Although Jaimie Branch is a well-known name in the American jazz scene that appeared in many projects and collaborations, "Fly or Die" is her first release as a band leader. The experimental trumpeter gathered Tomeka Reid on cello, Jason Ajemian on bass, and Chad Taylor on drums to record an interesting and innovative jazz album.
The quartet presents a selection of great and well worked out themes. But mostly this is just the starting point from which the band breaks out into dynamic and effortless jams with Branch's tumpet as the key guidance to the next exciting moment and back into experimental sonic spheres.
Nowhere you can find such modern and exciting piano-based jazz groups than on Gondwana records. Mammal Hands' debut "Animalia" and sucessor "Floa" established a dynamic blend of floating and dreamy layers while at the same time creating dynamic jazz landscapes.
On October 27 a third album by the trio from Norwich will be released. As the first track "Black Sails" suggests, "Shadow Work" will be an equally captivating and pleasant experience.
For their latest and third album, The Great Harry Hillman from Switzerland joined forces with Cuneiform records - a logic fit since this band really knows how to push the genre's envelope. Still, "Tilt" does not burst with crazy ideas and arrangements for most parts but contains intense and exciting compositions which create their energy through a calm and melodic approach.
With the Great Harry Hillman its a fragile coming together of many instrumental layers that combine for great arrangements as they meet and dissolve and meet again for beautiful harmonies and progressive grooves. The opener "Snoezelen" or "The New Fragrance" are perfect examples of this very mature approach in which every rhythm and melody is perfectly yet somehow freely drifting in it's place. "How To Dice An Onion" on the other hand displays a completely different and rhythmically challenging approach - and there's your creative burst of jazz-energy.
When your hear the harp sounds and smooth trumpets gliding over nice jazz rhythms, you know that Gondwana Record's Matthew Halsall is at work - and the only thing that could elevate his music to an even higher level is a great voice - like the one of Dwight Trible. The American jazz singer will release his new album "Inspirations" on 20th June, produced by some of Englands most talented musicians like Ben Lamdin, George Atkins and Halsall.
The opening track "What The World Needs Right Now" is already up for streaming and offers a great taste of what can be expected. Trible's passionate voice soars over a carefully constructed arrangement and delves into elements of spiritual jazz. The band provides him with all the space he needs to float on top and bring out his most unique and exceptional tone.
You might find it easy to file Miramode Orchestra's warm grooves and mellow vocals under jazz - and yes, the tracks on "Tumbler" could easily make it on any Jazz Sampler, your personal Chill-Out playlist or those tracks your friends will ask you for at the next party - but there are also some musical spaces in between that take this record out of the ordinary.
The album marks the Berlin-based bands second album. It features various sonic experiments from Electronica to string arrangements that move well within easy accessible genre-elements. Its all centered around positive vibes and nice rythmic patterns.The group features seven instrumentalists and three additional vocalists in Inez Schäfer, Mara von Ferne and Dan Freeman. "Tumbler" certainly doesn't rest on the easy-listening level but develops its own warm and unique sounding structures around well known conventions as it builds up and breaks down tensions, varies rhythms and slightly but effectively experiments in style.
There is always something very cinematic and colourful about Tamar Osborn's Collocuter. Since the release of "Instead" this group is certainly one to look out for. "The Search" is a worthy successor which has, even before its release, caught not only the London jazz scene's attention.
On this record the compositions' character is one of steady motion and features a wide array of sonic influences. The fact that Mulatu Astatke himself has already stated his affection for it is one thing, the way in which Collocutor manufactured North African scales into deep grooves and luring atmospheres is another. There are majestic moments and virtuosic horns, infectous rhythms and improvisation. It all adds up to an impressive piece of intriguing music.
"Collocutor is an opportunity to explore musically all the cultural
connections which are part of being a human being, particularly in the
21st century, in somewhere like London, where you do meet everyone from
everywhere. If you’re open-minded you’ll have the opportunity to engage
with them and find out which bits of each other’s cultures connect and
make sense" – Tamar Osborn
"The Search" will be available on LP and digital in mid March on the nicely progressing On The Corner Records. Stream a preview on Bandcamp.
