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2023-11 November Playlist SunNeverSetsOnMusic

2023-11 November Playlist SunNeverSetsOnMusic

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Isaiah Collier - Parallel Universe

Parallel Universe

by Isaiah Collier

Released 24 November 2023

Night Dreamer

*****

Chicago-based innovator and educator Isaiah Collier is opening up new dimensions in the jazzwise continuum. A saxophonist by trade whose multi-instrumental talents and compositional prowess have stretched the limits of the form, Parallel Universe (which was recorded direct-to-disk) represents a new chapter in Collier’s musical journey.

Having already performed with a diverse range of musicians such as Chance The Rapper, Waddada Leo Smith, Chicago jazz royalty Angel Bat Dawid and his own band The Chosen Few, Collier’s latest work as a bandleader explores the shared musical heritage of the African diaspora with a sense of grace and assurance that belies his years.

Embracing the risk and vulnerability that comes with the live process, Collier and his band tapped into the frequencies of improvisation that fired up so many of the most timeless jazz recordings.

“Recording direct-to-disc gave me a really fortunate opportunity to experience what our musical predecessors almost a hundred years ago were dealing with,” he explains.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Beverley Glenn-Copeland - The Ones Ahead

The Ones Ahead

by Beverley Glenn-Copeland

Released 28 July 2023

Transgressive Records

*****

Though Beverly Glenn-Copeland is now a Polaris Prize winner whose wondrous music has garnered a group of dedicated fans, his early compositions, like 1986’s superb New Age experiment Keyboard Fantasies, weren’t originally heard by the masses. It’s only recently that the Canadian composer has become part of the mainstream consciousness; his resonant voice, forward-looking lyrics, and blissful instrumentals capturing a new generation of listeners and crate diggers in the past decade. But much of this conversation has surrounded albums he released years ago. With The Ones Ahead, Glenn-Copeland shares all-new music for the first time in almost 20 years, offering the clearest thesis of his vision yet: that the future is out there for us, and we can capture it in a song.

 

Read SunNeverSetsOnMusic's December 2021 review of Glenn-Copeland's album Keyboard Fantasies here

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Read more... The Guardian

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Andre 3000 - New Blue Sun

New Blue Sun

by Andre 3000

Released 17 November 2023

Epic Records

*****

If you can get past the premise (and overlook the goofy song titles, most of which are too long and silly to dignify) and tune in to New Blue Sun as an album of contemplative healing sounds, it's pleasant and sometimes even sublime. Carlos Niño co-produces, bringing the same soft warmth he's cultivated on his own transcendental pop albums for the International Anthem label. The songs wash by in waves of airy synth pads, gentle wind chimes, electric piano, or absent-minded guitar lines. 3000 is joined by a host of players including Nate Mercereau, Diego Gaeta, Surya Botofasina, Mia Doi Todd, and others, all of whom fold new textures effortlessly into the stream of sounds. Opening track "I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album But This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time" is among the most structured pieces, moving in patient ripples similar to Pharoah Sanders and Floating Points' majestic Promises. It's hovering and aimless like Emerald Web's or Alice Coltrane's most new age material, vibrating constantly but never bubbling over.

New Blue Sun is probably not the André 3000 solo debut most OutKast fans had expected or hoped for, but it does continue the integrity and spirit of his creative journey, in a way that's fittingly bizarre and beautiful.

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Read more... AllMusic

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SANAM - Aykathani Malakon

Aykathani Malakon ص​ن​م - أ​ي​ق​ظ​ن​ي م​ل​ا​ك​ٌ

by SANAM

Released 23 June 2023

Mais Um

*****

Debut release from the Beirut-based free-rock post-folk sextet.

Sandy Chamoun (vocals), Antonio Hajj (bass), Farah Kaddour (buzuk), Anthony Sahyoun (guitar, synth), Pascal Semerdjian (drums) and Marwan Tohme (guitars) bring a myriad of influences gleaned from years performing either solo or as members of influential acts in Beirut’s tight-knit independent music scene (such as Al Rahel al Kabir, Postcards, Kinematik and Ovid).

SANAM's music is a ritual where improvised rock, free jazz and noise underscore an exorcism of traditional Egyptian song and Arabic poetry,

Combining regional and local folklore and poetry with experimental forms of instrumental music are at the core of Aykathani Malakon. Chamoun, who chose the texts for this album and has performed in the Lebanese satirical music collective Al Rahel al Kabir, turned to modern and contemporary Arab writers and composers such as Lebanese poet Bassem Hajjar whose poem Aykathani Malakon lends the album its title and opening track, Paul Chaoul whose poem Chamoun recites in a state of ascending ecstasy in Ayouha Al-Taiin Fi Al-Mawt and the Egyptian composer Sayyid Darwish in the languorous Ya Nass that features prominently the buzuk played by Farah Kaddour. As Chamoun points out, the poetry or lyrics in the album constitute “a collective call for an escape from a hallucinatory state engendered by love but also the mysteries of life itself”. 

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Tara Clerkin Trio - On The Turning Ground

On The Turning Ground (EP)

by Tara Clerkin Trio

Released 3 November 2023

World of Echo

*****

Not far off two years from the day, Bristol's Tara Clerkin Trio return to World of Echo and the EP format for a five song collection of quixotic, emotional redolence. But do not mistake their absence for inertia. If their musical output has been a little sparse during those in-between years, limited to a few solo ventures and an astonishing ten minute long piece as a trio, their time has otherwise been richly spent: continuous writing and recording, extensive live performances across Europe and Japan, a cultivation of local and more far-flung artistic connections (musical and otherwise), and a monthly NTS show that, through the voice of others, speaks most obviously to their own unorthodox interests. It's the conflux of that winding activity that leads indirectly to On The Turning Ground, 26 minutes of probing, thoughtful composition that draws from no one specific source.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Ancient Infinity Orchestra - River of Light

River of Light

by Ancient Infinity Orchestra

Released 17 November 2023

Gondwana Records

*****

Ancient Infinity Orchestra is a 14-member jazz ensemble led by double-bassist and composer Ozzy Moysey, based in Leeds in the North of England – home to one of the most innovative and community-based jazz scenes in the UK. Saxophonist Mathew Cliffe who also performs with Matthew Halsall is a key member of the rotating line-up which includes drums, two bassists, keyboards, harp, violin, cello, two tenors, alto, oboe, flute and percussion.

Their Gondwana Records debut ‘River of Light’ drinks deep from the well of spiritual jazz and is especially inspired by the soulful sounds of Pharoah Sanders, Alice and John Coltrane – all of whom are mentioned in the brilliant track ‘Pharoah Sings’ – but also channels a certain Northern sensibility that can be heard in the music of Matthew Halsall or Alabaster de Plume. Melodic, warm and honest this is music that is happy to wear its heart on its sleeve.

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Read more... Gondwana Records

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Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1

Les Jardins Mystiques Vol. 1

by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson

Released 10 November 2023

Brainfeeder

*****

Miguel Atwood-Ferguson is a LA-based producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, music director, and educator. Recording on over 600 albums, films and TV shows, Miguel has recorded and performed with some of the greatest artists of our time, spanning multiple genres.

14 years in the making, “Les Jardins Mystiques Vol.1” comprises 52 tracks / 3.5 hours of music composed, arranged and produced by Miguel with contributions from 50+ friends including Kamasi Washington, Thundercat, DOMi & JD Beck, Jeff Parker, Carlos Niño, Austin Peralta, Bennie Maupin, Gabe Noel, Jamael Dean, Jamire Williams, Burniss Travis II, Deantoni Parks, Josh Johnson, Marcus Gilmore and many more.

“Les Jardins Mystiques” is a project that throws open and shares Miguel’s musical universe. It took shape over a dozen years, largely self-funded by Miguel, and showcasing his distinctly elegant musicianship (on violin, viola, cello and keyboards among other instruments) alongside his free-spirited dialogues with more than 50 instrumentalists. Volume 1 is the first in a planned triptych, which will collectively comprise ten-and-a-half-hours of original, refreshingly expansive music.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Cat Power - Cat Power Sings Dylan: The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert

Cat Power Sings Dylan The 1966 Royal Albert Hall Concert

by Cat Power

Released 10 November 2023

Domino Recording Co.

*****

At first approach, Cat Power Sings Dylan is as straightforward as covers albums come. Marshall performed the music live, following every contour of Dylan’s set, down to his switch halfway through from solo acoustic performance to rollicking full-band rock. She didn’t tinker much with his arrangements: If a given song, in Dylan’s rendition, begins with an instrumental vamp or ends with a harmonica solo, it probably does in Marshall’s version as well. But after a while, the meticulous literalism of her interpretation comes to seem like its own conceptual gambit. When the similarities are so pronounced, the differences, when they inevitably occur, capture your attention.

Rather than in volume and intensity, Sings Dylan finds subversion in its very form, as a covers album that celebrates and estranges its source material at once. Of course, someone shouts “Judas” near the end of the show, as if following the evening’s script; instead of Dylan’s famous “I don’t believe you,” Marshall retorts with “Jesus.”

It’s the most uncanny moment on an uncanny album, made more so by the fact that the mock heckler pipes up a little earlier than he’s supposed to: before “Ballad of a Thin Man” instead of “Like a Rolling Stone,” which is fitting enough.

The chorus of “Thin Man,” a sort of mission statement for Dylan at the time, might also describe the aptness of Marshall’s tribute, whose sly ambiguity is essential to the truths it conveys about both parties. Something is happening here, but you don’t know what it is.

