Best Jazz of 2019

Jan 19 2020

Best of 2019 #63: Sly Horizon – “The Anatomy of Light”

 

There’s an unsettling moment at the peak of a morning sunrise, when the sun has cleared the horizon, and the shades of pinks, oranges, and deep blues show signs of daytime, and the city, which had been hushed to that point, begins to hum with wakefulness and activity.  It’s a moment that produces cracks in the serenity with the knowledge that peacefulness is coming to an end, and the clash and motion and disruption of daily life is the next thing to crest the horizon.  That is the embodiment of The Anatomy of Light.  The Sly Horizon trio of trombonist Rick Parker, seven-string guitarist Álvaro Domene, and drummer-percussionist Jeremy Carlstedt capture that corrosive effect upon tranquility, and channel it in a way that pretty damn well approximates the ebb and flow of the light’s evolution through a day in the life of anyone who’s living it.

Your album personnel:  Rick Parker (trombone, electronics, and synths), Álvaro Domene (7 string guitar and electronics) and Jeremy Carlstedt (drums and electronics).

Released on Iluso Records.

Music from New York City.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Jan 19 2020

Best of 2019 #64: Malboro Bled – “Malboro Bled”

 

Damn but I like how this trio flexes a melody.  It’s all about the shows of strength on the eponymous debut from the Malboro Bled, but the charm of the album is in how that strength translates to its momentum.  The motion, judged on its own merits, is pretty addictive, but how it shapes a melody’s development or the way in which it builds to a peak of harmonic bliss or digs into a thick groove is where the power’s true source of goodness shines through.  It’s also why the moments of peacefulness resonate so much more strongly.  Cellist Bruno Ducret, drummer Maxime Rouayroux, and bass saxophonist Fred Gastard have put together an album that is exciting as hell, and it’s often not until the ride is over that it sinks in just how much fun it is, too.

Your album personnel:  Bruno Ducret (cello), Maxime Rouayroux (drums), and Fred Gastard (bass saxophone).

The album is Self-Produced.

Music from Bled, Slovenia.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Jan 19 2020

Best of 2019 #65: Iago Aguado – “Festina Lente”

 

This is rainy day music that retained some of the sunlight that preceded it.  This is rainy day music that respects how the streaks of lightning and grumbles of thunder are equal contributors to the serene ambiance of the gentle patter of rain hitting the window sill.  Iago Aguado achieves all of these perspectives by matching languorous cadences with melodies that bend like light, melt like wax.  There’s liveliness to balance out the introspective tones, and a tuneful catchiness to keep the contemplation reined in.  David Soler’s pedal steel adds tons of character, and Joana Gomila’s vocal contributions frame the instrumental pieces, as if two sides of the same picture.  This is music for lazy days, and for busy days to make them seem a little calmer than they are.

Your album personnel:  Iago Aguado (guitar), David Soler (pedal steel), Joana Gomila (vocals), Miguel Villar (tenor sax), David Mengual (double bass), and Oriol Roca (drums).

Released on Underpool Music.

Music from Barcelona, Spain.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp

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Jan 19 2020

Best of 2019 #66: Mats Eilertsen – “Reveries and Revelations”

 

Mats Eilertsen has been responsible for all kinds of fascinating music, so it’s no small thing to say that Reveries and Revelations is arguably his most compelling work to date.  It’s a series of de facto duo sessions performed in isolation.  The bassist recorded pieces in his own home studio, and then sent the music to a handful of collaborators to perform their own music along to it.  In turn, they sent that music back to him, and thus began the final stage of putting it all together into something of a sonic collage.  Eilertsen retains the minimalist aspect of the music, and never lets the recreation become something illogical or untraceable back to the solitary nature of this music.  And yet, he generates a large presence with these pieces, something that transcends the first blush impression of introspection and peaceful tones.  It is not unlike how sparse noises seem to roar out from the quiet black of night… almost as if silence is the best reflective surface for huge sounds to incubate.  There’s also an intimacy to this music, and seems to belie the claim that the musicians were miles apart when making their contributions to the final product.  All of it comes together for one of the most compelling works of 2019.

Your album personnel:  Mats Eilertsen (double bass, electric bass, acoustic bass guitar, guitar, harmonium, keyboard), and guests: Geir Sundstøl (guitar, national guitar, banjo), Eivind Aarset (guitar), Thomas Strønen (drums, percussion, electronics), Per Oddvar Johansen (snare drum) and Arve Henriksen (trumpet).

Released on Hubro Music.

Music from Oslo, Norway.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

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Jan 18 2020

Best of 2019 #67: Naomi Moon Siegel – “Live at Earshot”

 

The impression given by Naomi Moon Siegel is that she is serenading the constellations.  There’s an imagery inherent to her music that is greater than the calculus of the notes, much in the same way a certain collection of stars become so much meaningful in the context of their astronomical shape and name and story.  There is also a languorous nature to the trombonist’s music that radiates a sense of moonlight, of crickets on a dark evening, of dreams when sleep finally comes but not yet, not yet.  It’s a quality the trombonist exhibited as a vital part of the Seattle scene, and it’s a trait that has only grown stronger since her move to Montana.  This excellent live session at the Seattle festival Earshot captures it all and more.

Your album personnel:  Naomi Moon Siegel (trombone), Sean Woolstenhulme (guitar), Eric Eagle (drums), Wayne Horvitz (piano), Geoff Harper (bass) and Thione Diop (percussion).

Released on Slow & Steady Records.

Music from Missoula, Montana.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

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