Jan 7 2019
Best of 2018 #32: Anton Hunter – “Article XI”
There’s always the sense of a massive vision to this album, and it’s how Anton Hunter keeps the focus on the microcosm of the moment that cinches this recording as something special. In my original write-up, I state that traversing this album is like a journey through the funhouse. And while its lyricism, often absurd and capable of inciting tiny epiphanies, often does command center stage, the benefit of time slowly reveals that it’s the competing, complementary perspectives that is the true driving force… like watching simultaneous evolutions of worlds inside of worlds.
Released on Efpi Records.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Music from Manchester, UK.
When I wrote about this album 
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.
Jan 7 2019
Best of 2018 #31: Anat Cohen & Fred Hersch – “Live in Healdsburg”
Released on Anzic Records.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Music from Healdsburg, CA.
Available at: Bandcamp | Amazon
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 1 • Tags: Anat Cohen, Anzic Records, Fred Hersch, Healdsburg (CA), Jazz - Best of 2018