Jan 12 2019
Best of 2018 #26: Wanja Slavin Lotus Eaters – “Salvation”
I adore the balancing act Wanja Slavin‘s 11-piece ensemble Lotus Eaters pulls off along the very thin line that separates the modern post-bop sound with something more akin to post-jazz. The fuzziness at the edges where these two forms of music meet is something that Slavin explores like discovering an entire new universe. It’s where things that sound familiar bleed into expressions that sound new and vaguely alien, and the alto saxophonist exploits this sensation to present a vast sonic spectrum.
Released on WhyPlayJazz.
Music from Berlin, Germany.
I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.
Easily one of the most intriguing albums of 2018 is the electro-acoustic Carta Blanca from 
Steven Lugerner really needs to be not so under-the-radar anymore. His audacious double-album debut in 2011 
No matter how you look at this album, you’ll see a statement. There’s the political context, of the idea of royalty and the fracture of racism cutting down the center of society. There’s the media context, and of who is presented to the public as role models and heroes. There’s the musical context, of the roots of folk music stretching across continents, of cross-pollination of influences, and of musicians stamping their mark on the present day scene. But in ascendance over all of those, the statement that rings most clear, is that a heavy message need not clip the wings of music that simply wants to go soaring. There is an unmissable sense of importance that radiates from every note of Sons of Kemet‘s Your Queen Is A Reptile; so are its expressions of joy.
Jan 12 2019
Best of 2018 #25: Tim Stevens Double Trio – “with whom you can be who you are”
Released on Rufus Records.
Music from Melbourne, Australia.
I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.
Available at: Bandcamp | Amazon
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 0 • Tags: Jazz - Best of 2018, Melbourne, Rufus Records, Tim Stevens