Jan 13 2019
Best of 2018 #23: Christopher Ali Solidarity Quartet – “To Those Who Walked Before Us”
When I included this album as part of the Best of Bandcamp Jazz 2018 column, I stated that “sometimes, protest needs an anthem to focus its anger and fear and resolve.” It’s a quality that runs all the way through this exciting release from the Christopher Ali Solidarity Quartet recording. The heavy punch delivered by this music isn’t a bit blunted by way of the catchiness infused within its melodies. This in combination with its spellbinding mix of avant-garde, Swedish and Arabic folk musics and modern jazz makes for an arresting listening experience, and the kind of thing that makes it just as compelling in the context of protest music as it is in the absence of.
This album is Self-Produced.
Music from Gothenburg, Sweden.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
I’m still not sure where this album came from. It popped up on my radar as 2017 came to a close, and its lovely blooms of melody and harmonic colors bold and bright made me want to include it as a last minute replacement on the Best of 2017 list. I’ve learned to hold back on that compulsion. Every album deserves time to fully reveal itself. Migration Patterns certainly has done that, and it speaks to how deep the talent pool is on the modern scene that this album doesn’t sit in a higher slot on the list. I listen to this album over and over and over, and I still can’t decide which song is my favorite. I guess it’s whichever one I’m listening to at the moment. An amazing debut from Jack Radsliff, and a promising sign of things to come.
It would be a grave oversight to omit the quartet 
This gospel for a cubicle life captures the angst of the career employee, and it does it with a seriousness and sense of humor, both. And Chris Abelen doesn’t treat the subject like some superficial topic. There’s a sincerity throughout that is unmistakable. There’s also a series of catchy melodies and engaging grooves that makes this album very easy to like. It’s a little something different, but delivered in a way that feels comfortingly familiar. Lorena del Mar‘s vocal antics really cinch this album as a winner.
Jan 18 2019
Best of 2018 #10: Juan Ibarra – “NauMay”
The album is Self-Produced.
Music from Montevideo, Uruguay.
Read more on Bird is the Worm.
Available at: Amazon | Bandcamp
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By davesumner • Recap: Best of 2018 • 0 • Tags: Jazz - Best of 2018, Juan Ibarra, Montevideo (UY), Self-Produced