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Read more... Pitchfork

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Diego Gaeta - Fearlessly Accessing The Divine Spirit Of Freedom From Here On Out

Fearlessly Accessing The Divine Spirit Of Freedom From Here On Out

by ​Diego Gaeta

Released 7 July 2023

Preference Records

*****

"Fearlessly Accessing the Divine Spirit From Here on Out" is the vinyl debut from up-and-coming pianist, composer, and producer Diego Gaeta. He has previously released projects as Club Diego and with the trio Human Error Club (whose members Mekala Session and Jesse Justice helped produce this record). He has quickly become a fixture in a number of Los Angeles musical environments, working with Lionmilk, The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Carlos Niño, Black Nile among others. This album is a synthesis of these many LA environments, and carries chamber, jazz, ambient, and folk influences, ultimately giving it an uncategorizable feel similar to works by Arthur Verocai or David Axelrod.

Gaeta recorded the initial ideas for the album by himself after experiencing a burst of creativity during the lockdown of 2020, in the aftermath of a season of protests in Los Angeles, on a piano at his home in El Sereno. 

Gaeta’s dream band for these ideas would be a 9-piece ensemble or “nonet”, which was finally assembled in the summer of 2021. After careful arrangements and rehearsals the album was recorded. Some of Los Angeles’s finest artists are featured in the ensemble and as featured guests, all combining efforts to fulfill the thematic vision of Gaeta’s inspirations and ideas. 

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Don Leisure, Amanda Whiting - Beyond The Midnight Sun

Beyond The Midnight Sun

by Don Leisure with Amanda Whiting -

Released 24 November 2023

First World Records

*****

Cardiff producer Don Leisure has evolved considerably in the decade or so he’s been releasing wax. Indeed, he wasn’t Don Leisure when he was making drum’n’bass in the late-00s – he did that as Jamal, his real name – but adopted the pseudonym when he hooked up with Che Ahmed to make tracks as Darkhouse Family.

Beyond The Midnight Sun' expands upon ground first explored on Don Leisure's track 'All Praises Due', which also featured Amanda (with Angel Bat Dawid), and featured on his previous album 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. This is a full-length project that these two formidable Welsh artists have collaborated on together.

Joining him throughout this project, we have the pleasure of welcoming the phenomenal talents of highly-acclaimed harpist Amanda Whiting to the First Word label. A virtuoso in her field, this classically trained musician quickly established herself as an essential player in the UK jazz scene, carving her unique sound following the paths forged by Ashby and Coltrane.

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Read more... Stones Throw Records

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UNLIV Wind Orchestra, Thomas G. Leslie - Joe's Tango Concerto for Trombone & Other Works

Joe's Tango Concerto for Trombone & Other Works

by UNLIV Wind Orchestra, Thomas G. Leslie

Released 10 November 2023

Navona

****-

There is something very special about the symbiosis of a great composer and a talented performing musician: many of the great moments in musical history were born of such collaborations. This rare joy is now to be felt in our time: JOE’S TANGO features the world premiere recording Concerto for Trombone by none other than jazz legend Chick Corea, tailor-made for virtuoso solo trombonist Joseph Alessi.

It’s a riveting, marvelous work — classical in scope, but contemporary in rhythm and feeling. Conductor Thomas G. Leslie, his University of Nevada Las Vegas Wind Orchestra, and the Boston Brass Quintet empathetically frame this centerpiece with works by Hugo Montenegro and the young Jorge Machain, who offers the world premiere recording of his Five Cities to the mix. The resulting album — as one might expect — is altogether outstanding.

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Read more... Navona Records

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Ali Sethi, Nicolas Jaar - Inthia

Inthia

by Ali Sethi, Nicolas Jaar

Released 17 November 2023

Other People

*****

Singer, songwriter and author Ali Sethi had been entranced by the music of Nicolas Jaar (the Chilean-American composer and recording artist based in New York) long before they began collaborating.

He’d absorbed the sounds over a number of years, listening casually and taking in their subtleties in bars and rooftop parties across Lahore and London. “It felt familiar to me, that sense of adventure you have when you hear his music, like a tale that teases you and plays with your expectations as it unfolds,” says Sethi. “In that sense it resembled the leisurely improvised ghazals and qawwalis I grew up hearing in Pakistan.” So when the two were finally introduced by Indian visual artist Somnath Bhatt, a regular Jaar collaborator who also handled the album’s artwork, Sethi was well prepared. He began to sketch out voice notes using loops snipped from Jaar’s acclaimed 2020 album ‘Telas’, improvising vocalizations and seductive Urdu poems over Jaar’s weightless, time-bending productions. Jaar was astonished by the result; “It was what ‘Telas’ had been missing,” he explains.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Billy Porter - Black Mona Lisa

Black Mona Lisa

by Billy Porter

Released 17 November 2023

Island Records / Republic Records

****-

In a career spanning 30 years, Billy Porter has established himself as one of the most talented individuals in the entertainment industry. He has excelled in various roles across film, television, and theater, winning a Tony Award in 2014 and a Primetime Emmy in 2019 for his stellar performance in the critically acclaimed, Pose. Regardless of the space he was in creatively, music has continued to maintain a presence in the psyche of this Pittsburgh native.

November 17, 2023, saw the release of Black Mona Lisa, “a celebration of life,” as Porter puts it. “I’m excited to share the joy and the hope and the love and the peace and the compassion with the world,” he continues. “That’s what this music is about.”

Executive produced by Grammy-nominated songwriter, Justin Tranter, this new album contains songs that tell Porter’s story authentically, with depth and nuance. Throughout its 12 tracks, Black Mona Lisa takes listeners on a journey influenced by an era when house, disco, and dance music reigned supreme. It also encompasses a bevy of emotions, from the powerful transparency on “Audacity” and “Children,” to the upbeat sound of “New Shoes,” this project gives the thoughts and feelings of a person comfortable in living their truth.

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Read more... essence

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The Melbourne Ska Orchestra - 20 Years Young

20 Years Young

by Melbourne Ska Orchestra

Released 10 March 2023

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

****-

From the fun-loving humble beginnings in St. Kilda to the international stages of Glastonbury, Istanbul, Montreal, Edinburgh, New York, and beyond, the band has steered their ramshackle train into the hearts of many.

Initially formed to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the birth of Ska (1963-2003), their infectious energy soon earned them a coveted slot at Bluesfest and WOMADelaide, a recording contract, and accolades from all over the world. Two ARIA award wins cemented their reputation as one of Australia’s best live acts, while three of their songs were chosen for a UK feature film about Ska.

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Read more... Melbourne Ska Orchestra

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Leonard Bernstein - Maestro (Original Soundtrack)

Maestro (Original Soundtrack)

by Leonard Bernstein

Released 17 November 2023

Deutsche Grammophon

****-

Cardiff producer Don Leisure has evolved considerably in the decade or so he’s been releasing wax. Indeed, he wasn’t Don Leisure when he was making drum’n’bass in the late-00s – he did that as Jamal, his real name – but adopted the pseudonym when he hooked up with Che Ahmed to make tracks as Darkhouse Family.

Beyond The Midnight Sun' expands upon ground first explored on Don Leisure's track 'All Praises Due', which also featured Amanda (with Angel Bat Dawid), and featured on his previous album 'Shaboo Strikes Back'. This is a full-length project that these two formidable Welsh artists have collaborated on together.

Joining him throughout this project, we have the pleasure of welcoming the phenomenal talents of highly-acclaimed harpist Amanda Whiting to the First Word label. A virtuoso in her field, this classically trained musician quickly established herself as an essential player in the UK jazz scene, carving her unique sound following the paths forged by Ashby and Coltrane.

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Read more... Stones Throw Records

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Terrace Martin, Calvin Keys - The Near North Side

The Near North Side

by Terrace Martin, Calvin Keys

Released 17 November 2023

Sounds of Crenshaw

****-

Calvin Keys (born February 6, 1942) is an American jazz guitarist, known for the several classic jazz-funk albums he released for Black Jazz Records early in his career. Keys has also performed and recorded with Ray Charles, Ahmad Jamal, John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Eddie Marshall, Tony Bennett, Sonny Stitt, Pharoah Sanders, Joe Henderson and others.

For this collaboration with Terrace Martin, Keys calls on his Latin and Brazilian influences and produces a smooth jazz masterclass of six original compositions and stunning interpretations of Duke Ellington's "Cotton Tail" and "In A Sentimental Mood" and the Patti Austin deep cut "The Island".

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Terrace Martin, Gallant - sneek

sneek

by Terrace Martin, Gallant, sneek

Released 17 November 2023

O'Connor/Lowly

****-

On the 9-track project, Martin and Gallant know no bounds. The pair pulls in jazz, R&B, neo-soul, and EDM elements to fill their musical canvas. The common thread throughout the project is the musical freedom expressed on the lead single, “311!” featuring Robert Glasper and Keyon Harrold.

Gallant has become known for his powerful vocal delivery, whereas Martin has strenuous instrumentation. However, on Sneek, both present a sense of ease. 

Gallant taps into a gentler side of his voice. Martin’s production shows a sense of freestyle rather than a tightly guided structure. Sneek is an artist’s album. A work to display their innermost creative concepts stretching beyond what fans are open to hearing.

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Read more... This Is R&B

 

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Terrace Martin - Ornamental

Ornamental

by Terrace Martin

Released 1 December 2023

O'Connor/Lowly

****-

When you've had a year as prolific, creative and successful as Terrace Martin's in 2024, what better way to round it out with a Holiday album that will shuffle happily in our Christmas playlists but can be played all year round?  The album artwork and song titles (Hot Chocolate, Starry Night, Wish List etc.) look the part, but this is a free zone for carolly cliches. 

In fact, Martin may have redefined what a Christmas album can be: he realises that otherwise "serious" artists from Bob Dylan to The Ramones have indulged themselves with great success (granted, this is debatable for many) but instead of reworking established carols, his playlist is made up of a set of songs that don't fit into any of the other eight (yes, 8) albums he released this year and might not otherwise have seen the light of day any time soon.