Matt Ottignon is the main man behind Australia's grooving jazz outfit Mister Ott. Together with a talented group of musicians he just released "Single Shot", the second album by the group which is packed with a brand of jazz that draws influences from Ethiopia with a unique psychedelic twist.
What certainly stands out are the infectous rhythms which range from mulatuesque stompers to uptempo afrobeat shakers. But "Single Shot" is also about building and breaking down of arrangements and atmospheres. "Space Will Win", the ending track, is a tunes that will take you on one of those journeys where psychedelic keys and spacy sounds suck the listener in and slowly build to an impressive jam along lines of simple melodies.
Rosario Di Rosa is what you might want to call a progressive jazz musician. Delving into ever more ways of exploring the genre the Italian pianist focussed on a minimalistic approach on his recent album "Pop Corn Reflections".
This new records features a small personnel of Di Rosa, Paolo Dassi on bass and Riccardo Tosi on drums. Just a brief look at the song titles and you can already see how a lot of tracks are inspired by older experimental forerunners. Di Rosa uses their innovative spirit and sometimes whole patterns to create his own free floating jazz experience. Despite a lot of improvisations and the indicated names being the likes of Steve Reich and Schönberg, this album yet showcases a very entertaining and rhythmic character as it creates individual momentums out of simple patterns.
Next month will see the release of Family Atlantica's new album. "Cosmic Unity" will be the second record by the acclaimed band from London and will appear almost naturally on Soundway Records.
As a first taste for whats about to come the track "Enjera" has already aired. It sounds like a very heavy grooving twist on mulatuesque sounds and dynamic sax solos. The composition showcases a mature blend of very accurate arrangements and huge rhythms. On The full album you will also find vocal contributions in many different languages that contribute to the international character of this music.
Adding new elements to his fragile melodic compositions, Denmark's Søren Gemmer released his new album "The Lark". It marks the successor to his impressing debut "At First" and appears on WhyPlayJazz records.
On a total of 13 tracks Gemmer's Piano is accompanied by Mads La Cour on trumpet, Per Møllehøj on guitar, Tapani Toivanen on bass and Andreas Fryland on drums.This new line-up enables him to add new colours to his music and that is exactly what is happening on this album. "The Lark" still doesn't come as a particular easy digestible record - there are lots of free rhythms, and open ended structures to the songs. So the melodic character of the tunes won't hit you right away but it will appear in beautiful bits and glimpses between otherwise free floating improvisations.
Blending electronic sounds and progressive piano trio elements Naima from Valencia just released their brand new album "Bye" on the exquisite Cuneiform records.
The group consists of Enrique Ruiz on piano, Luis Torregrosa on drums ands Rafael Ramos Sanía on bass. As a trio they try to push the boundaries of the traditional jazz outfit to interesting new heights. You will still find the conventional beautiful piano melodies, improvisational passages and nice themes as in music by groups like The Bad Plus - but Naima develop manage to develop their own structures as they seem to evolve out of the dynamics of each track. It's not the theme that makes the song but the equitable use of each instrument in open-spirited compositions.
It seems like this blog is pushing everything that is released on Impossible Ark records even if it's "just" some new renditions of jazz standards - but who could argue with the quality on this artist run label?
Your album personnel is the classic Impossible Ark ensemble including saxophonist James Allsopp, pianist Ross Stanley, bassist Rian Vosloo and Tom Giles on drums. Spanning tunes like "That Old Feeling", "On A Clear Day" or the title track "I'm A Fool To Want You" this album stands for everything a jazz fan could ask for - and this time I even mean the ones only looking for the standard jazz sounds - after all this is a collection of standards, interpreted nicely by a group of talented and passionate instrumentalists.
There is certainly something about jazz bands whose leader sits on the drums like Thomas Jakoben's FLUX. If you combine this fact with a certain northern jazz tradition you can expect beautiful and fragile melodies on a solid rhythmic foundation as you can hear on the group's latest album "Voyager".
