Feb 5 2019
Album of the Day: Dakhla Brass – “Murmur”
Artist: Dakhla Brass
Album: Murmur
Label: Impossible Ark Records
Style: Brass
Favorite track: “Silver and Gold”
Music from: London, UK
What I like about it: I like how Dakhla Brass roll out one kind of groove after the next, and the next never sounding like what came before. I especially like those passages when they let things get a bit introspective without sacrificing a bit of the exuberant motion. I like how the sextet generates a sound with some gravitas to it, but stays light on their feet, and maintains a flow that never gets caught under the weight of their big sound. I like how each melody is thoughtfully considered, and care is given to the way it develops under the forces of motion. These pieces border on catchy, and I find myself a little bit addicted to this recording… and maybe even more than a little bit.
Your album personnel: Sophie Stockham (alto sax), Charlotte Ostafew (baritone sax), Pete Judge (trumpet), Liam Treasure (trombone), Matt Brown (drums, percussion, marxophone) and Riaan Vosloo (double-bass, synths, vibraphone).
Available at: Bandcamp | Amazon
Listen to more of the album at the artist’s Bandcamp page.
Be sure to check out the artist site.
Here’s a video from a few years back, when they were a smaller ensemble and supporting an earlier recording.
Get the Blessing is Exhibit A that the modern jazz sound remains in a perpetual state of metamorphosis. GTB have a fresh sound all their own. It’s not post-bop or avant-garde or really belonging to any particular school… just their own formula and their own sound, inventive and innovative and, yet, a cursory appraisal returns an opinion of, yeah, this is jazz. On their 2018 release Bristopia, the quartet of bassist Jim Barr, drummer Clive Deamer, saxophonist Jake McMurchie and trumpeter Pete Judge reveal that their own personal creative evolution is also still underway, as the melodic grooves of previous recordings gain a bit more edge, and, as a result, heavy electronic effects possess an immediacy all their own, frantic almost, as if the wings of a butterfly fresh out of the cocoon. This is one of the most original groups on the scene, and every note they play proves that assertion.
Apr 4 2019
The Round-up: I nodded off and waited for the sun to rise
Here is some very good new music.
Human Feel – Gold (Intakt Records)
Some of this music still feels like I only discovered it yesterday. This comment is particularly useful in explaining my disbelief that Human Feel has been together for thirty years. Alto saxophonist Andrew D’Angelo, tenor saxophonist Chris Speed, guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel and drummer Jim Black, as a quartet and on their own separate projects, have been responsible for some of the more forward-thinking and adventurous music to rain down upon jazz territory in this century. This has been true for a while. And, yet, it still feels strange to be speaking of them as veterans of the scene. Some of this disconnect has much to do with how fresh and vital and forward-thinking their newest music is, sharing those same qualities that made past recordings so special on their own merits. Gold continues the musicians’ habit of eschewing genre conventions and standard expectations of the current day, and instead letting a melody go where it chooses and capturing a sound in the moment to coalesce around it and create something beautiful, something edgy, something that will always sound young and new and exciting. Music from NYC.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon
Peter Hess – Falling (Diskonife)
There’s everything to like about this trio session from tenor saxophonist Peter Hess, vibraphonist Matt Moran and drummer Jeff Davis. The music dances with a light step, yet doesn’t refrain from touching down with a stomp. That contrast between motion and impact yields all kinds of riveting moments. So, too, does the limitless supply of endearing melodies that make it so easy to connect with everything that follows. This music hops, it smoulders, and it sometimes takes flight. This album really needs to be registering on people’s radars. Music from Brooklyn, NY.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Blessing in Disguise – Live Exchange (Lava Thief)
There’s all kinds of intriguing moments on this live improvisation session from Get the Blessing ensemble members. Trumpeter Pete Judge, bass guitarist Jim Barr, and saxophonist Jake McMurchie play both sides of the thunderstorm… there’s moments of intensity that swell up like lightning and rain crashing down upon the world, and then there’s those interludes when the electricity settles into a serene state of existence, and a certain peacefulness expands outward from that volatile core. Music from London.
No artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Træ – Træ (Self-Produced)
There’s an appealing dreamy presence to this trio set from guitarist Johannes Maikranz, saxophonist Simon Spiess and drummer Samuel Dühsler. They settle into a melody and then launch it skyward like a kite riding the wind on a calm, summer day. The album is retailing at Name Your Price, so it’s a nice opportunity to buy some good music that’ll fit your budget. Music from Basel, Switzerland.
Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
Marco Moura Quartet – The Quadrant (Self-Produced)
This four track EP splits its time between old-school and new-school forms of expression, and while there’s plenty to like about the way Marco Moura‘s quartet expresses each jazz era, it’s when things shade to the modern day that the music really shines strongest. Music from both London, UK and Porto, Portugal.
No artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Jazz Recommendations - 2019 • 0 • Tags: Andrew D'Angelo, Basel (Switzerland), Blessing in Disguise, Brooklyn (NY), Chris Speed, Diskonife, Human Feel, Intakt Records, Jake McMurchie, Jeff Davis, Jim Barr, Jim Black, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Lava Thief, London, Marco Moura, Matt Moran, Pete Judge, Peter Hess, Porto (Portugal), Self-Produced, The Round-Up, Træ