Mar 8 2018

Now up: February’s “Best of Bandcamp Jazz” recommendations

 

Now up, the latest Best of Bandcamp Jazz recommendations for The Bandcamp Daily.  The newest monthly installment covers albums for February 2018.  There’s eleven primary recommendations in total, plus some side recommendations to boot.  Because, really, eleven is not enough.  Of special note are the number of follow-up recordings by artists who match or even exceed the awesomeness of their previous release.  Not an easy thing to do!  And, of course, there’s some names that’ll be brand new to you just as they were to me.  Have fun!

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:

Mar 7 2018

Here’s two albums for when you want to spend the entire day watching the rain fall outside

 

It’s been raining here a bunch lately.  Most days, by necessity, my reaction must be whatevs, because I’ve got stuff to do and places to go and other mundane phrases representing mundane tasks.  But not this day.  Today, I’m going to spend the day on my sofa, surrounded by cats, and just stare out the big windows of my home at a foggy, gloomy rainy day enveloping the quaint downtown skyline.

Here’s two albums that snap right into place with that kind of day.  I listen to them plenty on other other occasions, too, but it wasn’t until today’s overcast skies and patter of raindrops against the window pane that their perfection for just such moment crystalized in my mind.

 

Phil France – The Swimmer

As part of the Cinematic Orchestra, Phil France has displayed a talent for manipulating the equation that binds a pretty melody with captivating imagery and the freedom to roam.  He applied those same principles to his 2013 release The Swimmer (re-released by Gondwana Records in 2017), but where his Cinematic Orchestra produced music that captured the beauty of still life in a frozen moment, France’s solo project is the motion of road trips through the countryside.  The warmth of string sections and blasts of furious percussion add some warmth and edge to all of the massive beauty, and, thankfully, gives it some personality that is occasionally a bit unhinged and not so predictable.  The pulsing keyboards are like raindrops, and the string harmonies are a cloud front that ripples like the sea and fills the entire sky with infinitely different shades of grey.  The music is moody and active, just like scene outside the window.

Your album personnel:  Phil France (keyboards, synths, bass), Stuart McCallum (guitar), Richard Spaven (drums, percussion), Daniel Bridgewater-Hall (violin), Sernay Wu (cello), Vincent Helbers (drums), Susannah Simmons, Adam Robinson (violins), Naomi Koop (viola) and Patrick Carpenter, Phil Kay (production & effects).

Released on Gondwana Records.  Listen to more of the album on their Bandcamp page.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

 

Trigg & Gusset – Adagio for the Blue

There’s just a hint of space jazz on this 2015 recording by the duo Trigg & Gusset.  Pianist Bart Knol and saxophonist Erik van Geer layer electronics and effects under, over and all through this laid-back session, and give peaceful music energetic undertones… like ripples disturbing the serenity of a lake’s surface just enough to add distinction and texture.  They have a series of guests that add even more texture, with instruments like flamenco guitar, trumpet, double bass and electric guitar.  The effect ranges anywhere from sparks flying to moonlight settling in for the night.

In more than a few ways, it reminds me of Galaxies Like Grains of Sand by Hampshire & Foat.  It, too, possessed a vague space jazz sound and resilient tranquility, as if a soundtrack for astronauts watching shooting stars on a lazy day on Mars.

Your album personnel:  Bart Knol (piano, Fender Rhodes, electric guitar, synths, beats, samples), Erik van Geer (tenor sax, bass sax, bass clarinet, flute) and guests: Dominique Bentvelsen (double bass), Midas Ghijsels (acoustic & flamenco guitars), Just Lavooij (double bass), Coen Hamelink (trumpet), Matthijs Blom (electric guitar).

Released on Preserved Sound.  Listen to more of the album on their Bandcamp page.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

By • Beyond Jazz Reviews • 0 • Tags:

Mar 6 2018

So, yeah, compositions by Bowie and Eno really made me fall for this new album from the Delta Saxophone Quartet

 

David Bowie went through many changes.  His metamorphoses in persona were as wild as those occurring in his music.  One such time, when he was strung out from a life of drugs and parties, Bowie retreated to Switzerland, before eventually settling in Berlin, Germany (hunkering down with Iggy Pop, actually).  Throwing himself into the art scene, Bowie developed an interest in the ambient and electronic music from that locale, and this led to meeting up with Brian Eno.  This partnership resulted in Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy… the albums Low, Heroes and Lodger.  The electro-ambient influence is evident in all three, especially the first recording, Low.

On Bowie, Berlin and Beyond, the Delta Saxophone Quartet embrace the songbook from that period of Bowie’s creative arc.  As the ambient drones of “Warzawa” prove immediately, this music is tailor made for the harmonies of a saxophone quartet.

On some tracks, they grab ahold of the melody and don’t let go.  The propulsion of “Speed of Life” matches that of its original, while the quartet’s rendition of “Breaking Glass” has the same punchy swagger.  And though they certainly honor the Bowie originals, these aren’t by the number takes.  The quartet freely add harmonic twists and quirky solos that never emerge on a Bowie recording.  And then there’s the subtlety applied to a rendition of “Heroes,” and how the song only really shows its face as they approach the finale.  Arguably, the strongest track is a rendition of “Art Decade,” where the quartet splits the difference between remaining tethered to the original composition and wandering off to explore where it might take them.  The result is something exceedingly hypnotic, both through its emphasis of a catchy melody and its beguiling motion.

As a special treat, the quartet also performs something from Brian Eno… the opening passage of the classic work Music for Airports.  This, along with some interludes of improvisation, completes a very satisfying and enjoyable dive into Bowie’s Berlin period.

