Jan 7 2019
Best of 2018 #33: David Dominique – “Mask”
When I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily, I stated “Much in the same, mind-bending way one could draw a short line from a what-even-was-that Charles Mingus to traditional jazz and blues, so it is with the latest from David Dominique.” And that, truly, sums up my fascination with this album. Stare at a common image with all you got while simultaneously drifting off into daydreams, and eventually there grows a disconnect between what you are staring at and how the waking dream state colors and warps it into something strangely alien yet still hauntingly familiar. That’s Dominique with jazz and blues. You might encounter a Best Of list that has Mask situated in their top ten. It’s a decision that should go without generating controversy. There is something inarguably special about this album.
Released on Orenda Records.
I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.
Music from Los Angeles, CA.
I mean, damn, but do the quartet 
It’s especially rewarding how the Buenos Aires quartet of saxophonist Pablo Ledesma, pianist Pepe Angelillo, bassist Mono Hurtado, and drummer Carto Brandán recognized the diverse niche of music expressions that comprised the creative arc of Leandro “Gato” Barbieri’s career, and then turned around and honored those influences with deft reinterpretations alongside some parallel visions of their own original works. There’s some brazen edginess, some Latin tempo groove, some lighthearted melodic reveries and, conversely, some that take on more serious tones. Sometimes they highlight the folk music aspect and other times the avant-garde leanings of their inspiration source. Add to that the concept of old vs. new vs. old made new again, and the intrigue just continues to build into something quite special.
Just on the basis of its sheer beauty, Music for Humans gets a slot on the Best Of list. Christian Balvig’s chamber jazz 2018 release is pure shot of harmonic joy. But how his 6tet is able to seamlessly weave incisive melodic statements and an absorbing rhythmic conversation into the fabric of those harmonies is what elevates this album up to an entirely new plateau. This is music you can just sink into and never come up for air or, instead, you can engage with it as if a contemplative chess match where there are no sides, only a graceful motion of pieces.
Jan 7 2019
Best of 2018 #32: Anton Hunter – “Article XI”
Released on Efpi Records.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Music from Manchester, UK.
Available at: Bandcamp | Amazon
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 0 • Tags: Anton Hunter, Cath Roberts, Efpi Records, Jazz - Best of 2018, Manchester