Jan 23 2017

These are videos that I like: The Westerlies and Twin Talk at the Hideout

 

Today’s featured videos are performances at one of my very favorite Chicago venues, The Hideout.  And it’s a recent show that I really would’ve liked to drive up to see.  If The Westerlies tour through your town, you should definitely make the time to see them.

The first video has the brass quartet The Westerlies joining Chicago’s Twin Talk on the song “I Have My Doubts.”

Your video personnel:  Dustin Laurenzi (tenor sax), Katie Ernst (bass, voice), Andrew Green (drums) and The Westerlies.

You can check out the music of Twin Talk on their Bandcamp page.

And here’s a clip from the same October 2016 show of just the Westerlies performing the song “Saro” off their self-titled sophomore release.

Your video personnel:  Zubin Hensler (trumpet), Riley Mulherkar (trumpet), Andy Clausen (trombone) and Willem de Koch (bass trombone).

You can check out the music of The Westerlies on their Bandcamp page.

You can also read more about the album by checking out the monthly recommendations column I write for The Bandcamp Daily (LINK).

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Jan 22 2017

Recommended: Le Migou – “California Love”

 

This is one for the fans of Bill Frisell’s Disfarmer period.  The melodies of California Love are as welcoming and gorgeous as moonlight, and the pace of each piece is modeled after gently rocking waves on the sea.  The sextet Le Migou lets the strings shape the songs while the woodwinds provide the personality, but all of it aims to settle right into that particular kind of twilight Americana tranquility.

Yes, the sextet lights a fire under a few of the tracks.  The punchy “Tom Pouce” has saxophone leading out with some wild swings, but everyone gets in their shots.  And there’s some Ennio Morricone action with the hopping “Pistolero” and “Nola” slides into a pleasant blues.  And then there’s the way tight lines of guitar melody loop back upon themselves on “Pour faire la sieste” while trumpet soars peacefully above the fray while offering up complementary melodic fragments, for the sake of imagery as much as anything.  But all of that differentiation falls right in line with a Frisell Americana mold.  But more important than influence is the fact that all of California Love is seriously arresting and often quite beautiful.

Your album personnel:  Nicolas Frache (guitar), Pierre Gibbe (bass), Aëla Gouvernec (cello), Quentin Andrélouis (violin), Thibaut Fontana (tenor sax) and Emmanuelle Legros (trumpet).

Released on Grolektif Productions.

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

Available at:  Bandcamp

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2016 releases • 2

Jan 22 2017

These are videos that I like: Hush Point at Cornelia St. Cafe, Low Kick Collective at Ionoteka

 

Here’s your Sunday edition of These are videos that I like.

Our first video comes courtesy of the quartet Hush Point.  They have a new album out, simply titled III, and it was yesterday’s daily recommendation (go read it).

Here’s a performance of the tune “Fathers and Sons” from a show at NYC’s Cornelia Street Cafe.

And if you want to skip the write-up and just go listen to more of the album (and purchase it), you can do both at the Sunnyside Records Bandcamp page.

Our second video features the duo Low Kick Collective.  They have a new album out, simply titled II, and it was an inclusion on a recent This Is Jazz Today column (go read it).

Here’s a 2016 performance at Ionoteka in St. Petersburg, Russia.

And if you want to skip the write-up and just go listen to more of the album (and purchase it), you can do both at the artist’s Bandcamp page.

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Jan 21 2017

Recommended: Hush Point – “III”

 

A pleasant straight-ahead session from the Hush Point quartet of trumpeter John McNeil, saxophonist Jeremy Udden, bassist Aryeh Kobrinsky and drummer Anthony Pinciotti.  The recording comes off as an intimate affair, and the proof of this is how the quartet’s subdued restraint radiates all kinds of warmth.  Rather than go for the fireworks, the quartet steers the conversation with little personality quirks, and it makes straight-forward dialog something more interesting.  The best example of this on their new release III is the three-part “Suite” and how some cool blues bop and modern post-bop wandering comes off as fashioned from the same lexicon and breathed out in one continuous sentence.  And then there’s a track like “Azmari Bar,” where the Ethiopian music influence and sudden burst of controlled fury is yet able to flow seamlessly into the album’s overall confluence of sound.  That the quartet is able to bring about a sense of cohesion in these circumstances says a lot about the strength of the musicians and the benefits of the long-term collaboration between them.

Your album personnel:  John McNeil (trumpet), Jeremy Udden (alto & c-melody saxophones), Aryeh Kobrinsky (bass) and Anthony Pinciotti (drums).

Released on Sunnyside Records.

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

Music from NYC.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

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

Jan 21 2017

These are videos that I like: Kungobram at Mains d’Oeuvres, Trio Repelente at Disjuntor, The Flash! at Alchemia

 

Today’s featured videos put the spotlight on ensembles that were included in the two most recent This Is Jazz Today columns.

First up is the ensemble Kungobram, who’s infectious groove-styled music is bolstered by some lovely melodic textures.  A big reason for this is how they feature the kamalengoni, an African rhythm harp.  Here’s a promo they put together from a live show at Mains d’Oeuvres.

Go and read more about this band and their new album (LINK).

Next up is a live performance from Trio Repelente.  This from São Paulo, Brazil trio works up a rhythmic storm that allows the enchanting threads of melody to slip on through.  This 2016 show at Disjuntor is their new album in a nutshell.  Check out their YouTube page for more videos from this show.

Go and read more about this band and their new album (LINK).

And our third and final video today of the power trio The Flash!  This live show at Krakow’s Alchemia is a pretty good indicator of the levels of fun that come out in their new album.

Go and read more about this band and their new album (LINK).

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