Personnel:
Alden Hellmuth (as), Josh Evans (tp), Yvonne Rogers (p), Lucas Kadish (g), Kanoa Mendenhall (b), Timothy Angulo (d), Chris McCarthy (Fender Rhodes)
Reference: FSNT-679
Bar code: 8427328436793
Good Intentions was born from conflict— both the internal conflict I experience as an artist trying to shape and define my own authentic voice, and the external conflicts which we all often face in our work, friendships, and life. This album is an exploration of dissonance in the absence of resolution and the intentions which guide us. It is a deeply personal and unapologetic reflection of who I am at this moment.
These compositions emerged while I was living abroad in 2022, a period marked by my departure from¡ convention towards a philosophy of exploration. The album captures my transformation as I discovered new compositional methods and further embraced my love for the avant-garde. As a composer I am deeply inspired by art that is evocative and experimental, and informed by my upbringing in Hartford, Connecticut, where I grew up surrounded by the musical legacy of the great Jackie McLean.
To me, the most magical moments in music are those times when the notated material and improvisations become so intertwined they are nearly indistinguishable. The music of Good Intentions was crafted with a flexibility and openness that invites the performers to create these moments of synergy. Consequently, selecting the band was pivotal in shaping the sound of this project. Each part was written specifically for these incredible musicians, and I am so profoundly grateful to them for bringing this musical vision to life.
Good Intentions is dedicated to all the wonderful friends and family who helped make this album a reality. A big thank you to Jordi Pujol at Fresh Sound Records for his support; to my band, Lucas Kadish, Yvonne Rogers, Kanoa Mendenhall, Timothy Angulo, and Josh Evans, for their incredible musicianship; to Adi Meyerson for her presence, support, and guidance throughout the entire process; to Chris McCarthy, Lex Korten, Peter Enriquez, and Eli Heath for their generous help in post; to my brother, Nathan Hellmuth, for his encouragement and assistance; to my mother and father for their endless support of my passions; and to all the friends who offered an ear, a hand, and/or a hug during this process. I love you all.
Best Intentions,
—Alden
"A lot of very talented, highly trained jazz musicians spend their first few albums making very competent, straightforward jazz before perhaps stretching out with some of the more adventuresome stuff and establishing their identity. Alden Hellmuth is bringing that kind of moxie from the start.
Good Intentions (Fresh Sound New Talent Records) is the debut album from young alto saxophonist, composer and bandleader, an album that is taking chances in differing ways, landing on its feet every time because of carefully creative composing, imaginative arranging and democratic group dynamics.
Stimulated by the music from fearless greats such as Ornette Coleman and Paul Motian, Hellmuth incorporates their concepts but adds her own. She calls Good Intentions “an exploration of sonic intention, dissonance in the absence of resolution, and the tenderness of expression.” It’s not just a declaration of a personal statement, it has the makeup of a curious artist discovering exciting, edgy concepts as the basis for her own ideas.
Helping her putting her best foot forward is a base quintet comprised of guitarist Lucas Kadish, pianist Yvonne Rogers, with the rhythm section of Kanoa Mendenhall (bass) and Timothy Angulo (drums). Notable trumpet ace Josh Evans pitches in on three of the eight tracks, all Hellmuth originals.
These originals each represent different approach Hellmuth takes in trying out new things inspired by historically great things. “Biting the hand that feeds you” draws from the best of both Coleman and Albert Ayler, both of who devised almost child-like sing-song melodies and fashioned them into something cutting edge by contorting the tempo and harmony.
“The Gavel” opens with an interesting repeating figure firmly in the modern jazz school and Hellmuth’s alto sax here bears some resemblance to Kenny Garrett. But during her solo, she keeps nudging against the boundaries of conventional jazz and Evans pushes some more, spurring a hastened run-through of the figure.
“Good Intentions” best exemplifies what Hellmuth describes as the conflicts faced in everyday life, both internal and external, a song that moves through phases and obliterates the distinction between composed and chaos. Ultimately, the give-and-take ends without resolution, but that’s the point.
The sax/piano-only ballad “Change, Like Water” becomes a showcase for Rogers’ lissome piano, in the service of an alluring strain wrought by Hellmuth. The etude-like lead line of “Stream of” is undertaken by Hellmuth and Kadish together but Hellmuth builds broadly on that idea, even sliding a groove underneath it and modernizing it Chris McCarthy’s Fender Rhodes.
Hellmuth gets everyone involved in carrying out her blueprint. “Personal Saints” leans on Mendenhall to divulge the melody, while the leader plays poetically on her alto sax solo. “Ambrosia & Vetiver” is a personal spiritual, and Kadish and Evans’ asides are standouts.
The compositional tricks extend to rhythm as well. The cadence of “Whirl” is slyly disguised to flow like a rubato when it’s actually a sequence of changing time signatures, creating that “whirl.”
Good Intentions is an astonishing start from a saxophonist and composer still absorbing the more daring sides of jazz, because Alden Hellmuth is not interested in biding her time before putting her own imprint on the music form."
—S. Victor Aaron (October 29, 2024)
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