So it's a nice present to his followers and fans. Thanks Terrace. Seasons' Greetings!!. 

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Ishmael Ensemble - In A Dub Style

In A Dub Style

by Ishmael Ensemble

Released 27 October 2023

Seven Songs

****-

 

Ishmael Ensemble return with another mighty south-west link up this time handing the controls to dub & roots music legends Dubkasm.

As soon as Ishmael Ensemble finished their collaborative ‘New Era’ EP with Rider Shafique, bandleader Pete Cunningham knew he wanted to have it remixed in the classic dub-style; and who better to enlist than Bristol’s finest, DJ Stryda & Digistep aka Dubkasm.

Following in the well worn footsteps of dub legends such as King Tubby, Mad Professor & Scientist - Dubkasm rework and authentically dub the original recordings and warp them into a sound-system ready collection of heavy hitting, deep sonic explorations complimented perfectly by Rider’s iconic voice and potent, thought provoking lyricism.

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Read more... Bandcamp

Hamzaa, 1SRAEL - RUSH

RUSH

by Hamzaa, 1SRAEL

Released 17 November 2023

King East/Colture

****-

Teaming up with producer 1SRAEL, Hamzaa presents us with a soulful body of work that she uses to showcase her powerful vocals across five tracks. The EP features the previously released “Borderline”, as well as a collaboration with her friend and fellow east London songstress Kali Claire titled “Believe It”.

“This project was born out of a discovery phase,” Hamzaa wrote in an Instagram post. “I needed to learn who I was all over again. I needed to understand what it is I really even care about. ... I knew ... that as urgent as getting my life back together is, I cannot RUSH the healing process. I needed time to acknowledge everything going on around me first and let time heal all wounds.”

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Read more... GRM Daily

Kokoroko - Could We Be More Remixes

Could We Be More Remixes

by Kokoroko

Released 10 November 2023

Brownswood Recordings

****-

Over a year since the release of their exhilarating debut Could We Be More, Kokoroko present a new collection of remixes of tracks from their first album. The record brings together a dizzying, globe-spanning array of contemporary music’s most forward-thinking artists, each bringing their own unique identity to the project while maintaining the immersive sound-world of the original. Could We Be More Remixes is due 10th November 2023 via Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings.

All the remixers share a common approach with the band, filtering global influences and backgrounds through the lens of their hometown. As a result, each remix explores and stretches the core elements of the debut in different ways

Could We Be More was an ambitious and expansive album. Stretched out over 15 tracks, Kokoroko’s debut release wove together Afro-beat jam-outs, funk grooves, psychedelic flutters, brass stabs and soaring soul with dub-echo, astral electronics and introverted interludes. All combining to create an immersive experience evoking the band’s multi-faceted notions of home.

This is a beautiful sister release to Kokoroko’s Could We Be More. The remixes treat the source material with care but imbue them with a potent energy, strangely reminiscent of seeing the band perform live. This collection follows the album and achieves what few remix albums are able to; creating a headphone listening experience while at the same time drawing out the dance music elements for the club.
 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Deborah Jordan & K15 - Human

Human

by Deborah Jordon & K15

Released 13 May 2022

Futuristica

****-

The new collaborative project between Deborah Jordan and K15 explores the concept of our own humanity while attempting to address what does in fact make each of us human.
While the inspired pairing of revered singer and songwriter, Deborah Jordan, alongside the boundless versatility of producer and musician K15 (Kieron Ifill) for a whole album seems too good to be true, this is actually a project that each of their respective roads have been converging towards for years.

With a musical union that stretches as far back as Jordan's sophomore album release 'What You See' (2011), K15's immaculate production has become a firm staple within her music since having gone on to contribute remixes for 'Love From The Sun' and 'Amina' as well as four staggering productions on Jordan's monumental 'See in the Dark' album.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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The Pretenders - Relentless

Relentless

by The Pretenders

Released 15 September 2023

Parlophone

****-

That voice, like Hynde’s wiry, shaggy-haired silhouette, never really changes, though her writing hasn’t clung to youth. Turning 71 doesn’t mean, either, that Relentless joins the post-Time Out Of Mind genre of rockers stoutly confronting the Grim Reaper. Instead, Hynde and guitarist/co-writer James Walbourne have slowed their music down to take forensically precise snapshots of regret and dismay, as if dissecting emotional car crashes. Relentless often exists in sun-baked climes, dry heat making the singer squint to see the worst, searing air burning off delusion in pitilessly clear sky. “From San Francisco to Sydney, there’s no rain,” Hynde sings on “Your House Is On Fire”. Even “The Orlando Hotel in late November” in “The Promise Of Love”, with snow laying thick, offers only a different colour of piercing clarity. Lyrics about a world in turmoil, from climate change to national decline, become symptomatic backdrops for personal entropy. At the same time, as the album title suggests, this potent work leaves the current Pretenders fiercely resurgent.

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Read more... Uncut

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Maria Jose Llergo - ULTRABELLEZA

Ultrabellezza

by Maria Jose Llergo

Released 27 October 2023

Sony Espana

****-

The first song on María José Llergo’s new album sounds unlike anything she’s done before.

It’s a pop banger propelled by a disco beat with a triumphant chorus.

It’s called “Aprendiendo a Volar,” or “Learning to fly.” And it almost seems like a disclaimer for listeners, a warning that what lies ahead is a departure, an act of artistic liberation.

“I shed a lot of baggage, of what I should, or should not be,” Llergo said. “I am what I am. I write what I want, sing the way I want, and I’m not here to please anyone.”

Some songs on the album may be the closest the artist has been to what one would call mainstream pop, but others are among her most experimental and daring creations to date.

The lessons she learns from her grandfather, beyond flamenco, are also present in the album: “He teaches me to love others for who they are, not for what they seem, or what they have.”

This is the theme of the title track, which turns a religious prayer into a hymn for acceptance. 

“‘Ultrabelleza’ is the place we would reach if we understood differences in our society as something not bad, but which makes us richer,” she said.

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Read more... The World

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Allison Miller - Rivers In Our Veins

Rivers In Our Veins

by Allison Miller

Released 6 October 2023

Royal Potato Family

****-

Drummer Allison Miller brings together a rustic Americana sound with her inventive modern jazz harmonies on her ambitious 2023 LP Rivers in Our Veins. Commissioned by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Organization and Lake Placid Center for the Arts, the album is a 12-song cycle inspired by the many rivers and watersheds of the United States, as well as the organizations devoted to protecting those vital resources. Integral to the work is Miller's ensemble, beginning with pianist Carmen Staaf, with whom she worked closely during the composition phase. Equally key is violinist Jenny Scheinman, a longtime associate who helped breathe yet more life into the folk-inflected songs at the core of Miller's vision. Rounding out Miller's group are Ben Goldberg on contra-alto and B-flat clarinets, trumpeter Jason Palmer, and bassist Todd Sickafoose. Initially conceived as a cross-disciplinary multimedia work, the album also features a cadre of tap dancers, including Claudia Rahardjanoto, Michelle Dorrance, Elizabeth Burke, Byron Tittle, and Orlando Hernández. While the use of tap dancers in jazz is a long and storied tradition, the way Miller incorporates them so seamlessly into her music is notable

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Read more... AllMusic

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Dennis Young - Primitive Substance

Primitive Substance

by Dennis Young

Released 24 May 2019

Athens of the North

****-

This excellent album from 2029 stands the test of time.

Dennis Young writes: "After Liquid Liquid disbanded in 1985 I continued to record electronic music at my home studio inEdison,New Jerseybut I decided to mix the songs for "Concepts" at another studio so I could have another set of ears to help with the mixes. I was lucky when I looked in the local music ads that I to find Gabriel Farm Studios inPrinceton,New Jerseyowned and operated by Andy Gomory. Andy was a true talent, a keyboardist and arranger, we hit it off immediately. After he recorded my mixes we would record songs together. Andy played drum machines and keyboards while I played percussion, keyboards, & guitar and we both sang. When Andy and I parted ways in the late 1980's I decided to add both drums and percussion as well as overdubs from guest musicians many of which are included on this album. The albums timeframe ends in the year 2004. The later recordings have a jazz feel to it yet still had dance music elements mixed in"

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Tom Misch - Quarantine Sessions

Quarantine Sessions

by Tom Misch

Released 3 September 2021

Beyond The Groove

****-

South London singer-songwriter Tom Misch released this album in 2021 recorded during lockdown,  of 5 classic covers and a few new originals. “I’ve always been able to make feel good music regardless of whether I’m feeling good” says Misch. “Perhaps that’s set me in good stead for where we are now.”

He reimagines James Blake’s “The Whilhelm Scream,” Solange’s “Cranes in the Sky,” Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” and Crystal Waters’ “Gypsy Woman.” For the final cover, “Parabéns,” he worked with the originator, Brazilian jazz and bossa nova legend Marco Valle.

The three new tracks from Misch are the opener “Chain Reaction,” then “For Carol” featuring Tobie Tripp, and closer “Missing You.” Misch also commissioned artist Oliver Macdonald Oulds “to create a hand painted version of one of the scenes from the sessions (‘Cranes in the Sky’) for the album artwork.”

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Read more... Flood Magazine

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Moonchild - Reflections

Reflections (EP)

by Moonchild

Released 10 November 2023

Tru Thoughts

****-

This EP sees the Grammy-nominated LA-trio Moonchild (aka Amber Navran, Andris Mattson, & Max Bryk) follow up on the band’s iconic Tiny Desk performance (now on 4.9 million views), by reimagining and revisiting old songs, including some of the trio’s biggest hits. 

