Recap: Best of 2017

I love the way this album sings.  Every expression has got so much feel, and the energy radiating from each note comes through strong and bright.  The debut from Kati Briens Dream Band sets off the bright tones of alto sax against the darker tones of bass clarinet, in that same way both a glorious summer afternoon benefits from the warmth of sunbeams and the shadows cooling off the breeze.  The sextet, consisting of two alto saxophonists, a trombonist and a bass clarinetist, makes good use of the harmonic avenues open to it, while the bass and drums rhythm section adds some definition to melodies that might otherwise run free and wild.  Melodies are cast out sharp and clear before the ensemble begins to murky the waters and have some fun splashing about.  Even when the music grows introspective, the sense of a weightless motion carries things along.  Happy Music is not even a little bit accidentally named.

Music from Berlin, Germany.

Read more at Bird is the Worm.

After the explosion set off on the jazz scene by Kamasi Washington‘s 2015 masterwork The Epic, it was inevitable that the follow-up might not be received with the same jolt of electricity.  That’s okay.  An excess of hype has a strange way of skewing perceptions and altering the interface with whatever is right there in front of us.  It’s rather refreshing to be able to experience Washington’s new release in something of a vacuum.  And though its scale is dramatically pared down from the crazily sprawling three-disc The Epic, it’s no less enjoyable.  Harmony of Difference keeps in line with The Epic, exploring convergences between spiritual, cosmic, and post-bop with a series of dramatic harmonic builds, catchy melodies and contemporary grooves.  There’s a joyfulness to this music that eclipses its curious forms of expression, and, ultimately, that’s why this music carries like it does.  There’s something special going on here, and it’s a hopeful thing that Washington isn’t yet done exploring this particular vision.

Music from Los Angeles, CA.

Read more at Bird is the Worm.

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.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

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.

Read more on Bird is the Worm.

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.

Read more at Bird is the Worm.