Your album personnel:  Graeme Blevins (sopranino & soprano saxophones, clarinet), Peter Whyman (alto sax, clarinet), Tim Holmes (tenor sax, clarinet) and Chris Caldwell (baritone sax, bass clarinet).

Released on FMR Records.

Music from London.

Available at:  Amazon

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

Mar 5 2018

The first two albums from Mike Lebrun’s Beakerbox Records are pretty damn promising

 

The L.A.-based Beakerbox Records released its first two albums at the tail-end of 2017.  One of those recordings features label head Mike Lebrun, a Chicago expat who set down roots on the L.A. scene a couple years back.  Based on these initial offerings, it’s clear that Lebrun is opening things up to the West Coast sound.  It’s a promising development, especially when viewed as part of a vibrant scene that includes the World Galaxy Records label.  So, with that out of the way, let’s begin talking music.

 

Mike Lebrun – Shades

There’s some parallels to be drawn between Shades and another 2017 release, Paul Jones’s Clean.  Jones adapted electronic music and hip hop patterns into a jazz environment, and there’s a great sense of the same manifestation on Mike Lebrun‘s Shades.  Throughout, a pulsing tempo provides the melodies with shape and definition.  Modulating those tempos gives the melodies an elasticity that keeps the ear hanging on.  The repetition and quick jumps mimic a command to motion… perhaps to dance or perhaps something like it.  Even when he strings the melodies out on a track like “Clusterduck,” that flow is what sees the song to its end.  The album’s sole vocal track “Going Through the Emotions” is that effect at the opposite end of the spectrum, and would be right at home on the dance floor.

It’s appealing how brief many of these pieces are.  Shades is like a book of short stories.  An idea is presented.  The idea is pushed ahead just a little bit, just enough to provoke some thoughts on its many possibilities.  And then, quite suddenly, it’s over.  But how it goes down isn’t abrupt, and there’s never any real feeling of it being over too soon, like, say, the afterimage of an interlude.  It’s simply a series of succinct melodic statements told in rhythmic code.  Bonus points for weaving the Beach Boys’ “Surfer Girl” into the fabric of melodic patterns that repeat throughout the recording.

Your album personnel:  Mike Lebrun (tenor, soprano & alto saxophones, flute, clarinet, glockenspiel), Josh Johnson (alto sax), Daniel Szabo (piano), Anna Butterss (upright bass), Nick Mancini (vibraphone), Kevin Van Den Elzen (drums) and guests: Amber Navran (vocals), Aaron Serfaty (percussion).

Released on Beakerbox Records.

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

Music from L.A.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

 

Zephyr Avalon – Zephyr Avalon

I’m glad there’s still jazz albums being made like the self-titled release from Zephyr Avalon.  It’s the same kind of springtime grooves and sunshine melodies that put the soul into 1970s Ramsey Lewis and Earth Wind & Fire funk-jazz fusion recordings.  Harmonies that could melt ice in December come cascading down, one after the other, making every song as soothing as it is lively.  But this isn’t some tribute to old-school music.  With an updated cosmic jazz action as the backdrop to R&B motion and Hip Hop yearnings make this a snappy mix of modern sounds.  Avalon adds a vocal track and a spoken word to the instrumental pieces before ending the album with a straight-ahead piece that reveals the tradition rooted in the band’s past, and present.

Your album personnel:  Zephyr Avalon (electric & upright basses), Jonah Levine (trombone), Mike Lebrun (tenor sax, flute), Jacob Mann (piano, electric piano, synthesizers), Efa Etoroma, Jr. (drums) and guests: Genevieve Artadi, Harry Mack, Amber Navran (vocals).

Released on Beakerbox Records.

Music from L.A.

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

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 1 • Tags: , ,

Mar 4 2018

These are videos that I like: January’s Best Jazz on Bandcamp

 

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

First up is a promo trailer for Life of Sensitive Creatures, the new release from Tony Tixier.  The pianist rolls out one gorgeous melody after the next, and spends the duration of each tune giving those melodies substance and personality.  It’s a wonderful example of the modern piano trio session, and everybody needs albums like this in their music library.

If you want to skip the write-up and just go check the album out, you can give it a listen and purchase it on Whirlwind Recordings’ Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.

Next up is a live video from Jessica Lurie.  This in-studio performance happened out near Lurie’s previous home turf at Tacoma, Washington’s KNKX Public Radio.  The song they perform in this video, “Calder’s Circus,” is a track from Lurie’s new release Long Haul.  It’s a slightly different line-up than on the recording, but the performance falls right in line with it.  You can check out more videos from this performance on the KNKX YouTube page.  Also, Lurie’s trombonist, Naomi Moon-Siegel, has something new of her own that you’ll be reading about in February’s Best Jazz on Bandcamp column.

Your video personnel:  Jessica Lurie (sax), Naomi Moon-Siegel (trombone), Andy Coe (guitar), Ben Feldman (bass) and Tarik Abouzied (drums).

If you want to skip the write-up and just go check the album out, you can give it a listen and purchase it on the artist’s Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.

And let’s wrap up with a video from Chris Abelen‘s Songs on the Eve of Dismissal.  A gospel for those consigned to cubicle life, the trombonist’s new album captures the angst and ennui of the career office employee.  It was the last of my recommendations for January’s Best of Bandcamp Jazz column, but definitely not the least of them.

If you want to skip the write-up and just go check the album out, you can give it a listen and purchase it on the artist’s Bandcamp page.  It’s also available at Amazon.

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

By • These are videos that I like • 0

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