Talking about the new acoustic re-imaginings, Max Bryk adds: “Reflections, an EP covering our older songs, naturally shows some of our growth as musicians over the last 10 years. Amber’s vocals, in particular, are a fantastic example of that. A more subtle example of growth is our musical maturity and restraint. Leaving space for the music to breathe. I think that’s the main reason we created this new project, and we are excited to share Reflections with our fans.”

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Gotts Street Park - On The Inside

On The Inside

by Gotts Street Park

Released 13 October 2023

Blue Flowers Music

****-

 

Leeds-based instrumental soul unit Gotts Street Park have finally unveiled their debut album, an eagerly anticipated project since their first slew of excellent singles back in 2017. ‘On The Inside’, the first full length effort from the trio, is a stunning and melancholic body of work, the tempo slowed, the production glossy yet still retaining a vintage timbre. 

‘On The Inside’ is a wonderful blend of soul and R&B, a cohesive and assured debut record. The smatterings of indie, pop and more alternative moments keep the project fresh, the trio carving their own lane in the heavily saturated modern R&B circuit.

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Read more... Clash

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Laneous - Normal Music

Normal Music

by Laneous

Released 16 November 2023

Soul has No Tempo

****-

Laneous is back with a new 4-track EP ‘Normal Music’—the long-awaited follow-up to his 2020 singles ‘Elsewhere’ and ‘Flawless’. Touting this release as “cootie-free entertainment”, ‘Normal Music’ is the latest recorded evolution of one of Naarm/Melbourne’s (via Meanjin/Brisbane) most influential musicians.

With the exception of Perrin Moss (Hiatus Kaiyote) on drums, Laneous played everything else, writing three of the four songs mostly on-the-fly at The Grove studio in Coburg. Grammy-nominated Nick Hererra (Hiatus Kaiyote, 30/70, Nai Palm) once again handled recording, production, sonics and mixing.

‘Normal Music’ displays Laneous’ unique modus operandi that distinctly combines subtly humorous lyricism, catchy ditties and stunning chord progressions. It’s a gorgeous, whimsical ride showcasing the evolution of his trademark ‘mutant-soul/croon punk’ sound that will make day one Laneous fans rejoice.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Ella Thompson - Domino

Domino

by Ella Thompson

Released 2 November 2023

Hopestreet Recordings

****-

Ella Thompson’s Domino is a spooky, bittersweet collection of cinematic soul cuts influenced by 1970s Italian 'Giallo' film scores, with luminous vocals that draw a line between 60s icons like Nancy Sinatra and contemporary soul artists like Kadhja Bonet. Ella’s effortless singing and haunting lyrics paint angular pictures in the moody darkness. In her words: “The original instrumental of the song ‘Domino’ is titled ‘Swimming in a cold lake at night’ this kind of sums up the feeling of many of the songs on the record….seeing light in dark places, freedom and anxiety of the unknown, curiosity, never regretting a swim and the euphoria you get when you come out the other end.”

The sparse production is intentionally cinematic, deeply influenced by the music of Italian ‘Giallo’ film scores of the 1970s, particularly by composers like Piero Piccioni but comparable to current artists like Adrian Younge or Bad Bad Not Good in a meditative mood. 

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Simona Castricum - SINK

SINK

by Simona Castricum

Released 13 July 2023

Dinosaur City

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Simona Castricum describes herself as a cross-disciplinary creative and academic from Naarm|Melbourne working on Wurundjeri land of Kulin Nation.

Simona engages architecture and music in a speculative ‘world-building’ practice to render queer and trans futures.

Simona is a solo musician and producer, while in architecture, she is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne, and an Associate at Parlour: Gender, Equity, Architecture.

Her work gathers queer and trans lived testimony into generous autoethnography and speculative fictions that reimagine relationships between the tactile, virtual, and affective conditions of our shared urban environment.

Simona has been a design practitioner for almost thirty years. Her work as a designer, musician, academic, and public advocate for queer and transgender equity offers an important expansion to the lens of gender and sexuality in architectural practice and design. Her research and writing develops queer and transgender epistemologies broadly across academic and professional silos

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Read more... Simona Castricum

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Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Bauhaus Staircase

Bauhaus Staircase

by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Released 27 October 2023

White Noise

****-

 

A band who’ve been around (as long as OMD) are faced with an invidious and unsolvable conundrum: to go through the motions and please their fans, while being accused of never doing anything ‘new’, or stay true to themselves and risk alienating fans by being brave and adventurous. If this really is to be OMD’s concluding statement – and we can only hope that isn’t the case – ‘Bauhaus Staircase’ somehow manages to walk the precarious tightrope between those two choices with absolute power, determination and conviction.

“Don’t ever waste this moment,” sings McCluskey on the title track, framing a fitting mantra for everything he and Humphreys have always striven to achieve in their music.

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Read more... Clash

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Ryuichi Sakamoto - Travesia

Bauhaus Staircase

by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark

Released 5 May 2023

Milan Records

*****

TRAVESÍA, an album of music by the late composer Ryuichi Sakamoto curated by award-winning filmmaker Alegandro G. Iñárritu.

Featuring selections from Sakamoto’s prolific catalogue handpicked by Iñárritu, who famously collaborated with the composer on his Oscar-winning film The Revenant. Originally conceived as a surprise project celebrating Sakamoto’s 70thbirthday, the album is the result of nearly two years of planning and six months of meticulous curation by Iñárritu. Now arriving in the wake of the iconic musician’s passing, Travesía, meaning “journey” in Spanish, takes listeners on a one-of-a-kind trip through the last four decades of Sakamoto’s music-making career, showcasing his immeasurable influence and lasting legacy.

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Read more... Milan Records

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Hiroshi Yoshimura - Surround

Surround

by Hiroshi Yoshimura

Released 1986 (reissue 6 October 2023)

Temporal Drift

*****

 

Originally released as an album in January 1986, Surround was recorded by Yoshimura as a commission from home builder Misawa Homes, intended to function as an “amenity” designed to enhance the company’s newly built living spaces.

In his original notes for the album, Yoshimura recommends that Surround be placed in the same family of sounds “as the vibration of footsteps, the hum of an air conditioner, or the clanging of a spoon inside a coffee cup.” And, as he suggests, “with the addition of city noise from outside the window,” you may hear Surround in a completely new way.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Girma Yifrashewa - My Strong Will

My Strong Will

by Girma Yifrashewa

Released 20 October 2023

Unseen Worlds

****-

My Strong Will is a new album of "Ethiopian Classical Music" by Girma Yifrashewa. Recorded with Bulgarian musicians and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra in Sofia, Bulgaria, the album is a return to where Yifrashewa completed his own conservatory training in the late 1980s and early 1990s, across both sides of the fall of Communism. Guided by Yifrashewa's piano, these chamber works bring the music of Ethiopia into a Western Classical format, uncovering meditative and emotional new vistas for both traditions.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Rabii Harnoune, V.B. Kuhn - Gnawa Electric Laune II

Gnawa Electric Laune II

by Rabii Harnoune, V.B. Kuhn

Released 24 June 2022

Try Thoughts

****-

"GNAWA ELECTRIC LAUNE II" is the new album from the majestic duo of Moroccan Gnawa-master (maâlem) Rabii Harnoune and Frankfurt electronic producer V.B.Kühl. Melding traditional North African Gnawa music with funky, soulful modern club sounds (perfectly demonstrated on V.B.Kühl’s recent HÖR Berlin session),‘Gnawa Electric Laune II’ is a more defined follow-up to the duo’s debut.

The birth of the ‘Gnawa Electric Laune’ concept resulted in a fascinating cross-cultural record that won over the likes of Gilles Peterson (Winners 2020), Tom Ravenscroft (BBC 6Music), Songlines and many others, for its electric and otherworldly bridge from old to new.

All songs on the new album weave Gnawa folklore culture into its lyrical themes and conceptual approaches.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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John Zorn - Parrhesiastes

Parrhesiastes

by John Zorn

Released 17 November 2023

Tzadik

****-

No sooner had sunneversetsonmusic caught up with John Zorn's most recent compositions and releases in our October playlist, than Tzadik releases another stellar recording, this time featuring the Chaos Magick band, comprising Brian Marsella (Fender Rhodes Piano), John Medeski (Organ), Kenny Grochowski (Drums), Matt Hollenberg (Guitar).

The album contains three extended compositions that run the gamut from Funk, Metal, Contemporary Classical, and more blended into a dramatic narrative that is constantly surprising and yet deeply inevitable. This is described as "a mind blowing document of Zorn’s kaleidoscopic compositional vision. Astonishing and utterly essential!". We humbly agree!

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Read more... Tzadik

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Anna Webber, Matt Mitchell - Capacious Aeration

Capacious Aeration

by Anna Webber, Matt Mitchell

Released 20 October 2023

Tzadik

****-

As flautist Anna Webber and pianist Matt Mitchell starts their virtuous vertiginous unison descend on the theme on “Most Capacious” I am reminded of previous displays of amazing technical skills like John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” or Eric Dolphy’s “Gazzelloni”. It is a performance with that kind of energy.

Anna Webber has the same kind of skill and energy on the tenor saxophone even if the two slow down a bit on the following pieces where they also display a lot of lyrical qualities even if the music often has a searching experimental quality to it.

Above all, Webber and Mitchell are very well attuned to each other which enables them to explore whatever direction they are going. Previously they have performed as a trio with a drummer, explaining the affinity they have developed.

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Read more... Jazz Desk

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Philip Glass, Gerard Cousins - The Poet Acts

The Poet Acts

by Gerard Cousins, Philip Glass

Released 7 July 2023

Prima Classics

****-

Guitar versions of Philip Glass’s works are not very common, but in 2020 the Welsh guitarist Gerard Cousins (Brecon, 1974) released on Orange Mountain Music (the label owned by Philip Glass himself) Escape, a first album of transcriptions for classical guitar of several of the American composer’s most emblematic pieces.

