Going South has got plenty of groove, but this isn’t a dance album, per se.  Because the newest from Omri Ziegele Where’s Africa trio has got a soft touch of introspection and a strong dose of volatility to accompany its predominately joyful sound.  “Afreaka” threatens to come apart at the seams, and the cadence of “Space” is agreeably awkward and there’s a strangely mesmerizing effect from the melodic sighs and harmonic drone of “Yesterday’s Tomorrows,” and all of this emerges with a simple ease in the context of music made to incite motion.

Apparently, Ziegele was setting down roots in London around the time that many of the great South African jazz musicians were doing the same to escape the terror of Apartheid of their own home turf.  That Ziegele would be influenced by music legends like Abdullah Ibrahim, Chris Mcgregor, Dudu Pukwana, Johnny Dyani and Louis Moholo is a natural outcome.  Going South is clear evidence of just how much of an impact that influence made.

A very fun album.

Your album personnel:  Omri Ziegele (alto sax, Uzbek flute, vocals), Yves Theiler (keyboards, reed organ, melodica, vocals) and Dario Sisera (percussion, drums).

Released on Intakt Records.

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

Music from Zurich, Switzerland.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

There is something positively magnetic about this awkward and energetic set from the trio of Nicolás Vera, Leo Genovese and Félix Lecaros.  The melodies of Mitos del Sur are gawky, as if they’re learning how to walk by learning first how to run.  And the tempos take abrupt turns and odd bursts of acceleration and sudden stops.  Vera’s guitar makes good use of electronic effects.  No matter whether Leo Genovese is on piano or keyboards, his contribution is equally haunting and humorous.  On drums, Félix Lecaros is the closest thing to normal on this hyperactive recording.  His conversational style forms a tight bond with his trio mates even when their untamed nature rages out of control.

So, what’s this music like?  Well, “Luz Mala” begins as a flickering candle flame before setting fire to the curtains and enveloping the entire room.  “Nuevas Dimensiones” is the sound of a melody burrowing underground, occasionally bursting through the surface to check its location before diving back under.  “Silent Poets” are delirium tremens composed for rhythmic convulsions.  You get the idea.

All kinds of personality to this one, and all of it is seriously fun.

Your album personnel:  Nicolás Vera (guitar), Leo Genovese (piano, keyboards) and Félix Lecaros (drums).

Released on Aconcagua Records.

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

Music from Santiago, Chile.

Buy:  Bandcamp | Amazon | eMusic

On Grey Sky, bassist David Tranchina offers up six concise works as if showing floor model soundtracks for stormy weather.  The opener “When Will It Rain?” is meant for exactly those times when the answer to that question is “any minute now.”  The melody trickles out and the moodiness is a perfect match for a horizon framed by dark clouds.  Guest vocalist Argenta Walther is the sound of thunder on “The Flood,” when all hell breaks loose.  “Nectarine” is for puttering around the house to keep the cabin fever at bay.  And when it gets to be too much and the walls close in, the gentle sway of “Blue Fragments” is for an aimless drive around the city in the storm, whereas “Yotabytes” is when gleefully running through the rain sounds like more fun.  The title-track closes out the album, and its uneasy peacefulness and ominous undertone is the atmosphere of a storm winding down, when the sky is still charged with wild electricity and an uncertainty hangs in the air whether the elemental upheaval is truly over.

And though the entirety of Grey Sky seems bound together by that common theme, in actuality, each piece has a personality distinct one from the other.  The album’s sense of cohesion is a condition of its imagery.  It lends to no little bit of intrigue, and considering it’s Tranchina’s debut as a session leader, it’s a promising development.

Your album personnel:  David Tranchina (bass), Gary Fukushima (piano, Wurlitzer), Trevor Anderies (drums) and guest: Argenta Walther (voices).

Released on Orenda Records.

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

Music from Los Angeles.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon