Dec 24 2018

Album of the Day: “Ithaca” by Xavi Molero & Guillem Callejón

 

Artist:  Xavi Molero & Guillem Callejón

Album:  Ithaca

Label:  Tres Ceps

Style:  Free floating jazz

Favorite Track: “Houston, TX”

Music from:  Barcelona, Spain

What I like about it:  That the melody is expressed as if it were a rolling fog, changing directions without warning, and possessing no clear lines of demarcation of where it begins and ends… and yet there is a clear and defining presence to this music, framed by the rustle of percussion and a rhythmic point of view that balances succinct dialog and its limitless forms of communication.  I like how moody and edgy this music gets, but that this doesn’t prevent the duo of guitarist Guillem Callejón and drummer Xavi Molero from creating an atmosphere that borders on soothing.

Your album personnel:  Xavi Molero (drums) and Guillem Callejón (guitar).

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Dec 22 2018

Album of the Day: “NauMay” by Juan Ibarra

 

Artist:  Juan Ibarra

Album:  NauMay

Label:  Self-Produced

Style:  School of Brian Blade Fellowship

Favorite Track: “REM”

Music from:  Montevideo, Uruguay

What I like about it:  I like how each track of this album is defined by its intense melodic surges, and how they keep containment even when exploration of that melody threatens to tear everything apart at the seams.  The same qualities that have me eternally addicted to the Brian Blade Fellowship are what holds me in place on NauMay.  Over the course of the last year, I have not been able to stop listening to this album, and I have no intention of ever trying.

Other Notes:  This recording was included in my Best Jazz Albums on Bandcamp 2018 column.  Go check out what else I said about this recording.

Your album personnel:  Juan Ibarra (drums), Gonzalo Levin (tenor, soprano & alto saxophones), Ignacio Labrada (piano), Martin Ibarra (guitar), Antonino Restuccia (double bass) and guests:  Benjamin Barreiro (tenor sax), Federico Lazzarini (trumpet).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

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

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: , ,

Dec 19 2018

The Best Jazz on Bandcamp in 2018

 

It was another great year in jazz and improvised music, and one measure of the scene’s strength are the monthly recommendation columns I write for The Bandcamp Daily.  They just posted my Best Jazz on Bandcamp 2018 column, in which I highlight fifteen of the best recordings to retail on the Bandcamp site.  Some recap albums recommended in earlier months, while others make their debut in my column.  There’s some familiar names to regular visitors of this site (and my other outlets), and, of course, there’s some names that’ll be brand new to you just as they were to me.

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

And check out past recommendations by running through the archives.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

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Dec 18 2018

Album of the Day: “I Told the Little Bird” by Pj5

 

Artist:  Pj5

Album:  I Told the Little Bird

Label:  Jazz & People

Style:  Lullaby-jazz / Alarm-clock-rock fusion

Favorite Track: “Peaceful Struggle”

Music from:  Paris, France

What I like about it:  This recording displays a masterful balance between simmering tension and explosive volatility, and I like how the tonal and emotional shifts it incites resonate like mad.  I like how this music barely maintains its structure at times, and then suddenly dives deep into a melodic inspiration, thereby giving sharp definition to everything in that moment and all that has passed.

Your album personnel:  Paul Jarret (guitar), Maxence Ravelomanantsoa (tenor sax), Léo Pellet (trombone), Alexandre Perrot (double bass), Ariel Tessier (drums), Isabel Sörling (voice) and Jozef Dumoulin (Fender rhodes).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

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

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

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Dec 17 2018

Album of the Day: “Rêveries Sonores” by Super Alone

 

Artist:  Super Alone

Album:  Rêveries Sonores

Label:  Self-Produced

Style:  Frisellian solo guitar

Favorite Track:  “Cos”

Music from:  Paris, France.

What I like about it:  I like how these pieces are laid open bare, as if Robin Nitram (aka Super Alone) ripped open the chest of his compositions to create the most direct link between the listener and the heart of the song.  I like how these pieces have a lullaby nature to them, even when they growl menacingly.  I like how the rendition of “Blue In Green” honors the original’s melody, but is shaped to snap into place with the original pieces on this recording.  I like how some pieces veer into Frisellian looping territory, because of course I like that.  This album casts a powerful enchantment.

Your album personnel:  Robin Nitram (guitar).

Available at: Bandcamp

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

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: , , ,

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