Now, almost three years later, it is the American label Prima Classic that is releasing The Poet Acts, the second album of guitar transcriptions of works by Glass created by Gerard Cousins.

Although the guitar has less power to sustain the notes, it does offer more timbral options than the piano, and Cousins interprets Glass’s lyrical lines with great poetic expressiveness, underpinning them with distinctive ostinato textures of vivid contrasts, especially in the outstanding Étude No. 1.

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Read more... minimalismore

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Melanie Di Biasio - Il Viaggio

Il Viaggio

by Melanie Di Biasio

Released 13 October 2023

[PIAS] le label

****-

Il Viaggio is a form of soundtrack. Its lyrics, music and soundscapes are created in response to the journey referenced in the title. Though born and raised in Belgium, Melanie De Biasio’s paternal grandfather was Italian. After the Europalia arts festival contacted her to see if she would create a work on its chosen theme of “Trains & Tracks” she chose to explore her roots. This took her to Abruzzo, in central eastern Italy – where Il Viaggio was born.

The resultant album arrives six years after its predecessor, 2017’s Lillies. Like that goth-flavoured outing, it’s a long way from her roots in jazz. The sprawling, 82-minute Il Viaggio takes in voices recorded in the mountain village of Lettomanoppello, birds chattering and less identifiable ambient noise. The final two tracks are “The Chaos Azure” and “Alba.” The former is just over 20 minutes long and draws a line between Dead Can Dance and Harold Budd; the latter, featuring her atmospheric flute playing, is an ambient mood-piece clocking in at a shade more than 18 minutes.

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Read more... The Arts Desk

 

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Ideophone - April (EP)

April (EP)

by Ideophone

Released 28 July 2023

Lima Limo Records

****-

Ideophone is London-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer Alex Reeve. Ideophone came together with long time collaborator The Vernon Spring at their Arboretum studio in South London over a weekend in April 2021. Joined by bass heavyweight Tom Herbert, drummer Alexis Nunez and violinist Flora Curzon the recordings evolved into April; a 5 track EP of immersive improvised music.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Koma Saxo, Petter Eidth - Post Koma

April (EP)

by Ideophone

Released 28 July 2023

Lima Limo Records

****-

Berlin-based Swedish bassist and producer Petter Eldh returns with a new Koma Saxo album Post Koma, out on We Jazz Records, 10 November. The title Post Koma aptly describes the vibe of this one: The Koma Saxo sound continues its evolution, morphing into a holistic vision of jazz now and soon, where live instrumentation and repurposed sampling lose their boundaries.

Over the course of its three iterations (self-titled debut in 2019, LIVE in 2020, Koma West in 2022) Koma Saxo has sounded at times "liquid" and postproduced, at times raw and direct, at times acoustic and at other times oddly electronic (even while still being made with acoustic instruments). Post Koma is a culmination of this sonic study by Eldh, resulting in a music vision that never second-guesses throwing tasty hooks and everlasting melodies out the window after a mere bite of them. But fear not: there are even more new ideas just around the corner.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Modern Cosmology, Laetitia Sadier, Mombojo - What Will You Grow Now?

What Will You Grow Now?

by Modern Cosmology, Laetitia Sadier, Mombojo

Released 5 May 2023

Duophonic Super 45s

****-

Whenever they find time to record, Modern Cosmology -- the project of Laetitia Sadier and the Brazilian group Mombojó -- tap into a chemistry so strong it endures even though they're usually separated by thousands of miles. Their debut EP, 2017's Summer Long, was the result of a two-week retreat where Sadier joined the band in Recife, and the spontaneity of recording whatever and whenever they wanted could be felt in its swirling Tropicália, psychedelia, and electronic pop. By contrast, What Will You Grow Now? was nearly seven years in the making, with Stereolab's reunion, the political climate of the late 2010s and early 2020s, and the COVID-19 global pandemic stretching out Modern Cosmology's creative process. Despite these delays -- and the fact that Mombojó and Sadier had to record their parts remotely -- the project's first full-length is a lovely and thoughtful statement of purpose. Instead of hopping from style to style as they did on Summer Long, this time Modern Cosmology bring all the elements of their music together, blending electronics, hand drums, strings, and guitars with elegant ease.

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Read more... AllMusic

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Oay Kaya - SAP

SAP

by Okay Kaya

Released 4 November 2023

Jagjaguwar

*****

“Even my subconscious is self-conscious,” Okay Kaya sings on “Inside Of A Plum”, giving us a sense of the mental state she entered while making SAP, an album she wrote, performed, engineered, and produced alone, sometimes spending weeks at a time without social interaction. This is a concept album about consciousness in which Okay Kaya focuses her trademark combination of abstraction and wit on what happens to her mind unaccompanied, on her tendency to feel less like a human and more like the sticky secretion of a tree.

After releasing her Spellemann Award winning album Watch This Liquid Pour Itself in January of 2020, Kaya left her home in New York and moved to Europe to create and show her various interdisciplinary exhibitions. Among others, she made an installation that amplified music made underwater and an interactive sculpture based on Jungian sandplay therapy for children. Between her exhibits, Kaya recorded through lockdowns by herself in the loaned studios of generous friends.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Hermanos Gutierrez - El Bueno Y El Malo

El Bueno Y El Malo

by Hermanos Gutierrez

Released 28 October 2023

Easy Eye Sound

****-

“When Alejandro and I play together, it’s like we are driving a car,” says Estevan Gutiérrez, one half of the guitar duo Hermanos Gutiérrez. “It’s like we are taking a road trip. Sometimes we’re driving through a desert. Sometimes we’re traveling up the coast. But always we are in nature, and we see the most beautiful landscapes, sunrises, sunsets.” The music these two brothers make evokes expansive plains and rough wildernesses, saguaros and surfs, spaghetti westerns and Morricone soundtracks, Lynch and Jarmusch. With their guitars they travel through landscapes haunted by vaqueros, cancioneros, wanderers, fugitives, lovers, family—and whatever ghosts their listeners bring to the music. “Each album is a journey on its own,” says Alejandro Gutiérrez. “We just have to go with the music, trust in ourselves, and see where it takes us.”

El Bueno Y El Malo is their most epic journey yet: Working with the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach at his Easy Eye Sound Studio in Nashville, they’ve crafted ten vivid compositions that highlight their intimate guitar playing, where one brother’s rhythms and the other brother’s melodies twine around each other so that they become inextricable. Together, they generate what Estevan calls a “deeper, darker energy” defined by complex arrangements, sophisticated playing, and most of all their very close relationship.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Monsieur Perine - Bolero Apocaliptico

Bolero Apocaliptico

by Monsieur Perine

Released 27 April 2023

5020 Records

****-

Monsieur Periné is a Bogotá-based musical ensemble from Colombia with an Afro-Colombian sound that mixes Latin and European flavors. 

The group is anchored by the core trio of García, vocals; Nicolás Junca, guitar; and Santiago Prieto, string instruments and vocals; typically augmented by a five piece ensemble.

More often than not, they seem to be out to play with their listener´s cultural compass, tweaking expectations and moving the points of reference. But because they do it with a sense of humor, their challenges have a softer edge — and yes, you can still dance along.

They once called their sound “suin a la colombiana”(Colombian-style swing) but it has continued to evolve and it seems to have spilled past early labels. '

Success (a Latin Grammy as Best New Artists in 2015; signing with a major label) has brought with it more of a pop feel to their music on record. But there’s still substance and a subtly subversive core to their music – and live, they know how to also make it entertaining and fun.

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Read more... Artburst Miami

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Raul Refree - La Mesias (Banda Sonora Original Serie La Mesias)

La Mesias (Banda Sonora Original Serie La Mesias)

by Raul Refree

Released 24 November 2023

Movistar Sound

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Paul Refree is one of the more important European producers of the last decade. Hus stylistic breadth and versatility have led him to have a profile that ranges from experimental musician to producer of pop stars or composer of award winning soundtracks. Interested from the beginning in the renewal of traditional music, Refree has become in recent years the name of reference for new flamenco in Spain, working alongside names that have grown up under his sound such as Rosalia, Rocio Marquez and Nino de Elche.

His collaboration in recent years with Sonic Youth, Sharon Van Etten, Nils Cline and others positions him favourably within today's New York music scene.

La Mesias (The Messiah) is the soundtrack album for the internationally acclaimed Spanish television series of the same name. family-framed psychological mystery thriller, “La Mesías” begins with thirty something Enric, who literally wets himself watching a viral video of Stella Maris, a Christian pop band led by his sisters.

Memories flood back of his own childhood and youth, scarred by his parents’ religious fanaticism, climaxing in mother Montse channeling her narcissism into declaring herself the daughter of God.

The soundtrack is an engaging mix of experimental, pop and religious music that stands in its own right, independent of the series.

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Read more... Variety

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Andrea Keller - Flicker & Polar Bird

Flicker & Polar Bird

by ​Andrea Keller

Released 6 October 2023

Andrea Keller

****-

Andrea Keller is an Australian pianist and composer, dedicated to the performance and creation of contemporary jazz and improvised music.
She has created and devised numerous albums and projects, and has been highly lauded, receiving three ARIA Awards, five Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards, two Art Music Awards, and fellowships from the MCA/Freedman Foundation and the Australia Council.

Her twenty-third album as leader, Flicker & Polar Bird is a double album that mixes new Keller creations with re-imaginings of older works. The music celebrates the connections Andrea made as the ANU H.C. Coombs Creative Arts Fellow in 2022, which enabled her to work with a host of wonderful musicians, deepening existing collaborations, and creating new ones.

