Jan 18 2019
Best of 2018 #11: Dos Santos – “Logos”
Quite often, when an album does something a little bit different, it stops me in place. I’m forced to come to terms with what I’m hearing and develop an interface with it that (eventually) evolves into something more than a cerebral reaction, where it becomes not just an art piece, but a living communication between artist and listener, transmitting a dialog of thoughts and ideas and epiphanies. What I esteem quite highly of the 2018 release from Chicago outfit Dos Santos is how they quickly shepherd things right past that first stage of interaction. What I wrote for The Bandcamp Daily about Logos still sums up my feelings about this quality:
What’s remarkable about Logos is that it has a magnetic charm, and finds endless ways of channeling it. Sometimes it’s with the seductive groove of cumbia, and sometimes it’s with the electrical charge of salsa. Then, there are moments it sizzles with a rock ‘n’ roll edge before slipping into a soul jazz sway that sounds like gospel for the dance floor.
That snippet doesn’t go deep enough into the influences that inform this wonderful recording, but it does get to the heart of why the music’s source of fun doesn’t cause a need to differentiate between cerebral, emotional or physical reactions. It’s just felt, and every pathway of those reactions will lead to a smile. There’s a euphoric hit from this music and its got a heavy vibe of cool and is bound together with some thoughtful ingredients, and that combination of qualities, by and large, is what it’s all about, and the reason why we keep coming back for more.
Released on International Anthem.
Music from Chicago, IL.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
For many years, Peggy Lee has been casting her spell of avant-garde, folk, modern jazz, chamber, and ambient musics, and with each successive occurrence, the enchantment gains even greater strength. There is an emphasis on orchestration in her works, and equal weight given to an improvisational approach that pulls the structure apart at the seams. But even with these given qualities that, under normal conditions, would seem to have conflicted interests at heart, the cellist is able to attain a fluidity that brings a focused perspective to bind it all together. Magic inspires a massive experience of wonderment; the Peggy Lee Band are magicians of the highest order.
Tim Haldeman‘s homage to Flint, Michigan was originally a project for the Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, and thankfully he shepherded it into the studio for a proper recording. It’s one of the more emotionally powerful albums of 2018. Haldeman’s sextet works from a foundation of introspection, which has its own appeal to be sure, but it’s when the ensemble builds up to a raging intensity that the stunning beauty of this album is truly unleashed. I like to drive around and listen to music, just as something I enjoy. Open Water As a Child forced me to pull to a stop on the side of the road repeatedly, just so I could fully interface with music that elicits an awed silence, remaining motionless and in reverence.
The bullet point list of the components to Reverso: Suite Ravel is plenty intriguing on its own. But these arrangements of Ravel works for a chamber jazz session are so damn engrossing that the details found in the album’s liner notes just melt away. What remains is a stunning beauty matched with an engaging liveliness… a combination that lets the listener decided whether to sink into daydreams or move through life with the album’s prevailing motions. The combination of jazz improvisation and chamber structure don’t always make for the easiest convergence of influences, but the quartet of pianist Frank Woeste, trombonist Ryan Keberle, cellist Vincent Courtois and drummer Jeff Ballard bring it to life as if nurturing a flower to bloom from their personal mix of soil. This album sweeps me away every time I listen.
Jan 18 2019
Best of 2018 #10: Juan Ibarra – “NauMay”
The album is Self-Produced.
Music from Montevideo, Uruguay.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Available at: Amazon | Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 0 • Tags: Jazz - Best of 2018, Juan Ibarra, Montevideo (UY), Self-Produced