It marks the band's second album and features Ole Visby on saxophone and clarinet, Søren Møller on piano, Michael Møller Porsborg on guitar and Kenneth Dahl Knudsen on bass. The aforementioned melodic parts are recurring on this record and provide the basic structure for Jakobsen's compositions in a very cinematic fashion. Based around this framework you will find carefully constructed parts of improvisation that can feed the tunes some dynamics. From the slow and calm "Long Johns" to the lively "Parajive" you will find different kinds of moods on this record, though the important thing is that they never stay static throughout the songs - they evolve through the free structures.
Putting an interesting spin on traditional jazz approaches Bambino dell'Oro from Oxford are set release their new album "Los Belvos".
The duo consists of Evan McGregor on drums and Niko Brian on piano. Both also appear on various other instruments like Melodica or percussions throughout the album that also features guest musicians on bass and saxophone. The two tracks you can already listen to display mature compositions that make use of complex rhythms as in the cinematic flow of "Spit Splish Splash" or the grooving "Monolithik Asterisk".
Release will be next Week on Art As Catharsis. Get the stream on Bandcamp.
"Golden Years" is the third album release by Pixel from Norway
which appeared on Cuneiform Records (like so many other great albums
these days). The quartet consists of double bassist and main vocalist Ellen Andrea
Wang, drummer Jon Audun Baar,
trumpeter Jonas Kilmork Vemøy, and Harald Lassen on saxophone. Just take
the opener "Rainforest" which creates a perfect setting for the
following tracks; a steady and grooving rhythm accompanied by soothing
brass sounds playing beautiful harmonies. It is the composition of the
tracks, how the pieces fit together, that make them special, like the
following track "People Pleaser" whose vocal chorus could've easily
ended up in any cheesy pop song - but the strong and lively jazz
foundation transforms this element into something entirely different.
Every sound on "Golden Years" sits perfectly in its place but also
leaves room for some improvisational passages...more
Chris Lightcap's Bigmouth - Epicenter
Though the Bigmouth quintet consists of highly productive and busy
musicians it is always a special occasion when bassist Chris Lightcap
calls for a new project. The new album "Epicenter" is the group's first
release since "Deluxe" in 2010 and features saxophonists Tony Malaby and
Chris Cheek, keyboardist Craig Taborn and Gerald Cleaver on drums. There is a lot to discover on this album and its lively compositions.
The opener "Nine South" is already a track that bursts with energy and
keyboard passages that might remind the listener of classic progressive
rock tunes. The nice and slow vibes on "Arthur Avenue" are something
else this group is capable of playing just like the dynamics on the
record's title track "Epicenter". Just like the spectacular opening this
album ends on a high note in a very intense version of Lou Reed's "All
Tomorrow's Parties" with its steady groove and massive interpretation of
the main melody...more
The Greg Foat Group - The Dancers At The Edge Of Time
There is a reason why The Greg Foat Group marks some of the few
contemporary recordings in the Jazzman Records roster. The previous
album "Girl And Robot With Flowers" was already an incredible piece of retrofuturistic jazz-soundscapes. The new record "The Dancers At The Edge Of Time" shows a slightly
different approach which is also due to the extravagant recording
setting. The preference for analog equipment is accompanied by the
special feature of recording in an ancient church at the Isle of Wight.
So it's no wonder that a powerful organ is a part of the sound. The
tracks are as haunting as the beautiful cover art suggests. A floating
character and intense melodies transform every composition into a unique
piece of art. But you will also find highly dynamic and classic jazz
tune like "Riff for Raff". So this is might not music from outer space
but definitely jazz sounds taken to another sphere....more
Nat Birchall - Invocations
Not many artists carry the spiritual jazz tradition in modern times. Nat
Birchall rose up to the challenge and released his latest album
"Invocations" a few days ago on the brilliant Jazzman Records. It marks his 6th record and contains five highly intense and authentic
jazz tunes. The name "Invocations" speaks to the spiritual and soulful
approach of the music which finds its colorful predecessors in Roland
Kirk, John Coltrane or Albert Ayler. Despite the dynamics in most of the
compositions there is a floating character to the vibes that rises and
descents in powerful yet minimalistic arrangements...more
Romain Collin - Press Enter
Last year french-born pianist Romain Collin from New York made a tremendous impact on this blog with his trio "The North" - now he is back with a new solo effort "Press Enter" and his debut on ACT Music.On this album you will find another excellent example of Collin's
melodic songwriting and his sense for beautiful harmonies. Besides
interpretations of tunes by Justin Vernon and Thelonious Monk "Press
Enter" consists of eight original compositions. From dramatic tracks
like "Event Horizon", to playful notes in "The Kids", an emotional hymn
in "San Luis Obispo" or top class modern jazz piano vibes in "Raw,
Scorched and Untethered" - it is all there. There are cinematic vibes
to every song. Collin is truly painting landscapes with his music and
you don't want to miss the view...more
Let me draw your attention to another great record released recently on Cuneiform Records. "Wild Man" is the third album by experimental brass group Le Rex from Switzerland and one that certainly doesn't brake with the label's exciting jazz tradition.