Featuring Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet), John Mackey (saxophone), Rachael Thoms (voice), Liam Budge (voice), Véronique Serret (violin), and string sections in Sydney and Canberra, the compositions on this double release date from 2010 to 2022 and include many previously unreleased tracks.

The Flicker series, which began with a commission from Solstice Trio (2017), captures flashes of memory. Flicker 2 – 5 and Polar Bird (2022) were composed specifically for the trio with Miroslav and John.
Treasured Angels and Cry Heart But Never Break were commissioned by the Australian Art Orchestra (2018), while I am a little church appears in the song cycle Still Night (2016).
Both Compassionately Yours… (2019), and Pennies From Eve (2010) are being released for the first time here, having been commissioned by the Adelaide Festival and ANU Canberra respectively.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Owen Pallett - Dream Scenario (Original Motion Picture Score)

Dream Scenario (Original Motion Picture Score)

by Owen Pallett

Released 17 November 2023

A24 Music

****-

Toronto singer, composer, violinist, producer, and arranger Owen Pallett is one of the most over-credentialed, but practically unknown artists out there, whose music and influence you have probably enjoyed from his collaborations with a multitude of indie artists including Jim Guthrie, the National, and Arcade Fire or from his scores for films including Her, Life, The Box, Spaceship Earth, On the Count of Three and  Alice/Darling.

In the mid-2000s, he was an active composer, writing arrangements for Arcade Fire's groundbreaking Funeral, Neon Bible, and The Suburbs albums and recorded two albums as Final Fantasy (2005's Has a Good Home and 2006's He Poos Clouds). The second won the inaugural Polaris Prize.

After spending the next four years writing, arranging, and doing session work for dozens of other musicians, Pallett issued Heartland under his own name in 2010. In 2013, he and Arcade Fire collaborated in composing a score and recording the soundtracks for director Spike Jonze sci-fi romance Her. Pallett followed with In Conflict for Domino in 2014. He stayed busy for five years with commissions, session work, composing, and arranging for artists including Charlotte Gainsbourg and Titus Andronicus, and returned to his own recording with Island in 2021.

In addition to Her his other

Dream Scenario is written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Nicolas Cage revolves around a hapless family man who finds his life turned upside down when millions of strangers suddenly start seeing him in their dreams and he is forced to navigate his newfound stardom.

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Read more... AllMusic

 

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PMB3 - A Passing Instant

A Passing Instant

by ​PMB3

Released 12 August 2023

Brown Blues Music

****-

PMB3 is a shorthand for Paul Mitchell Brown Trio, a fabulous Sydney outfit comprising Paul Mitchell Brown (guitar), Barney Wakeford (organ) and Nic Cecire (drums).

The album balances five original PMB tunes against covers of four classic jazz grooves - Cole Porter's "Your Sensational", Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You", Hank Mobley's "Soul Station" and Charlie Parker's "Moose The Mooch". Very groovy!

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Zo!, Tall Black Guy - Abstractions

Abstractions

by ​Zo!, Tall Black Guy

Released 10 March 2023

The Foreign Exchange Music

****-

In the nearly two years since Zo! and Tall Black Guy’s collaborative effort Abstractions was released, it has never left our rotation. The set was chock-full of jams from front to back and included features from some of our faves. Most of all, though, it was a solid collaborative effort from two of the best producers in the game right now. Who could ask for anything more? Well, you don’t have to because the duo is giving it to you anyway with a surprise deluxe edition of the album.

The set’s original nine tracks are included, including standouts “Connected,” “Talkin’ To Myself” and “Hold My Hand.” What makes this edition so deluxe is the inclusion of two new tracks and three new remixes. 

The Abstractions (Deluxe Edition) expands upon everything we loved about the initial album, showcasing once again how exciting the collaboration between Zo! and Tall Black Guy is and just how far it can go.

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Read more... Soul Bounce

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Idris Ackamoor + The Pyramids - Afro Futuristic Dreams

Afro Futuristic Dreams

by ​Idris Ackamoor + The Pyramids

Released 22 September 2023

Strut Records

****-

Afro Futuristic Dreams is the fourth album from Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids since signing to Strut in 2012. Recorded between London and San Francisco with producer Malcolm Catto (he also helmed 2020's Shaman!), it features many of the same players in an expanded lineup. Ackamoor's company cuts across inspirations from Afrobeat, avant and spiritual jazz, psychedelic blues, mutant funk, theater, spoken word, and more in a soulfully idiosyncratic sound of their own creation. In addition to his core band -- electric guitarist Bobby Cobb, flutist Margaux Simmons, bassist Ruben Ramos Medina, and violinist/vocalist Sandra Poindexter -- are trumpeter Aaron Atkinson, trombonist Greg Stephens, drummers Ernesto Marichales and George Hearst, keyboardist Ben Maddox, percussionist Bradie Speller, a string quartet, and a small vocal chorus. In addition to saxophones, Ackamoor sings (think Leon Thomas), plays organ, piano, keytar, and percussion instruments. The leader makes glorious use of this larger ensemble.

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Read more... AllMusic

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Joshua Redman feat. Gabrielle Cavassa - Where Are We

where we are

by ​Joshua Redman feat. Gabrielle Cavassa

Released 15 September 2023

Blue Note

****-

Acclaimed saxophonist Joshua Redman makes his Blue Note debut with where are we, his first-ever vocal project which features vocalist Gabrielle Cavassa, pianist Aaron Parks, bassist Joe Sanders, and drummer Brian Blade plus special guests Nicholas Payton on trumpet, Kurt Rosenwinkel on guitar, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Joel Ross on vibraphone.

At its core the album is both a celebration and critique of America—each song is about a specific geographical location in the United States—but it is also, to varying degrees, a ballads album, a standards album, an album of romantic longing, an album of social reflection, an album of melodic invention, and an album of improvisational adventure.

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Read more... Blue Note

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Mbuso Khoza - Ifa Lomkhono

Ifa Lomkhono

by Mbuso Khoza

Released 17 November 2023

Ropeadope

****-

Mbuso Khoza is a South African musical visionary whose artistry transcends boundaries and  inspires listeners worldwide. Born and raised in Eshowe, Zululand, Khoza's journey in music began at a young age, fueled by a deep  connection to his Zulu heritage and an insatiable passion for storytelling through song.

Ifa Lomkhono features Mbuso Khoza’s transcendent vocals, with Nduduzo Makhathini on Piano & Keys, Ndabo Zulu on Trumpet, Linda Sikhakhane on Tenor Sax, Joel Klein on Guitar, Magne Thormodsater on Double Bass, Ayanda Sikade and Tino Damba on Drums, and Ndumiso Mtshali on Mbira and iStolotolo.

Ifa Lomkhono is a powerful and essential contribution that can help the world understand the legacy and roots of Zulu culture and its influence on modern music.

 

Read more... Ropeadope

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Mike Reed - The Separatist Party

The Separatist Party

by Mike Reed

Released 27 October 2023

We Jazz

****-

The Separatist Party is the first installment of a three-album cycle involving a varied cast of musicians, dealing with themes of inner and outer human isolation. In his own life, Reed has been a community-builder, both through making music and presenting it. He views bandleading as a creative act, as the unexpected synchronicity of the Separatist Party’s disparate members attests. 

The music draws upon a raft of influences, weaving together varied traditions and practices within a groove-oriented attack to forge something entirely new. One can glean wisps of Don Cherry’s Organic Music conception, the ecstatic fire of Pharoah Sanders, the cycling minimalism of Terry Riley, the motoric rhythms of Krautrock, the exploratory tones of Sun Ra, and clipped soul of vintage Ethiopian music within the Separatist Party’s music, but no single element arrives wholesale. Rather, the musicians have melded and transformed ideas from around the globe and across decades into a propulsive brew that says plenty about the turbulent era we find ourselves in, turning to the healing power of music to unite us, if only for a short while.

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Larry Goldings, Kaveh Rastegar, Abe Rounds - Better

Better

by Larry Goldings, Kaveh Rastegar, Abe Rounds

Released 10 March 2023

Ropeadope

****-

The Great Pandemic of 2020 will be remembered for any number of tragic occurrences; Millions of dead, hospitals overwhelmed to their limits, a catalyst for the already toxic polarization along political lines, the delightful discovery of online grocery shopping. For musicians, the real tragedy was that Covid-19 essentially restricted their ability to congregate in the same room for the express purpose of musical expression—in other words, their primary reason for living. “When things shut down in March of 2020 I remember feeling like life as I knew it was over–not to be too hyperbolic,” remembered bassist Kaveh Rastegar. “Lots of questions and uncertainty came in. Before, I never questioned why things mattered or didn’t, and I also took so much for granted in my musical life...opportunities to play, record and tour. The venues and studios to get together and record or perform in...they were all closed,” he remembered. One of those lost playing opportunities for Rastegar was with keyboardist Larry Goldings, who, just before the pandemic, had reached out to him to make some music together. They had gotten to record and perform together with singer Colin Hay (Men at Work), and, in Goldings’ words, “soon discovered that his musicianship extended throughout many genres and skills, including songwriting, production, and a gift for putting interesting people together.” 

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Anjimile - The King

The King

by Anjimile

Released 8 September 2023

4AD

****-

Anjimile Chithambo, better known as Anjimile, new album, The King is his first full-length since 2020’s breakthrough Giver Taker. 

Highlighting the artistic shift from Giver Taker to now, ‘The King’ opens with a lofty, melodic choir, an intro that belies the song’s motives. Suddenly, sinister arpeggios interrupt the reverie, and the voices grow darkly serious.

Deeply steeped in the confusion, grief, and rage of being Black in America, ‘The King’ pushes back against the tired adage, “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” hissing, “What don ’t kill you almost killed you// What don’t fill you//pains you// drains you.”

