Nov 8 2018

Recommended: Kira Kira – “Bright Force”

 

If you’re seeking out a sonic approximation of catching a ride in the center of a tornado, this session from the Kira Kira quartet of trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, keyboardist Alister Spence and drummer Ittetsu Takemura is a step in the right direction.  There is some melodic intent present.  Even amongst the chaos of Bright Force, you can catch glimpses of a melodic fragment.  But they are at the mercy of the forces of motion that rip a streak down the center of each piece, where turbulence and volatility are the gods that will the music forward.  Those moments when the trio gives a hint of the peacefulness that lies at the heart of the storm are almost stunning, both for their sudden appearance and also their piercing beauty.  This effect is revealed in its starkest terms on the three part “Luna Lionfish Suite.”

I’m believe I’m on solid footing to claim that people who use the word ‘fun’ to describe roller coasters have a far too liberal definition of that word, not to mention a thin grasp on their own sanity.  Be that as it may, those same people would probably tag Bright Force in much the same way.

Your album personnel:  Natsuki Tamura (trumpet), Alister Spence (Rhodes electric piano, effects pedals, preparations), Satoko Fujii (piano) and Ittetsu Takemura (drums).

Released on Libra Records.

Available at:  Amazon

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Nov 7 2018

Now up: October’s “Best Jazz on Bandcamp” recommendations

 

Now up, my latest Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations for The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for October 2018.  There’s ten primary recommendations in total, but, as always, I’ve added some sidecar recommendations to boot.  Because, really, ten is not enough.  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.

By • Announcement - Music • 0 • Tags:

Nov 5 2018

This is how a post about a Roller Trio video becomes a recommendation for J Frisco

 

So, earlier today I put together one of my Sunday video posts.  Featured among the videos was something new from the Roller Trio.  It was a live performance video from earlier this year in Leeds, and featured a tune from their new album New Devices (I adore that album).  As I was tracking down an appropriate video to feature, my search results brought back something rather odd and extremely fun.  It’s this… an interpretative dance to an older Roller Trio tune… in a kitchen.

Obviously I was going to feature that thing.

I did a quick google search on the track to confirm I was attributing that song to the correct album.  That’s when I noticed there was another video out there featuring the same girls dancing to Roller Trio.  This time, on stage.  I thought, hey, fun, the band invited the girls to reenact their little dance video at one of their shows.

Well, that led to another google search, because if I feature someone in a post, I’m giving them a shout-out and, hopefully, provide some links to projects of their own.  As it turned out, they do have a project of their own.  The J Frisco in the video title is the name of their trio.

Say hello to J Frisco, a trio of keyboardist Jemma Freese, saxophonist Lara Jones and guitarist Megan Roe.  From what I’ve heard so far, the Leeds-based musicians take an experimental approach to jazz, where ambient minimalism is the unlikely source of chaos and dissonance. Here’s a live performance of the song “Gender,” which is one of the tracks on their new album, Naked, out later this month.

Here’s a link to their Bandcamp page.  The new album isn’t up, and I haven’t yet confirmed even that they’re retailing it there.  However, there are two tracks loaded up, and they do a pretty decent job of showing their range when working in an ambient medium.

Even better is this collaboration with Archipelago at the Lancaster Jazz Festival.  I’m pretty well addicted to this piece.

J Frisco has plenty of other music loaded up to their Soundcloud page.  I recommend checking that out. Their YouTube page, too.

As I learn more about their upcoming album, I’ll pass along what I discover.

It’s posts like this one that keep me doing what I do.

By • Jazz Recommendations - 2018, These are videos that I like • 1 • Tags: ,

Nov 4 2018

These are videos that I like: Best jazz on Bandcamp

 

It won’t be long before my October recommendations post on the The Bandcamp Daily, but let’s revisit some of the recordings that made previous recommendations so special.

First up is a live performance video from the Roller Trio.  This 2018 gig at The Assembly House in Leeds pretty well sums up their penchant for wildness and unconventional behavior.  Their latest, New Devices, is one of the more thrilling albums to his the shelves in 2018.  Also, be sure to check back in later this evening.  We’ll be featuring one more video that utilizes Roller Trio’s music.

Here’s a link to my album write-up for The Bandcamp Daily.  And you can just go give the album a listen, and purchase it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.  Video by Ninia Film.

Next up is an old-school video from Dos Santos.  It features a song from a prior album, but everything about it, from the sound to the sense of fun, encapsulates everything their latest, Logos, has to offer.  Cumbia, salsa, post-bop, surf guitar are just a few of the influences that mark this excellent recording.

Here’s a link to my album write-up for The Bandcamp Daily.  And you can just go give the album a listen, and purchase it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.

And let’s wrap up with a promo video for The Stereography Project by Marike van Dijk.  The alto saxophonist’s latest builds upon her remarkable chamber jazz project by composing for vocals.  Katell Keineg and Jeff Taylor are spellbinding in those roles, each in their own way.  One of my favorite albums of 2018.

Here’s a link to my album write-up for The Bandcamp Daily.  And you can just go give the album a listen, and purchase it, on the artist’s Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.

And follow this link to check out the archives of my Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations on The Bandcamp Daily.

By • These are videos that I like • 0

Nov 3 2018

Recommended: Geir Sundstol – “Brodlos”

 

The music of Geir Sundstøl is elemental.  The guitarist’s spellbinding melodies are a stiff breeze in a sonic atmosphere that settles in right from the first note and doesn’t fade until the last has sounded.  His latest solo release Brødløs does nothing to diminish this reputation.  An inspired medley of Bowie’s “Warzawa” and Coltrane’s “Alabama” is the album centerpiece, but just as compelling a facet of Sundstøl’s sound is the dizzying array of instruments put to use.  Pedal steel, Shankar guitar, moog, banjo, loops, mandolin are just a few of the sonic textures Sundstøl layers atop one another.  Add to this the guitarist’s enlistment of an equally diverse set of musicians on tabla, keyboards, effects, wind instruments and percussion, and this music’s hypnotic effect is amplified a hundred fold.

This is truly singular music.

Your album personnel:  Geir Sundstøl (pedal steel, six string bass, banjo, harmonica, cümbüs ̧ National Duolian, Shankar guitar, Moog MiniTaur, Lexicon organ, pianochordia, marxophone, timpani, optigan, guitar, mandolin, Prime Time loops), David Wallumrød (Minimoog, Prophet 5, Arp Pro Soloist and Juno 60), Erland Dahlen (drums, drum machine, frame drum, steel drum, log drum, marching toms, xylophones, dulcimer, musical saw, Schulmerich handbells, blossombells, triangle, metal plates, and vocals), Nils Petter Molvær (trumpet), Jo Berger Myhre (Fender VI, Moog Minitaur), Sanskriti Sheresta (tablas, vocals) and Mats Eilertsen (acoustic bass, vocals).

Released on Hubro Music.

Listen to another album track at the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from the Oslo, Norway scene.

Available at:  Amazon

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