Consisting of drums, tuba, trombone, tuba, alto and tenor saxophone this group develops a highly unique and dynamic sound which reaches from experimental structures to hymn-like passages and uptempo brass groovers - and sometimes all put together in one track. Apparently a trip to Chicago influenced the group to this release drawing inspiration from the iconic Art Ensemble Of Chicago. The influences can be heard though there is certainly a very individual vibe going on in "Wild Man". Just take a tune like "Sugar Maple"; the grooving rythm patterns, the improvisations and the classical jazz arrangements form an exciting blend and truly progressive jazz music.
Blending photography and experimental music French saxophonist Julian Julien created a very cinematic jazz sound on his new album "Terre II". As the name suggests it is the successor to a similar project he did in 2000.
Julien worked with numerous international photographers and captured their motifs in very atmospheric tunes using innovative sound elements and developing progressive song structures. His collaborations from the musical perspective are Frédéric Collignon on trumpet, Siegfried Canto on flute, Rémi Dumoulin on clarinet and fellow sax player Michaël Havard. Although I didn't see all the pictures I can tell that they surely transmit a variety of moods and feelings that are expressed in dreamy tracks like "Iris V", dynamic ones like the title tune "Terre II" or dark grooves as in "Mr John Barry".
Pericopes is an acclaimed jazz duo from Italy/France consisting of saxophonist Emiliano Vernizzi and pianist Alessandro Sgobbio. The name Pericopes+1 under which their latest album "These Human Beings" was released refers to the addition of New York-based drummer Nick Wight.
On this new approach Wight adds a dynamic element to the lifely sounds of his fellow musicians. The songs on "These Human Beings", and you can really call them songs, follow clear structures and reach out to elements from various genres. Still there is no doubt that you're dealing with a jazz trio - one with very dynamic and progressive songwriting that leaves spaces for playful and melodic outings. Just take the rhythmic approach in "Jersey Zombies" or the shifting moods in the opener "Through Piat" for an example.
Last month saw the release of a truly impressive and progressive jazz record. "Golden Years" is the third album release by Pixel from Norway which appeared on Cuneiform Records (like so many other great albums these days).
The quartet consists of double bassist and main vocalist Ellen Andrea Wang, drummer Jon Audun Baar,
trumpeter Jonas Kilmork Vemøy, and Harald Lassen on saxophone. Just take the opener "Rainforest" which creates a perfect setting for the following tracks; a steady and grooving rhythm accompanied by soothing brass sounds playing beautiful harmonies. It is the composition of the tracks, how the pieces fit together, that make them special, like the following track "People Pleaser" whose vocal chorus could've easily ended up in any cheesy pop song - but the strong and lively jazz foundation transforms this element into something entirely different. Every sound on "Golden Years" sits perfectly in its place but also leaves room for some improvisational passages.
Although the name of Hanover's Hidden Jazz Quartett has already reverberated through the international music scene and featured in various compilations, there hasn't been an official release - this is about to change early next year with the group's debut "Raw And Cooked".
Based around mastermind Ral Zitzmann's visions this ensemble is playing a dynamic and original sound that is blending funk, jazz and soul elements. He gathered a truly talented gang of musicians and some terrific voices in Bajka, Greg Blackman, Omar and Anthony Joseph around him. Though the preview tracks only show a small part of the whole picture of this album, you can already tell that something great is coming your way with "Raw and Cooked" in mid January on Agogo records.