“If Giver Taker was an album of prayers, The King is an album of curses.” 

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Noname - Sundial

Sundial

by Noname

Released 11 August 2023

Noname / AWAL Recordings

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Noname’s discography has become an ever-evolving list of ways to reach auditory bliss, and Sundial is a big band ensemble speeding past on a highway like the forum for social issues is Mad Max Fury Road. Part of this band is an impressive list of collaborators including the equally as relentless Billy Woods, capturing a striking moment of clarity near the end of the record; Ayoni’s sung hooks on “boomboom” and “oblivion” are indulgently gorgeous and make for some of the catchiest refrains of 2023.

However, the controversial inclusion of Jay Electronica induces a frightened stare when he begins rapping about numerous conspiracy theories ranging from the Rothschilds to the war in Ukraine being a Jewish hoax. Needless to say, the soapbox provided for this on such a project can sour the message for many in a time of increasing antisemitic violence.

 

Read more... The Line Of Best Fit

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Sorry Bamba - Du Mali

Sorry Bamba Du Mali

by Sorry Bamba

Released 23 February 2018

Somghai

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One of the most pivotal figures in the history of Malian music is Sorry Bamba. His work spans five decades and his music bridges the gap between Mali's cultural traditions and new the music which arose from the musical cross overs which occurred in Mali's post-Colonial period. Bamba was born in 1938 in Mopti. This is dissected by both the Niger and Bani rivers and known for its rich cultural diversity. Bamba's father was a distinguished veteran of Emperor Samory Toure's military and a nobleman in Malian society; however, this meant young Sorry was forbidden to make music, as under the nation's caste system, music was an art form reserved for the Griots.

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Samantha Lindo - Ancestry

Ancestry

by Samantha Lindo

Released 10 November 2023

Samantha Lindo

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Samantha Lindo is a multidisciplinary RnB and Soul artist whose sound spans the realms of spiritual jazz, gospel and spoken word, is also inspired by classic artists like Marvin Gaye, Carole King and Minnie Riperton as well as contemporaries such as Robert Glasper, Cleo Sol, Sault, and Jordan Rakei.

This compelling album explores the stories from Samantha’s family history, including her great, great grandfather: a black methodist minister who defiantly married a white Scottish teacher in Jamaica in 1880. It also explores the history of his son, the Conservator of forestry of the whole island, who planted and protected the trees that are now under threat from the extreme weather and flooding of the climate crisis, as well as her grandparents who came to the UK in the fifties as part of the Windrush generation

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Leah Senior - The Music That I Make

The Music That I Make

by Leah Senior

Released 18 August 2023

Poison City Records

****-

Australian-based folk diviner Leah Senior silences audiences with vivid lyricism and a voice that soars with a disarmingly honest Sandy Denny-like clarity. Quietly revered as a master songwriter, she effortlessly weaves together spring-time baroque pop playfulness with a fragile blend of bedroom folk.

The Music That I Make is the fourth album from local folk songwriter Leah Senior, out now on Poison City Records. The ten-song release offers intimate ruminations on what it means to be an artist in our modern age, masterfully delivered through vivid storytelling and exquisite harmonies. 

Possessing a timeless quality, The Music That I Make gleans from decades old songwriting traditions encompassing folk, psych rock and AM radio pop styles, ultimately delivered with the sort of auteur storytelling that places the album in its own universe. Like so much great songwriting, The Music That I Make feels equal parts confessional and universal, each song imbued with a sensitivity running through them. 

 

Read more... Bandcamp, TripleR

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Sofia Grant - Extinction (EP)

Extinction (EP)

by Sofia Grant

Released 1 September 2023

Jazz refreshed

****-

Noname’s discography has become an ever-evolving list of ways to reach auditory bliss, and Sundial is a big band ensemble speeding past on a highway like the forum for social issues is Mad Max Fury Road. Part of this band is an impressive list of collaborators including the equally as relentless Billy Woods, capturing a striking moment of clarity near the end of the record; Ayoni’s sung hooks on “boomboom” and “oblivion” are indulgently gorgeous and make for some of the catchiest refrains of 2023.

However, the controversial inclusion of Jay Electronica induces a frightened stare when he begins rapping about numerous conspiracy theories ranging from the Rothschilds to the war in Ukraine being a Jewish hoax. Needless to say, the soapbox provided for this on such a project can sour the message for many in a time of increasing antisemitic violence.

 

Read more... The Line Of Best Fit

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Fergus McCreadie - Sketches (EP)

Sketches (EP)

by Fergus McCreadie

Released 24 November 2023

Edition Records

****-

Awarded the ‘Best Instrumentalist’ Award at the Scottish Jazz Awards aged only 20, Fergus McCreadie is one of Scotland’s most exciting young artists.

His debut album with his trio, ‘Turas,’ has been praised for ‘reflecting his engagement with the Scottish landscape and musical tradition while also showing a firm grasp of the Jazz Piano tradition.’ (Jazz In Europe).

Sketches is the new digital EP from pianist Fergus McCreadie, a remarkable 5-track digital EP that unveils the pianist at his most authentic and unadorned. With just himself and a piano, McCreadie delves into the raw essence of musical creation, inviting listeners into an intimate space of improvisational artistry.

Drawing inspiration from the hallowed ground where jazz icon Keith Jarrett once left his indelible mark, "Sketches" is a captivating exploration of musical expression, nuance, and hypnotic allure. Each note is meticulously crafted, weaving a tapestry of emotions that range from the lilting to the evocative, creating a melodious narrative that resonates deeply with the soul

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Roger Eno - The Skies, they shift like clouds...

The Skies, they shift like clouds...

by Roger Eno

Released 13 October 2023

Deutsche Grammophon

****-

"Basically, it's about transience," Eno says of the new recording, whose moments of silence are of great importance in allowing the music to breathe while the listener explores what they feel and what comes to mind.

His new album the skies, they shift like chords builds on the soundscape of piano and strings that Eno first introduced on his first solo album The Turning Year. With instruments such as electric guitar, clarinet, bass clarinet, vibraphone, flute organ and electronica, he creates an emotional thread that accompanies you as you listen. He draws his inspiration from his connection to his home in East Anglia.

Most of the pieces were created from improvisations, the musical "snapshots" Eno speaks of. "They are best captured by foregoing detail".

 

Read more... Deutsche Grammophon

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Nitai Hershkovits - Call On The Old Wise

Call On The Old Wise

by Nitai Hershkovits

Released 10 November 2023

ECM

****-

 

With Call on the old Wise Nitai Hershkovits delivers an entrancing solo album. In this largely improvised solo rendering, the pianist draws from broad influences, ranging from his extensive work in jazz contexts and cutting-edge contemporary explorations to his background in classical music. This immaculate balance of idioms gives rise to an abundance of colours and timbres, explored by a pianist, who has successfully forged his very own voice as improviser and shape-designer. With a soft touch, light action and washing harmonies, Nitai’s improvisations unfold like compositions being created in real-time, making Call on the Old Wise a testimony to the pianist’s unique inventiveness as well as an essential addition to ECM’s celebrated line of solo piano recordings.

The album, recorded in Lugano in 2022 and produced by Manfred Eicher, follows after his contributions in Oded Tzur’s quartet on the acclaimed recordings Here Be Dragons (2020) and Isabela (2022).

 

Read more... ECM

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Myele Manzanza - Crisis & Opportunity, Vol. 4 - Meditations

Crisis & Opportunity, Vol. 4 - Meditations

by Myele Manzanza

Released 24 November 2023

Deep Matter Records

****-

Over the past two years, the first three instalments of his lauded 'Crisis & Opportunity’ record series saw NZ artist Myele Manzanza garner praise from Mary Anne Hobbs, Cerys Matthews, Jamie Cullum, Huey Morgan, The Guardian, Complex, Jazz FM, Lefto, Worldwide FM, Jazzwise and more.

The latter of these offerings extended Myele's sound deeper into the electronic world, venturing further into dance & club territory. From this underground energy, the steady swing of life’s pendulum reaches its apex, so we see Myele revert to a purely acoustic line-up, channelling a focused and razor-sharp return to his Jazz roots on ‘Crisis & Opportunity, Vol.4 - Meditations’. Showcasing an incredible level of musicianship between three musicians at the top of their game - including Matthew Sheens (Ross McHenry, John Patitucci) on piano and Matt Penman (Joshua Redman, SFJAZZ Collective) on double bass - the trio exchange motifs over the length of 7 tracks.

Myele explains: ‘ With this album, I’m yearning for the music itself to hold space. The title 'Meditations' suits the more interior mood of the music too. This is a solitary & introverted album compared to my previous works. I’m not trying to entertain you. I’m not trying to make you dance. Not on this record. With the interference of modern technology on our lives and how so much of our attention is tethered to the digital world, perhaps this album is a small rebellion against that. At least in the sense that it’s a purely acoustic album. It relies on the interplay of three musicians, listening to each other and making spontaneous decisions in order to execute the music. The quality of the sound directly reflects each person’s artistry, command of their instrument, physical technique and mental acuity.”

Links to previous albums in the series:

Crisis & Opportunity, Vol. 1 - London

Crisis & Opportunity, Vol. 2 - Peaks,
Crisis & Opportunity, Vol. 3 - Unfold

 

Read more... Bandcamp

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Christoph El Truento - Circle of Friends

Circle of Friends

by Christoph El Truento

Released 6 November 2023

Christoph El Truento

****-

Over the years Auckland producer Christoph El Truento has output hip-hop, ambient, footwork, dub, and more, and managed to make every release feel less like ticking genres of a checklist, than something deeply felt. 

