Feb 18 2019
The Round-up: I never really slept anymore
Here is some very good new music.
Jorge Rossy Vibes Quintet – Beyond Sunday (Jazz & People)
For many, the name Jorge Rossy will be associated with the drums via his long stint in Brad Mehldau’s trio, and so it’ll always be a refreshing change of pace for those times when he leads out on vibraphone. This modern session with saxophonist Mark Turner, guitarist Jaume Llombart, bassist Doug Weiss and drummer Al Foster has a rhythmic drive at its core, but it’s their melodic compulsions that steer each tune. In fact, it’s a formula not far removed from Rossy’s FOX trio with Pierre Perchaud and Nicolas Moreaux. There are some subtly captivating passages on this recording. Music from Barcelona.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
E Scott Lindner – Port of Dreams (Infinity Gritty)
This album has been a refuge for me since it first got on my radar. This post-jazz recording from E Scott Lindner has a massively cinematic presence, inciting in me imagery so strong that I remain convinced that I must’ve seen it originally on a movie screen. Incorporating a bevy of wind instruments and strings go a long way to explaining the rich textures and soothing harmonies Port of Dreams has to deliver. Of those contributions, familiar names like Tomoko Omura, Hailey Niswanger, Sara Schoenbeck and Andrew Gould are among the album personnel. There are moments this album is so beautiful that I feel like my heart can’t take it all in and remain in one piece. Music from NYC.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Piet Verbist Quartet – Suite Réunion (Origin Records)
Piet Verbist is far more off the radar than he should be. The bassist has a real talent for creating modern works that balance expertly between new- and old-school forms of expression. The axis of this meeting point is where deeply melodic forays and from-the-heart blues occupy the same space, unconflicted. His latest is yet another example, and well worth scooping up. Note that Bram Weijters is the pianist in Verbist’s quintet; Weijters is a site favorite, and is on a whole bunch of new releases right now. Music from Antwerp, Belgium.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Johnaye Kendrick – Flying (Self-Produced)
Johnaye Kendrick first hit my radar via her captivating vocal contribution to John Ellis’s 2014 release, MOBRO. Her sound is one that generates a huge feel out of a seemingly effortless delivery, and it’s a quality that she puts to excellent use on her sophomore release, Flying. While Kendrick certainly knows what to do with a ballad, it’s an upbeat track like “Scorpion” that really allows her innate tunefulness to shine bright. Pianist Dawn Clement, bassist Chris Symer and drummer D’Vonne Lewis keep to a straight-ahead sound that’s a perfect fit for this session’s choice of originals and renditions. Music from Seattle, WA.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon
Alfie Copoví Trio – Flight (Sedajazz Records)
I’m really taken with this modern trio session from the Alfie Copoví Trio. They craft a pretty melody, nothing fussy, and then let it sail for as long as the breezy rhythm will take it. Sometimes it’s hints of gospel, sometimes hints of the blues, sometimes the music hops, but mostly this music grooves. Music from Valencia, Spain.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Artist: Miguel Zenón featuring Spektral Quartet
Artist: Jonathan Finlayson
Every year, without fail, one of the top albums of the year will be in possession of a lyricism that is positively epic, as if existing in some primal state of mythology. It’s the kind of things one can imagine viewed by an ancient community sitting on rock ledges in a makeshift theater on the edge of the forest, as actors orate timeless tales of the gods and their impact on humanity on an otherwise ordinary day. This particular album will hint strongly of a narrative arc. Despite the odds against it, the album will attain a cohesion in the face of its wild nature. A sharp intelligence will act as an undercurrent to implausible plot twists and otherworldly conflicts. The album will conjure up the uncommon magic that lies at the heart of mundane events and seemingly ordinary times.
Feb 25 2019
Album of the Day: Wet Electric – “Wet Electricity: Volume I”
Album: Wet Electricity: Volume 1
Label: Self-Produced
Style: Post-jazz
Favorite Track: “Heart/Mind/Body”
Music from: New York City
What I like about it: I like how even when this music is at its most scattered, there’s a melodic presence that doesn’t quit. I like how the violin fills the vacuum in its entirety, but the nuanced passages by the other quintet members opens things up even further, and gives the impression of wide open space. I like how that same nuance comes off as understated, which makes the huge melodic statements resonate that much stronger. I like how moody the album gets at times, and when the volatility spikes, it feels like a natural consequence rather than a jarring shift of atmospherics. I’m a little bit addicted to this recording, in that same way I’ve been a little bit addicted to Catfish’s Restraint for nearly four years this April. I expect Wet Electricity to linger on my playlist similarly.
Other Notes: Definitely follow the breadcrumbs to other Ethan Helm projects. It wasn’t long ago that I wrote up his 2015 release The Spoon, and I’ve been a fan of his ensemble Cowboys & Frenchmen.
Your album personnel: Ethan Helm (saxophone), Gabe Terracciano (violin), Noah Berman (guitar), Matt Honor (drums) and Jon Snell (piano).
Available at: Amazon | Bandcamp
Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Be sure to check out the artist’s site.
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: Ethan Helm, New York City, Self-Produced, Wet Electric