Jul 31 2017
The Round-up: The sky was on fire, and joy was in our blood
Here is some very good new music.
Hear In Now – Not Living In Fear (International Anthem)
There’s a brutality and a grace to this work from the Hear In Now trio of violinist Mazz Swift, cellist Tomeka Reid and double bassist Silvia Bolognesi. Sometimes jagged melodies lash out and strike and other times they are as soft to the touch as moonlight on naked skin, and just as magical. This music transcends genre and influence. It would be easy to mention modern jazz and classical and avant-folk, but when it comes to music that makes grand statements, itemizing its components undersells its true impact. Dissonance and unity sweep back and forth like the tides, and it’s those exact moments when those elements exist in a state of complete equality that the album resonates the strongest. Vocalist Dee Alexander sits in for the title-track, adding further texture to an album that’s got plenty to its name.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Papanosh – A Chicken in a Bottle (Label Vibrant)
Terrifically effusive session from the Papanosh quintet of saxophonist Raphaël Quenehen, bassist Thibault Cellier, percussionist Jérémie Piazza, pianist Sébastien Palis and trumpeter Quentin Ghomari. Even when they slow things down and let the melody breathe on tracks like “Plain Gold Ring” and “Hermanos,” there’s a sense of a simmer ready to boil over at any moment. The heart of this album, however, lies in the upbeat title-track. The album shifts imperceptibly between old and modern schools of jazz, with hard bop, soul, funk and post-bop all just textures to paint a solitary picture. Every moment of this album seems designed to get each and every one of you dancing. A very fun recording.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Arthur Vint & Associates – Death Rides A Horse (Ropeadope)
Last year, Arthur Vint released a very fun, very intriguing debut Through the Badlands (go check it out). It was an album that captured the spirit of the land and music of both his Tuscon, Arizona and NYC home turfs. It also earned the #27 slot on this site’s Best of 2016 list. On his follow-up, he keeps with the country-folk-jazz sound. He also brings new arrangements to the soundtracks of Ennio Morricone originally created for the Sergio Leone trilogy, Man With No Name. It’s plenty enjoyable, though lacks some of the inspired moments and sense of freedom of his debut. It wouldn’t be poorly argued to attribute this change to the fact that the debut had Vint original compositions, and it also wouldn’t be wrong to hope to see more of Vint’s own work on his next recording. Plenty here to like, though. All-stars like Jon Cowherd, Tony Scherr and Yvonnick Prene are among Vint’s Associates.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Will Wedmedyk – Awakening (Self-Produced)
Plenty to like from the debut by vibraphonist Will Wedmedyk. His quintet sticks to modern territory and a straight-ahead sound, even when he blurs the lines between post-bop and pop. The stronger pieces are those that lead out with a conceptualized version of an ultimate melody… not quite a fragment, not quite a finished product… and then just begins exploring all the possible directions to take it. Wedmedyk’s quintet is a nice glimpse at the music scene happening at the University of Cincinnati.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Ichiro Fujiya & Takeshi Kurihara – Elephant and a Barbar (Musilogue)
There’s a dreamy presence to this album that is seriously arresting. Led out by the bassist-sax duo of Ichiro Fujiya and Takeshi Kurihara, this quintet makes a lullaby out of each melody and the rhythms like the comforting sounds of raindrops on a windowsill. There’s a flash of edge from time to time, but nothing that ranges far from the prevailing tranquility that defines this recording. Interesting music coming out of Tokyo, Japan.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
This solo piano recording from Kasper Staub will treat your hangover right. And, it just so happens, if you were smart enough to avoid alcohol-related injuries Saturday night, the pianist’s 2016 release Aisle Arch Attic will be no less kind and no less peaceful to you and your morning. This music is contemplative, but it doesn’t forget there are listeners out there. It’s got a feel that is remarkably engaging for a session that is drowning in introspection. Melodies are simple and to the point and chart the quickest route to beauty. These pieces are breathed out patiently, as if there’s nowhere to go and no reason to leave. When a melody just hangs in the air, the stillness is electric.
The beauty of this 4-track EP by the 
There’s an addicting oddball lyricism at play here. Melodies are warped into indescribable shapes and rhythms communicate in a language not yet codified for human translation. If I were to say this was the West Coast sister ensemble of NYC’s Kamikaze Ground Crew, that might get close to preparing you for Lisa Mezzacappa‘s particular concoction of insanity. The theme of avantNOIR are old-school hard-boiled detective novels, and considering the depth of mystery each tune presents, it’s fair to say the inspiration bled into the body of the music. Very fun and terribly intriguing.
There’s some serious enchantment going on with this magical set from the trio Kokotob. Marimba, piano and clarinet cast off all kinds of vivid imagery, all of it riveting. The lovely repetition of “Korokoro” is the ambient textures reminiscent of Reich or Eno. “Etude in eb” works the same territory, but trades out tranquility for enthusiasm. And while “Feldmännchen” is reminiscent of pale moonlight on a starless night, “Bikkuri” embodies those monsters that haunt the darkness outside the reach of the moon’s glow. And then there’s the sublime beauty of “Origami im Görlitzer Park” and how delicate tones radiate great melodic strength. I’m really taken with this recording.
Drum and drone is what you get from the debut of the MIR 8 ensemble. At its most tranquil, there’s always an undercurrent of tension, and at its most volatile, there’s always a hint of serenity hanging in the air. This quartet goes heavy on the electronics and effects to bolster trombone and percussion, and somehow they get it all to snap neatly into place. This one grabbed my attention from the first notes, and after a handful of times through, it hasn’t let go.
Carlos Bica & Azul are the sun and the moon. They can take a melody and spin the pure light of serenity from its notes and, with the same ease, the trio can take that same melody and make it burn like flames. Either way, it’s a thing of beauty, and the only difference is the level of intensity and tone. The session of new material celebrates twenty years as a working trio. It’s not empty flattery when I say I hope they celebrate many more anniversaries to come.
What I find most enjoyable about this session from the quartet Mind Games is how the frantic motion of each track defines the melody’s ultimate shape and form. There are times the music hints at an old-school blues and other times it’s a new-school contraption where bop is never one of the scheduled lessons. But in each instance, it’s the slashing, twittering or skittering motion that determines how the song is most likely to be interpreted. It’s something that gives the sense of a singular personality capable of donning any number of different faces. That’s the kind of thing that’ll keep the ear interested and on guard at all times.
Aug 1 2017
Psychic Temple at The Burl (Lexington, KY)
The Burl is a nifty joint in Lexington’s newly rebooted Distillery District, which, when it comes to developing cool loft/garage/industrial spaces and making them tourist friendly, the city really did an outstanding job. Sadly, Mecca Dance Studio is no longer in that area. I saw a bunch of excellent avant-garde jazz musicians from the Chicago scene at that place. But perhaps this signals a new start to more excellent music.
The details:
When: Tuesday, August 1st, 2017 at 8pm
Where: The Burl, 375 Thompson Road (just off Manchester St.), Lexington, KY.
The Burl’s site-> LINK
The band’s site-> LINK
Check out Psychic Temple’s music on their Bandcamp page-> LINK
Like this:
By davesumner • Announcement - Music, Jazz in Kentucky • 0 • Tags: Jazz in Kentucky, Live Jazz