starts out conventionally but soon incorporates torrents of notes and varied chord voicings that still manage to convey a meditative mood.
“Puerto Baquerizo Moreno” (named for the capital of the Galapagos province of Ecuador—thanks Wikipedia!) uses, but isn’t a slave to, a latin clave rhythm. The bridge section near the middle is driven by Brian Zeglis’s drum rolls. This song shows what can be problematic with Miguel’s compositions—the ‘head’ melody section seems light to the point of weightlessness; only when it’s stripped down to it’s skeleton for improvisation does the music become surprising and substantial. Or, as with the moody saxophone and bass duet that begins “Requiescence,” a song can start out exciting but settles into more conventional groove.
One might criticize the Iowa jazz program for emphasizing the 20th-century jazz tradition at the expense of experimentation, but it does turn out graduates that can play the hell out of their instruments. The album as a whole makes me want to hear what Jeff Miguel is going to do next. The title Perseverance tells us he’s in it for the long run.
This article was originally published in Little Village issue 180
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