Dec 16 2018

Album of the Day: “Slippery” by Hannah McKittrick

 

Artist:  Hannah McKittrick

Album:  Slippery

Label:  Self-Produced

Style:  Moonlight jazz with vocals

Favorite Track:  “Theatre of Gesture”

Music from:  Melbourne, Australia

What I like about it:  This is moody music through and through, and I like how it reveals streaks of lighthearted cheerfulness as an appealing bit of contrast.  I like how Hannah McKittrick’s vocals come heavy with the drama, but by delivering them with restraint, the music is more hypnotic burning embers than a wild conflagration.  I like how the ensemble unfolds its lyricism in a way that honors the vocals instead of simply existing at the vocals’ behest.

Your album personnel:  Hannah McKittrick (vocals), Max Slorach (saxophones), Theo Carbo (guitar), Nat Bartsch (piano), Noah Hutchinson (bass, synth) and Ollie Cox (drums, percussion).

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 15 2018

Album of the Day: “Divertimento” by Phelan Burgoyne and Emanuele Maniscalco

 

Artist:  Phelan Burgoyne & Emanuele Maniscalco

Album: Divertimento

Label:  Hout Records

Style:  Rainy day jazz

Favorite Track:  “Arcadia”

Music from:  London, UK and Brescia, Italy

What I like about it:  I like how the opening track’s melody is a plant slowly sprouting from the seed, burrowing its way from underground while occasionally flashing the beauty that one day will reach its fullness, and I like how the second and third tracks are the payoff of the blossoming flowers.  I like how the first track, over twenty-one minutes in length, goes through passages of development, where it gives the sense of approaching a conclusion, but then resets and starts back over… but a little bit different each time, and starting not over from scratch, but from a new plateau.

Other notes:  The pianist on this session, Emauele Maniscalco, has been involved in a remarkable number of excellent recordings over the last year, and you should definitely check him out.  So, too, the trio session from drummer Phelan Burgoyne, covered on this site not that long ago.

Your album personnel:  Phelan Burgoyne (drums) and Emanuele Maniscalco (piano).

Available at:  Bandcamp

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

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.  Both of them.

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Dec 14 2018

I’m proud to have contributed to the Bandcamp Best Albums of 2018

 

The Bandcamp Daily has posted their Best Albums of 2018, representing the top 100 recordings across all genres.  I am proud to have contributed three write-ups for albums appearing in the top 20.

They are for Makaya McCraven’s Universal Beings, Ryan Porter’s The Optimist and Alan Braufman’s Valley of Search.

Go check out my write-ups and all of the albums on the list.  There is not a better list on the internet for exploring the vast landscape of music today.

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Dec 13 2018

Album of the Day: “Sugarwork” by Sugarwork

 

Artist:  Sugarwork

Album:  Sugarwork

Label:  Self-Produced

Style:  Electronic jazz fusion

Favorite Track: “That Strange Summer”

Music from:  Scotland, UK

What I like about it:  This is a battle between robots and humans.  There is a thick electronic presence to this recording, and sometimes the electronic effects achieve a state of dominance over every expression.  Sometimes, however, it’s the organic instruments that turn the battle in their favor.  But what I like best are when those two opposing forces achieve a unity, still locked in struggle, but in which the end of one and the beginning of the next are not so easy to differentiate.  I like how the very opening of the album has the whimsical frivolity of an 80’s action movie soundtrack, but then progresses into increasingly profound expressions of melody and harmony.  I like how each time I listen to this recording, the music causes a change in my perception of it, as all of those variables exert their influence upon the listening experience.

Your album personnel:  Phil Bancroft (tenor sax), Graeme Stephen (guitar), Stuart Brown (drums, percussion) and Paul Harrison (keyboards, piano, production).

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 11 2018

Album of the Day: “The Multiverse” by Scott McLemore

 

Artist:  Scott McLemore

Album: The Multiverse

Label:  Sunny Sky Records

Style:  Campfire jazz

Favorite Track:  “All the Time”

Music from:  Reykjavik, Iceland

What I like about it:  When this quartet settles into a melody, it’s immensely captivating.  On tracks like “All the Time” and “Clementine,” they achieve just the right balance of contemplation and liveliness, tranquility and kick.  Sometimes Scott McLemore lets the lyricism run wild, and while I personally don’t care for those moments quite as much, there’s a part of me that fears their absence might cause those melodically-focused passages to resonate with not quite the same strength.  That’s not a trade-off I’m willing to make.  This is especially true in light of tracks like “Toes in the Water” and “To Catch a Glimpse,” where the dedication to serenity on the former and to propulsion on the latter contribute as much to cause of listener enjoyment as those that find that perfect balance I previously raved about.  While certain tracks may speak to a listener more than others, there’s an inescapable conclusion that all of these tracks feed off one another in some pretty essential ways, and those indirect lines of communication are likely to have a cause-effect relationship with the ear that goes unnoticed.

Other Notes:  One of the album’s track is “Gene Wilder,” which is the second such song title bearing the comedian’s name.  The other is by Threads Orchestra (an album I still adore). Totally different pieces, and both so damn enchanting in their own way.  Also, Pierre Perchaud is one of my favorite guitarists, and you should definitely check out his music.

Your album personnel:  Scott McLemore (drums), Hilmar Jensson (electric guitar), Pierre Perchaud (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, baritone guitar) and Mats Eilertsen (bass).

Available at:  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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