Jazz Recommendations

Feb 28 2019

Album of the Day: Jake Leckie – “The Abode”

 

Artist:  Jake Leckie

Album:  The Abode

Label:  Outside In Music

Style:  New old-school

Favorite Track: “Bam Bam”

Music from:  Los Angeles, CA

What I like about it:  I like that it doesn’t matter whether Jake Leckie runs with an old-school or new-school approach, the result is a warm sound crackling with life.  A lot of that warmth comes courtesy of trumpeter Kenny Warren, who has a talent for finding the blues at the center of everything.  I like how a string trio guesting on three tracks adds some nice harmonic textures, and how the same applies with the guest percussionists and their textural effect on the rhythmic dialog.  The bassist’s core quartet also includes nice contributions from drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell and pianist Sebastien Ammann, and I like how they adapt to the different guest influences, simultaneously keeping the album’s overall cohesion while allowing those guests to shine for all they’ve got.

Your album personnel:  Jake Leckie (bass), Kenny Warren (trumpet, flugelhorn), Nathan Ellman-Bell (drums), Sebastien Ammann (piano), and guests: Caroline Davis (sax), Alexis Morrast (vocals), Daniel Prim (percussion), Andrei Matorin (violin), Tomoko Omura (violin), Agustin Uriburu (cello), Ivey Paige (organ) and Brenda Trotter-Workman (tambourine).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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Feb 27 2019

Album of the Day: Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm – “Bonegasm”

 

Artist:  Jennifer Wharton’s Bonegasm

Album:  Bonegasm

Label:  Sunnyside Records

Favorite track: “Low Ball”

Style:  New old-school

Music from:  New York City

What I like about it:  Maybe I’m just anxious for the cabin fever gloom and cold of winter to end or maybe it’s that Jennifer Wharton has synthesized down a day’s worth of glorious spring weather into sonic form.  I like how free and light this music is, and, yet, much in the same way that sunlight can express a heady presence, all that lightness to the trombonist’s debut possesses a certain gravity, like a serious expression of idle fun.  Three other trombonist’s fill out slots in Wharton’s septet, and I like how she makes full use of the harmonic possibilities without it suppressing the rhythmic dialog.

Your album personnel:  Jennifer Wharton (bass trombone, vocal), John Fedchock (trombone), Nate Mayland (trombone), Alan Ferber (trombone), Michael Eckroth (piano), Evan Gregor (bass), Don Peretz (drums) and guest: Mauricio Herrera (percussion).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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Feb 26 2019

Now up: February’s Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations

 

It. Is. Time.  Run along, music listeners, because my latest Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations just posted on The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for February 2019.  There’s ten primary recommendations in total, plus one of the new categories I’ll be running with for the time being: an older album new to the Bandcamp shelves.  There’s just too much good music, and I’ll take any excuse to recommend more of it.

Follow this LINK to read those recommendations and listen to music from each album.

And check out past recommendations by running through the archives.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

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Feb 25 2019

Album of the Day: Wet Electric – “Wet Electricity: Volume I”

 

Artist:  Wet Electric

Album:  Wet Electricity: Volume 1

Label:  Self-Produced

Style:  Post-jazz

Favorite Track: “Heart/Mind/Body”

Music from:  New York City

What I like about it:  I like how even when this music is at its most scattered, there’s a melodic presence that doesn’t quit.  I like how the violin fills the vacuum in its entirety, but the nuanced passages by the other quintet members opens things up even further, and gives the impression of wide open space.  I like how that same nuance comes off as understated, which makes the huge melodic statements resonate that much stronger.  I like how moody the album gets at times, and when the volatility spikes, it feels like a natural consequence rather than a jarring shift of atmospherics.  I’m a little bit addicted to this recording, in that same way I’ve been a little bit addicted to Catfish’s Restraint for nearly four years this April.  I expect Wet Electricity to linger on my playlist similarly.

Other Notes:  Definitely follow the breadcrumbs to other Ethan Helm projects.  It wasn’t long ago that I wrote up his 2015 release The Spoon, and I’ve been a fan of his ensemble Cowboys & Frenchmen.

Your album personnel:  Ethan Helm (saxophone), Gabe Terracciano (violin), Noah Berman (guitar), Matt Honor (drums) and Jon Snell (piano).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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Feb 22 2019

Album of the Day: Nicolai Kaas Claesson – “Melt”

 

Artist:  Nicolai Kaas Claesson

Album:  Melt

Label:  Centrifuga

Style:  Echoes of old-school avant-garde

Favorite Track: “Kaptajn Penalhus”

Music from:  Copenhagen, Denmark

What I like about it:  Oh my god, everything.  Nicolai Kaas Claesson‘s quartet generates some serious intensity with the most casual delivery.  It’s free jazz that’s laid back and cool, and yet hits like a right cross thrown by a pro.  It’s got an old-school feel that brings out the nostalgia for the avant-garde 70s, when that particular phase of jazz’s evolution was at a high point of unbounded creativity.  There’s a warmth to this music that can’t be missed, a fireplace comfort that is also wild and boozy and immensely fun.  This recording came out mid-November, which means you shouldn’t be surprised if it makes another appearance on this site when the Best of 2019 rolls around.

Your album personnel: Nicolai Kaas Claesson (double bass), Jeppe Højgaard (alto saxophone, clarinet), Rasmus Kjær (piano) and Anders Vestergaard (drums).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Album cover art by Tina Damgaard.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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