Dec 28 2017
Best of 2017 #10: Hvalfugl – “By” (Self-Produced)
The music of Hvalfugl is so damn beautiful. The trio’s debut album By stakes out territory where Scandinavian folk and Nordic Jazz share a border, which means you’re gonna get some lovely melodic imagery cast out into a thick, moody ambiance. Some of this music dances joyfully about, while other pieces are made from the stuff of serenity. Opening track “Novemberhymne” still reels me in as easily as the very first time I hit play on this lovely recording, and the melodic hooks of “Op Nord” and title-track “Hvalfugl” make sure my ear isn’t going anywhere. The trio of bassist Anders Juel Bomholt, guitarist Jeppe Lavsen and pianist Jonathan Fjord Bredholt put on an excellent display of how economical melodies can result in a wealth of emotional connections. By remains one of the most beautiful things I’ve heard in 2017
Music from Aarhus, Denmark.
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Though primarily a work of modern jazz and chamber, Clean is informed by the music of Steve Reich, Kendrick Lamar and Philip Glass… influences that bleed into the music with a remarkable subtlety. Their effect is revealed in harmonic roll-outs, pulsing rhythms, a narrative-like melodic development, and moments of stunning minimalism at the eye of a storm… an undercurrent of influence like an untold strategy guiding the hand of active participants. It’s an effect not unlike that of an author mapping out a storyline, which is an apt metaphor in light of the structure Paul Jones provides his excellent 2017 recording. Full of recurring themes, dramatic plot twists, and inter-character tensions, there’s an abiding sense of novella in sonic form. There are countless jaw-dropping moments of beauty on this album, and at times, it seems like it could go on forever… and then it’s suddenly over, far too soon. This recording fell just outside the official Top Ten, but there’s every argument to be made that not only did it deserve to be included, but that it earned a slot in the top half. Just a wonderful album.
This final installment of The Reason Why trilogy ends like it began… singing with joy, dancing to a groove, and reflecting the vision that the world of music is a vast place that should be celebrated for its diversity even while treating the influences as if only a couple notes can traverse the distances between. Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra morphs between sounds that trace to Swedish, Turkish, Balkan, New York, South American, African and UK roots, and it’s anybody’s guess whether it’s gonna get expressed as a psychedelic groove, a minimalist drone, a pop music smile or anything else in between and out to the fringes. Kajfeš has got his trumpet contributing to a number of projects, all quite different from one another, and that creative elasticity is why he’s one of the most exciting musicians on the modern scene. Every one of this trilogy’s albums is outstanding.
A melody from Ron Miles is moonlight distilled down to sonic form. There are times when he exhales a melody and he’s the only object in the sky. And then there are those times when the gravitational force of his presence pulls an ensemble around him like a sea of stars. The cornetist’s 2017 release I Am A Man puts those talents to excellent use, and the hall-of-fame cast of guitarist Bill Frisell, pianist Jason Moran and drummer Brian Blade happily fall into his orbit. The blues are an ever-present force of change on the recording, regardless whether the piece is an old-school ballad or a new-school burner. Miles has a lyrical touch to where he gets a sound to just hang in air, allowing patience and pauses heavy with emotion to get them to radiate with everything they’ve got before putting the next notes in play. Whether on cornet or trumpet, the sense is that here is a musician who has spent a lifetime immersing himself in his instrument and the creativity inside to make it manifest, and that impression bleeds into every note. A wonderful album from an amazing musician.
Dec 28 2017
Best of 2017 #09: Irreversible Entanglements – “Irreversible Entanglements” (International Anthem)
Music from Philadelphia, NYC and Washington DC.
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2017 • 2 • Tags: International Anthem, Irreversible Entanglements, Jazz - Best of 2017