Royal Potato Family

Feb 14 2020

Best of 2019 #07: Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom – “Glitter Wolf”

 

With 2016’s Otis Was A Polar Bear, Allison Miller opened a new door.  The drummer’s career to that point was not constricted to just one sound, or solely one territory.  A machine-gun style of post-bop or a conversant chatter of pop music accompaniment or a straight-ahead swing were all part of her repertoire, and the combination of versatility and individualism distinguished Miller as one of the top drummers on the scene.  But her 2016 recording, inspired by and dedicated to her new child, was something truly brand new… and unexpected.  Eliciting the imagery of a childhood fairy tale and powered by a potent dose of surreal melodicism, that recording was a series of magical pieces, all standalone gems in their own right, but made even more electrified when absorbed in its totality as a narrative-driven story.  Arguably, it could’ve been named the 2016 album of the year.  2019’s Glitter Wolf builds on that foundation, and the story just keeps growing more fantastic with each new piece.  And, arguably, it could easily be considered for the top spot in 2019.

Your album personnel:  Allison Miller (drums), Jenny Scheinman (violin), Kirk Knuffke (cornet), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Todd Sickafoose (bass), and Myra Melford (piano).

Released on Royal Potato Family.

Music from New York City.

I wrote about the album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Bandcamp – Amazon

By • Recap: Best of 2019 • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , , ,

Dec 31 2019

Now up: Best Jazz on Bandcamp in 2019

 

And here we go.

It was pretty much an impossible task to cobble together a Best of 2019 list for Bandcamp, limited, as I was, to just 15 slots.  Too many great recordings in 2019, too few opportunities to train a spotlight on them.  Rather than do a typical ranking, I went with the approach of presenting a cohesive picture of the modern jazz landscape, a snapshot of its diversity and how that leads to new and exciting forms of expression… including many that leave the 1950’s bop sound far behind.

Some of these albums will be familiar to you from the monthly recommendations columns to already hit The Bandcamp Daily, but there are also a few that will be new to this column.  2019 was the best year ever, and this list is just a fraction of the evidence supporting that claim.

And on that note, let’s begin.

Follow this LINK to read those recommendations and listen to music from each album.

Check out past recommendations by running through my contributor archives.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

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Jun 27 2018

Recommended: Nolatet – “No Revenge Necessary”

 

There’s a cheerfulness to these pieces that is positively addictive.  They’re catchy, though they don’t cast out any blatant hooks.  It’s the same magnetism generated by a friendly smile that means it… it just draws the recipient in.  At times, No Revenge Necessary hints at a re-envisioning of classic holiday tunes much in that same way John Zorn’s Dreamers ensemble gave fresh life to music of the holiday seasons.  Or that way some of you incorporate John Coltrane’s “My Favorite Things” into your winter holiday soundtrack; This, too, will a find a place in that playlist.  Heartbreak and hurricanes are some of the inspirations that led to the latest from the quartet Nolatet, but, ultimately, the music shakes out in an atmosphere of optimism and joy.

Sometimes it’s an impression from the very start, as on “Homer and Debbie” with its delightful bounce and a melody as welcoming as Christmas lights beckoning through a frosted window.  Other times, as on “Malabar,” the personality emerges suddenly from a flurry of rhythmic snowfall.  The album has more than a few reminders that the holiday season is perfectly capable of delivering an icy blast, but it’s never long before it’s followed with a comforting warmth.  The electric buzz and sizzle of guitar and bass go hand-in-hand with the sunny tones of vibraphone and piano, a complementary relationship beneficial to the best of each their melodic traits.

You really can’t go wrong scooping this one up.

Your album personnel:  Mike Dillon (vibraphone), Brian Haas (piano), James Singleton (bass) and Johnny Vidacovich (drums).

Released on Royal Potato Family.

Music from New Orleans, LA.

Available at:  Bandcamp | Amazon

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: , ,