The last time we heard from him was as producer on Avantdale Bowling Club’s second album Trees, a release which pulled back on the jazz element of that group’s musical makeup. 

His new release Circle of Friends feels like it’s here to redress that balance, as he plunges headfirst into brushed drums, complex keys, and free-roaming horns. As the title suggests, it’s done with the help of some close collaborators.

That’s Te Whanganui-a-Tara singer Mā closing out the track ‘Where Did We Go Wrong’, following around six minutes of jazz vamping. The album has several moments like that, where wild exploration suddenly tightens, giving way to structured vocals. 

The songs are rounded out by some of Aotearoa’s finest players: to name a few, there’s Julien Dyne on drums, JY Lee on horns, Cory Champion on vibes, and Jeremy Toy & Mara TK playing guitar. 

There are also guest vocalists throughout, including Avantdale’s Tom Scott, who turns beat poet on ‘Burning Sensation’, riffing on gentrification in a densely metaphorical and funny way.

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Read more... RNZ

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Terrace Martin, Alex Isley - I Left My Heart In Ladera

I Left My Heart In Ladera

by Terrace Martin, Alex Isley

Released 20 October 2023

Sounds of Crenshaw

****-

GRAMMY Award-winning artist, master producer and multi-instrumentalist Terrace Martin has been busy, very busy. Throughout 2023, he’s released a steady stream of albums, and as the year draws to a conclusion, there's still no slowing him down.

In April, Martin's all-star group Dinner Party (comprising Martin, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder and others) released their third album to critical acclaim.

In June we saw to two new solo releases,"Fine Tune" and "Curly", also well received.

In August it was the rather more obscure "nova" (EP), a collaboration with LA singer, songwriter, and record producer James Fauntleroy.

The, in October, he released I Left My Heart In Ladera - another collaborative album, this time alongside LA vocalist Alex Isley. Her high-pedigree, sultry vocals and Martin's laid back production here create a sound and vibe that would be worthy of Sade (and ready to upstage her, if her promised new album in 2024 is not up to the mark).

The project borrows its name from the Ladera Heights neighborhood, and the LA natives are seen posing in front of the infamous “Ladera White House” for the cover art.

Now, to round out the year (we presume), Martin has dropped three further sets:

  • "The Near North Side"- a surprise instrumental collaboration with celebrated jazz guitarist Calvin Keys (Martin's uncle, best known for his work with The Blue Keys and Ahmed Jamal)

  • "sneek" - a joint album with contemporary R&B/soul singer Gallant

  • "Ornamental" - a Christmas / Holidays album (he went THERE, of course!)

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Read more... 

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Kurt Rosenwinkel, Geri Allen - A Lovesome Thing

A Lovesome Thing

by Kurt Rosenwinkel, Geri Allen

Released 24 November 2023

Motema Music / Heartcore Records

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This one-and-only recorded collaboration between jazz greats Geri Allen and Kurt Rosenwinkel took place live at the famed Philharmonie de Paris in 2012—the two play as if with one mind. Geri often spoke of her desire to do a studio recording to document the ‘flow and freedom” she experienced playing with Kurt that night in Paris. Unfortunately, we lost her before that date never materialized, and fortunately, that concert was recorded. The acoustics in this hall are magnificent, This album, produced by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Motéma's Jana Herzen is dedicated to Geri's memory and is truly a 'lovesome thing' for fans of Geri, of Kurt, and of piano and guitar jazz.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Fabiano do Nascimento - Mundo Solo

Mundo Solo

by Fabiano do Nascimento 

Released 24 November 2023

Far Out Recordings

****-

Mundo Solo, which Brazilian guitarist and composer Fabiano do Nascimento recorded at his home studio in Los Angeles in 2020 is fundamentally the sound of a man alone with his instruments.

Utilizing a variety of guitars, including 6, 7 and 10 strings, Oktav guitar and electric baritone guitar, alongside a host of pedals and synthesizers, Fabiano tracked imagined landscapes with expressive, expansive improvisations, which tend toward the more ambient and atmospheric reaches of his recent output.

Adopting Hermeto Pascoal’s concept of Universal Music, a rejection of nationalistic tendencies in order to express all of one’s musical influences all at once, Fabiano avoided leaning too heavily on any particular musical language, without denying his own musical roots.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Terrace Martin, James Fauntleroy - Nova (EP)

Nova (EP)

by Terrace Martin, James Fauntleroy

Released 25 August 2023

Sounds of Crenshaw

****-

This six-track jaunt melds Martin’s classic jazz sensibilities with Fauntleroy’s legendary pen. Unlike "Fine Tune"and "Curly", Martin's previous two albums this year, which were bursting at the seams with star-studded guest spots, most of the heavy lifting on Nova is handled by Martin and Fauntleroy. The only other featured acts are Robert Glasper and Chief Adjuah (the artist formerly known as Christian Scott).

The album is centred around the idea of luxury, longing and fulfillment, a theme which is carried throughout each song through the lens of a relationship’s highs and lows.

The duo packs a wallop of a punch over the course of Nova’s 22-minute ride. The result is a sweeping, rich journey through the musical stratosphere that leaves listeners longing for more from these two. With three more releases before Martin’s series concludes, we can only imagine what other sounds he has on the way.

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Read more... Soul Bounce

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Robert Finley - Black Bayou

Black Bayou

by Robert Finley

Released 27 October 2023

Easy Eye Sound, Concord

****-

“I remember the first time my pawpaw took me down to the Black Bayou,” Robert Finley recalls on “Alligator Bait,” a talking blues that closes out his visceral and vibrant new record. As the guitars pop and crackle around him, coalescing into a slow rhythmic crawl like an airboat along muddy waters, the 70-year-old Louisiana native casts back in his memory for this harrowing story. Dressed in swamp boots and waders, the kid “stepped on a log and the log moved!” His grandfather shot the gator that snapped at him, but the boy quickly realized that he was intended as bait. There’s some humor to the outrageous incident, but the song emphasizes the tragedy of it: how he was never able to forgive his grandfather for risking his young life, how the incident drove a wedge through several generations of Finleys.

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Read more... Bandcamp

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Van Morrison - Accentuate The Positive

Accentuate The Positive

by Van Morrison

Released 3 November 2023

Exile Productions

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Van Morrison's 45th studio album (is an) electrifying homage to rock ‘n’ roll (with an album title that hopefully acknowledges that some of his recent releases were spoiled by inclusion of songs that veered indulgently into negative of populist politics).

Like this year’s acclaimed Moving On Skiffle, Accentuate The Positive sees Van Morrison returning to one of his childhood passions: this time rock ‘n’ roll. Growing up in Belfast shortly after World War II, he was immensely inspired by the heady sounds of 20th century blues and rock ‘n’ roll. Listening to artists such as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers, it wasn’t long until Van was intuitively reinterpreting these sounds with his own band in local hometown venues.

Several decades later, Van Morrison now revisits the genre by reimagining some of his personal favourites, infusing those timeless songs with an energy that constantly challenges and expands upon its traditions.

Contributors to the album include electric guitar from the late Jeff Beck and vocals from Chris Farlowe on, "Lonesome Train", plus guitar from Taj Mahal on, "Lucille" and, "Shake, Rattle and Roll".

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Read more... The Sound Cafe

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Pachyman - Switched-On

Switched-On

by Pachyman

Released 29 September 2023

ATO Recods

****-

Puerto Rican-born musician Pachyman (Pachy Garcia) produces a smooth, tuneful update of vintage dub reggae faithful to the works of Scientist and King Tubby, but with its own flavor. His fourth album, Switched-On, channels the sweetness of lovers rock, and additionally incorporates vintage synthesizers, resulting in a vivid hybrid of ear-catching sounds and uplifting melodies.  Pachyman's highly unique synth-heavy spin on dub is a winner.

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Read more... AllMusic

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Genesis Owusu - STRUGGLER

STRUGGLER

by Genesis Owusu

Released 30 November 2023

OURNESS / AWAL Recordings

****-

Rapper and vocalist Genesis Owusu has made his sonic signature lurching through disparate genres. From punk-inflected spoken word to sweetly sung falsetto melodies, Prince-esque funk and thumping post-punk guitars, the Ghanaian-born Australian artist trades in an excess of creative energy. Coming to prominence with 2021’s debut Smiling With No Teeth, Owusu channelled the isolation and aggression of his upbringing as a Black man in majority-white Canberra through a sprawling 16 tracks of snarled rap, synth-funk and 80s rock. Largely picking up where that record left off, Struggler continues to convey his strife with a remarkable singularity.

Opener Leaving the Light sets the tone, with its thundering bassline and chugging drums, reminiscent of the avant-garde rap of British trio Young Fathers. A similar bass-driven rhythm continues on Freak Boy and Balthazar, but it’s when Owusu lets his melodic softness come through that he really excels. Highlights Tied Up! and That’s Life (A Swamp) bounce funkily, with the latter switching into a delightfully sultry bossa riff. On What Comes Will Come, he traverses earworming synth-pop, head-nodding rap and breakbeat euphoria in under four minutes. There aren’t many artists who wear such experimentation so lightly.

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Read more... The Guardian

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Barry Can't Swim - When Will We Land?

When Will We Land?

by Barry Can't Swim

Released 20 October 2023

Ninja Tune

****-

Multi-faceted Scottish artist Barry Can’t Swim's debut album ‘When Will We Land?’ is his broadest and most diverse project yet. The 11-track project moves from deep house to jazz, from ambience to the percussive charge of afrobeat.

It’s all held together by his singular sense of purpose (and humour) and that trademark vivacity; deftly finessed, it’s an album that works as a form of musical autobiography.

“You only get to make your debut album once,” he points out. “So I want to showcase all the elements of the things I enjoy and love in music up to this point.” 

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Read more... Bandcamp

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