Jan 5 2019
Best of 2018 #39: Anteloper – “Kudu”
Kudu really does come close. In a live setting, the Anteloper duo of trumpeter Jaimie Branch and drummer Jason Nazary are a hyperactive ball of melodic fragments, electronic turmoil, and hopscotch tempos, and the energy they generate from the stage does not allow for detached listening from the audience. It is an aggressive form of engagement that just so happens to occasionally give a warm melodic hug from time to time. On their 2018 release, the duo give a pretty close approximation of the live performance energy. This music is fun, inventive, and the boundless originality that fuels the modern scene today.
Released on International Anthem.
Music from New York City.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
This is a conceptual Great American Songbook. It is a collection of music that frames us as a country and defines our character in the same passing moments that it shapes us in return. It’s with that thought in mind that the trio of cornetist Ron Miles, guitarist Mary Halvorson, and drummer Greg Saunier reinterpret works by Elliott Smith, the Beach Boys, the Partridge Family, Fiona Apple, and John L. Williams, and give a present day voice to music that situates itself as the modern collection of Tin Pan Alley tunes. There isn’t a moment on this recording that doesn’t deal in fascination and reverence.
Jessica Lurie exists in a very centered place on Long Haul. Her wry lyricism comes through strong as ever, but the fluid, almost casual way she navigates a transitive path between genres, while never having to shift her balance gives the impression of music orbiting an artist who sits at the center of all things creative. 
Artist: Michael Sarian & The Chabones
Jan 7 2019
Best of 2018 #34: OddAtlas – “OddAtlas”
Released on Ropeadope Records.
I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.
Music from New York City.
Available at: Amazon | Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 0 • Tags: Federico Casagrande, Jazz - Best of 2018, New York City, OddAtlas, Ropeadope Records, Sam Minaie