Sep 5 2017

Recommended: Wako and Oslo Strings – “Modes For All Eternity”

 

The melodic beauty of Modes For All Eternity is evident right from the start.  This collaboration between the Wako jazz quartet and the Oslo Strings doesn’t hold back on crafting these melodies for maximum emotional impact.  This is a gorgeous album, and the music would melt even the blackest heart.  But it’s the motion adopted by each piece that’s most likely to captivate.

There’s the casual groove of “Carla” and the quick steps of “Africanus” and the process with which it developed from the gentle grace of “I Died for Beauty.”  All three pieces possess differently enchanting cadences that give, in totality, the impression of a dialog between songs.  A little dissonance with “Rejoice” and a little serenity with “Song For All the Annettes” instigate a shifting of tides in unexpected directions.  And then there’s the ephemeral “Sappho’s Theme,” a song made from the stuff of dreams and beating with the heart of a lullaby.  It moves as if dancing, and sometimes as if floating peaceably overhead.

Pretty easy to fall for this one.

Your album personnel:  Martin Myhre Olsen (alto sax), Kjetil André Mulelid (piano), Bardur Reinert Poulsen (double bass), Simon Olderskog Albertsen (drums), Kaja Constance Rogers (violin), Isa Caroline Holmesland (viola) and Kaja Fjellberg Pettersen (cello).

Released on AMP Music & Records.

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

Music from Oslo, Norway and Copenhagen, Denmark.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0

Sep 4 2017

The Round-up: You are not alone

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Myk Freedman and the Mykfreedmans – Myk Freedman and the Mykfreedmans (HappyLucky No.1 Records)

It’s pretty easy to warm up to this jazz-folk crossover from lap steel guitarist Myk Freedman.  The opening notes promise a friendly, tuneful recording, and that’s exactly what his sextet delivers.  The swing of “At Whom The Fuck Are You Looking?” and the sway of “Waiting For A Train That Will Never Come” have an inviting motion and a friendly smile that sets the tone.  A little twang on the slow dancer “What Are You Thinking When You’re Kissing” and a little heat on the burner “Junkshop Virginia” are just facets of that same personality, and snap neatly into place.  The Mykfreedmans are tenor saxophonist Patrick Breiner, drummer Carlo Costa, bassist Adam Hopkins, trumpeter Kenny Warren and banjo player Jason Vance.  Half of the sextet also comprise part of Kenny Warren’s Laila & Smitty project, so it should come as no surprise were I to describe the two albums as birds of a feather.  Seriously enjoyable.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Redwine, Barbiero, Matis – Microeconomics (Self-Produced)

This intriguing session from the trio of clarinetist Ben Redwine, bassist Daniel Barbiero and pianist Jonathan Matis encapsulates the jazz spirit of Redwine’s New Orleans home turf.  This melting pot of influences is just as happy dishing out a rag as they are randomness.  The trio’s Washington DC-Baltimore contingent snap right into place with an improvisational nature of this recording, as well as the strong presence of a Classical grace throughout.  The album’s best moments are when all of those influences are a swirling mist of motion and expression, one bleeding into the next, and a state of change is the only constant.  And if this floats your boat, it’ll be worth your time to check out the DC Improvisers Collective… an outfit all three members have contributed some notes to.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Jake Leckie Quartet – Live at Ibeam (Self-Produced)

Plenty to like on this live session from the quartet of bassist Jake K. Leckie, drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell, pianist Sebastien Ammann and trumpeter Kenny Warren.  This 2017 performance at Brooklyn’s Ibeam is a nice straight-ahead affair, but mixes things up just enough that there’s something different to like about each track.  There’s the hard bop warmth of “Negev,” the scattered randomness of “Major Monster,” the Brazilian influence of “Caracol,” and the folksy groove of “Métis” and how it echoes the heart and soul of Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet Impulse recordings.  But influence aside, this is an extremely enjoyable recording of four musicians who just sound like they’re having a blast, completely in sync with one another, and feeding off the electricity of a Friday night in NYC.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Maistah Aphrica – Maistah Aphrica (Self-Produced)

There’s an easy appeal to this mix of modern jam jazz, afrobeat, funk and psychedelia.  Tempos are upbeat and move fast on their feet.  Rhythms fly in all directions, and melodies follow fast after.  The octet Maistah Aphrica is heavy on the wind instruments and percussion, but the multiple keyboards are the glue that gets all the influences to stick.  Really fun recording.  Also, nice to offer something from the Balombo, Angola scene.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Chok Kerong – Tales They Told Me (Self-Produced)

Nifty straight-ahead organ-guitar-drums session. Some soul, some blues, and plenty of bop to keep the music scooting along.  Chok Kerong slides over to piano, but the music shows its best when it’s that genial warmth between organ and guitar.  Nothing groundbreaking here, just a familiar, enjoyable sound.  Plus, it’s an nice opportunity to give a shout-out to music coming from Singapore.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

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Sep 3 2017

Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album: Erik Lindeborg – “Salonul Magic”

 

Sunday morning is when the serenity comes down.  Sunday morning is the cocoon from the heavy exhaustion of too much Saturday night fun.  Sunday morning is when the city agrees to use its inside voice.  Sunday morning is when a hush settles in over the land.  It is a time for sitting still and listening to quiet music and silently praying the aspirin and coffee do something to stop your head from exploding.  Drama and stress are strictly forbidden on Sunday morning.

Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album is just for you, for times just like these.  If you possess the freakish compulsion to get-up-and-go when the clock strikes Sunday morning, this music is not for you.  Go and listen to a Spotify EDM playlist or something.  But whatever you decide, just do it quietly and far away from those of us who appreciate the true solemn nature of a Sunday morning.

Erik Lindeborg has a habit of creating music perfectly suited for peaceful Sunday mornings, and no better example is to be had than his 2012 release Salonul Magic.  The Stockholm-based pianist proved his talent at crafting captivating melodies on his 2010 trio session Time… an album that smouldered with tension, as if it could erupt at any moment.  On Salonul Magic, the melodies and tone are more laid back and behave as folk tunes rather than Nordic jazz.  It makes for a more personable recording, and allows for more of the melodic details to shine through.

Yes, “Part V” and “Part VIII” kick the temperature up a notch, but the heat is a fireplace warmth and conducive to a Sunday morning serenity.  This, too, applies to the sunny blues of “Part VI,” and serves as a nice reminder of how the classic Red Garland Trio tranquility keeps inspiring new generations of jazz musicians.  But the remainder of the album’s ten pieces develop with a comforting patience.  Whether that’s triggered by the gorgeous bass arco passages from Niklas Wennström or the friendly chatter of percussionist Robert Mehmet Ikiz, it all leads to an atmosphere that looks to blend in with a morning sunrise and a quiet, solemn afternoon.

You need this album today, right now.

  • Artist-Title:  Erik Lindeborg – Salonul Magic
  • Personnel:  Erik Lindeborg (piano, melodica, glockenspiel), Niklas Wennström (bass), Robert Mehmet Ikiz (percussion) and guests: Magdalena Adeen (voice), Steinar Aadnekvam (guitar).
  • Proper Use:  1) Daydreaming about the peaceful ambiance of snow-capped mountains, and how nice it is to be in a nice, cozy bed on a Sunday morning, 2) Contemplating whether anything better has ever been created than a cup of coffee & Irish cream or, 3) Listening to your cat(s) snore peacefully beside you, scrunched up against your leg.

Released in 2012 on Stockholm Jazz Records.

Music from Stockholm, Sweden.

Available at:  Amazon | eMusic

And here’s a video that shows the making of the album cover image.  It features the art of Diana Butucariu and is accompanied by the album track “Part V.”

 

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Sep 1 2017

Now up: August’s “Best of Bandcamp Jazz” recommendations

 

Now up, the latest Best of Bandcamp Jazz recommendations for The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for August 2017 (more of a July 25th – August 24th thing, really).  There’s ten primary recommendations in total, plus some side recommendations to boot.

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

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

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Sep 1 2017

Recommended: The Slow Beasts – “The Slow Session”

 

I really enjoy an album that features bass clarinet.  Not sure when my love affair with that instrument began, but tracing back its lineage is definitely going to hit upon the first time I heard Eric Dolphy add his own bass clarinet to a rendition of “India” on John Coltrane’s Village Vanguard recordings.  And while that may not have been the first spark of endearment, it definitely wasn’t the last, and, so, when I hear a bass clarinet make it’s presence known on an album I like, I’m quick to feature it on this site.

Case in point, the 2017 release The Slow Session by the quintet The Slow Beasts.  This four-track EP gives equal footing to each instrument, but the magnetic lyricism of a bass clarinet allowed to sing is something that’s gonna grab the attention no matter how equitably an ensemble intends to dish out the spotlight.  On “Subduction,” bass clarinet shows its ability to dance nimbly.  The way it spins in concert with double bass is particularly fun.  It gets more fun when sax slips into the prevailing motion.  With “Double Blind,” bass clarinet pulses in beat to the rhythm, while on “Please Talk to Me,” it’s allowed to scatter in all directions.  But it’s on opening track “How To Get Unstuck” where the bass clarinet digs deep and proffers up both heart and soul, resonating all of the love and pain endured by both.

A nifty album.  Go check it out.

Your album personnel:  Stefano Chiapello (tenor sax), Michele Anelli (double bass), Marco Tardito (bass clarinet), Nicolò Bottasso (trumpet, flugelhorn) and Nicholas Remondino (drums).

The album is Self-Produced.

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

Music from Piedmont, Italy.

Available at:  Bandcamp

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0

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