Jan 27 2020

Best of 2019 #31: Fabian Almazan Trio – “This Land Abounds With Life”

 

When writing about this album for The Bandcamp Daily, I reference both John Zorn’s Alhambra Love Trio and Marcin Wasilewski Trio’s January as two bird-of-a-feather recordings to This Land Abounds With Life.  On his 2019 release, Fabian Almazan crafts a series of immaculate tunes.  Viewed individually, there isn’t a single track on this album that isn’t pure gold was how I originally phrased it in my original write-up, and I see no reason not to include that statement in my year-end wrap-up.  It’s not just the finely crafted melodies or the rhythms that flow out like riveting conversation, but in how the pianist expands on the best qualities of each, making each piece resonate as something larger than it is when viewed in isolation.  And, of even greater import is how this carries over from piece to piece, as if each composition is having an undercurrent of dialog with each other piece throughout the duration of the recording.  It’s the equivalent of an architectural marvel providing a glimpse of the intricate skeleton of infrastructure that lies behind the ornamentation, illustrating how many types of beauty contribute to the beauty of the whole.  Almazan is doing some special stuff with his Biophilia Records label, and it’s so much more than just a vehicle to feature his own music.  Be that as it may, it’s a welcome opportunity to be able to shine the spotlight on one of his own gems on the Best of 2019.

Your album personnel:  Fabian Almazan (piano, percussion, electronics), Linda May Han Oh (acoustic & electric basses), Henry Cole (drums), and guests: Megan Gould (violin), Monica Davis (violin), Karen Waltuch (viola) and Eleanor Norton (cello).

Released on Biophilia Records.

Music from New York City.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Jan 27 2020

Best of 2019 #32: Abdullah Ibrahim – “The Balance”

 

Abdullah Ibrahim brings a poignancy to a melody unlike any other jazz musician, ever.  Perhaps this is something that was destined to occur or perhaps it is a talent shaped by a life under Apartheid, including life as an exile and, later, a return to his South Africa home.  There is both joy and sadness, exultation and melancholy carried upon the pianist’s expressions of melody, and these are not contradictions but the embodiment of what it means to be alive, and perhaps that is why the music of Abdullah Ibrahim flows through the body as essentially and effortlessly as blood to the heart.  The Balance was recorded over a single day with Ibrahim’s long-time septet Ekaya, and it adds to catalog of music that is as profound and important as any musician’s, ever.

Your album personnel:  Abdullah Ibrahim (piano), Noah Jackson (double bass, cello), Will Terrill (drums), Cleave Guyton Jr. (alto sax, flute, piccolo), Lance Bryant (tenor sax), Andrae Murchison (trombone), Marshall McDonald (baritone sax), and guests:  Alec Dankworth (double bass), Adam Glasser (harmonica).

Released on Gearbox Records.

Music from Cape Town, South Africa.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

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Jan 27 2020

Best of 2019 #33: R. Scott – “Ghosts of Merced”

 

Ghosts of Merced is a quality example of the genre-blending common to the modern jazz scene, where the lines between old-school and new-school jazz are as blurred as they are between jazz, minimalism, rock, chamber, folk and any other influence that seems right in the moment.  But this ephemeral quality can live also as metaphor, and perhaps also intent.  R.Scott’s tribute to his San Joaquin roots is a sonic representation of the life lived on that soil, and life is nothing if not blurred lines of personality and actions and dreams that drive the ineffable equation of “who am I.”  It’s also a recording with deep dives into pools of melody and a rhythmic chatter that ranges from the susurrant to excited chatter.  Chris Schlarb contributes to this recording, and he and Scott are clearly birds of a feather, as Ghosts of Merced harken back to the early Psychic Temple recordings.

Your album personnel:  R. Scott (acoustic piano, Hammond organ, Moog Prodigy synthesizer, Panasonic Panapet transistor radio), Nic Chaffee (trumpet), Danny Frankel (drums, percussion), Philip Glenn (violin), Chris McCarthy (cello), Gabriel “Slam” Nobles (marimba, vibraphone), Alex Sadnik (alto sax), Jeff Schwartz (double bass), Anthony Shadduck (electric bass), Charles Sharp (baritone sax, bass clarinet) and Garrit Tillman (drums).

Released on Orenda Records.

Music from Long Beach, CA.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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Jan 27 2020

Best of 2019 #34: Beloveds – “Så Tar Natten Dig Åter”

 

There’s a whimsical, theatrical quality to the debut of Beloveds, and it’s as much the guiding hand of the music as it is a reaction to the cross-country folk music travels of the septet’s range.  But what brings it all together for this Gothenburg ensemble is their adherence to Progg, the Swedish left wing, anti-commercial music movement of the previous century.  The sense of this being protest music is unmissable, and even when they express a sardonic attitude or silly sense of humor, the weight of their perspective hangs over it all and keeps things centered.  Wild melodic excursions, quick scene changes in tone, and harmonies that spring up like the mighty beating of wings as birds rise in flight make this one of the more eccentric, and fun, recordings of 2019.

Your album personnel:  Channa Riedel (vocals), Anton Jonsson (drums), Björn Petersson (bass), Joel Haag (guitar), Gustav Davidsson (trombone), Pelle Westlin (tenor sax, clarinet) and Karl Magnús Andersson (piano).

Released on Abrovinsch Records.

Music from Gothenburg, Sweden.

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Jan 26 2020

Best of 2019 #35: Daniel Erdmann’s Velvet Revolution – “Won’t Put No Flag Out”

 

Daniel Erdmann expresses a peculiar melodic perspective, and yet, somehow, still crafts things in a way that is inviting and almost catchy in its way.  One factor most responsible for overcoming any obstacles frequently encountered by unconventional music is Erdmann’s talent for giving curious melodies an anthemic quality.  There is often the sense that these melodies are an attempt to speak to something communal shared by all people, a variable common to us all regardless of the algebra specific to our individual heartbeats and brain waves.  This seems especially true of his 2019 release Won’t Put No Flag Out, with its roots in protest music and political activism.  And the inherent strangeness of his music is given especially pleasing peculiarities with the Velvet Revolution‘s instrumental combination of tenor sax, strings and vibraphone.  This is truly strange and beautiful music.

Your album personnel:  Daniel Erdmann (tenor sax), Théo Ceccaldi (violin, viola) and Jim Hart (vibraphone).

Released on BMC Records.

Music from Berlin, Germany.

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