Jazz Recommendations – 2017 releases

There’s an irresistible sing-song demeanor to There Be Monsters, even when the music dives into heady contemplative waters or takes a spin with folk music demanding a formal comportment.  Boštjan Simon’s There Be Monsters ensemble nimbly toes the lines where tonal contexts collide, keeping things light even when the humor grows dark.  The Slovenian saxophonist has a curious quintet that consists of tuba, vibraphone, trombone and drums, and this unconventional assortment of instruments has as much to do as anything with the strange and beautiful music.  Captivating, yes, and in a way quite unlike much else that’s out there.

Music from Ljubljana, Slovenia.

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The duo of tenor saxophonist Binker Golding and drummer Moses Boyd come out strong on their 2017 release Journey To The Mountain Of Forever, and then jack up the voltage even higher to finish things off.  The two-disc recording begins with just the two.  They settle upon a melodic path and then go kick up some dust exploring it.  The second disc sees things expanded into an ensemble affair, and what began as a solid post-bop date transforms into something freer, wilder, and bordering on spiritual.  That said, even with the addition of unconventional instruments like harp and tabla, this is still relatively straight-ahead music, and the reason to sit down and give it a listen is the same one might provide to pull out a classic Art Blakey recording with Wayne Shorter leading the Jazz Messengers… raw lyricism and focused intensity equals unparalleled fun.

Music from London, UK.

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This captivating session from the Sandcatchers brings together the musics of the Middle-East, the Appalachian Mountains and metropolitan NYC.  The melodies of What We Found Along the Way bends and warps and melts into different forms and shapes, one no less compelling than the next.  Oud, cello, lap steel, bass and drums kick up some folk music twang, some melodic dancing with maqam improvisation, some hop and bop of modern jazz, and all of it fun and friendly and seriously mesmerizing.

Music from Brooklyn, NY.

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There’s a whirlwind expanse of ground covered on the sophomore release from Misha Mullov-Abbado.  Whether diving into Ellingtonian territory with a bop-infused orchestration or spiking a flag into the soil of his own little section of the modern post-bop landscape, the bassist displays a remarkable ability at making it all sound like one coherent vision.  Bits of space-y drone, indie-rock edge, contemporary groove and curiously expressive chamber music comprise just some of the ingredients that make Cross-Platform Interchange a wild success.

Music from London, UK.

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At the center of this delightful album from the sextet Kungobram is Yan Lebreton and his kamalengoni, an African rhythm harp.  It possesses an hypnotic quality, and it’s one whose potency is unchanged regardless of whether the melody is one that smoulders like fireplace embers or one that dances joyfully in tight circles.  Add to that foundation a pair of saxophones, additional strings and some essential percussion, and it’s why there’s both detail and depth to these pieces attributable to far more than the kamalengoni’s personality.  The fun demeanor of Night in Panam is hard to miss, but that it’s whip smart, to boot, makes it a must-have album.

Music from Paris, France.

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