In truth, it was a very weak month for new releases. But I think July has traditionally been one of a couple rough months as far as the tides of new release strategies go. That said, this'll keep you busy.
Oh, hey, an eMusers-only exclusive rec...
Max Johnson - "In the West"
It popped up on Bandcamp the day after I submitted my column...
A very cool album from a very cool bassist. He's got a quartet for this recording, with pianist Kris Davis, drummer Mike Pride and the pedal steel of Susan Alcorn. Released on Clean Feed Records.
I believe this is a Vijay-only thing, though I base that assertion on nothing more, really, than a gut feeling.
However, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that ECM was watching his BC experiment. Considering BC does the lossless format, that might be something that ECM might lean to.
Is that really them? You would have thought that if it really was that there would be some mention of their Bandcamp presence on their main site - and currently there is not. Also seems very strange there are only 4 releases there - three by David Virelles.
"This band
was one of my favorite touring bands and this is right in the sweet spot
of our years together. Featuring some absolutely killer young (at that
time) players: Jamie Saft on piano and organ, Cuong Vu on trumpet,
Andrew D'Angelo on sax and bass clarinet, Andy Laster on sax and
clarinet, Curtis Hasslebring on trombone, and my old friend Lindsey
Horner on bass. We were quite a juggernaut in those years. This is Set 1
of a hot recording in a small club and you can hear the band stretch."
Intriguing picks as always. I am still getting my head around maroon cloud. "Mandorla Awakening" performed at Jazz Fest, but Nicole was absent due to family matters. Disappointing of course, but Tomeka led, and it was interesting to see them close the gap.
Miles Okazaki is clubhouse leader for album of the year IMO, if only on points for ambition. But then I haven't heard the Steve Coleman yet...
September's picks are going to be insane. I already have ten slots filled, and that's technically my limit. I've still got to see what shows up that wasn't already on my list.
Miles Okazaki is clubhouse leader for album of the year IMO, if only on points for ambition. But then I haven't heard the Steve Coleman yet...
The Steve Coleman is quite good and surprisingly accessible (relative to some of his studio work, which is always interesting but sometimes tough to sync with). I tend to listen to the first set (as the second set pretty much mirrors the same setlist in different order with a few twists along the way). But I am really liking the Miles' Monk project, too. Always lots of good stuff... just not much of it on eMu anymore.
That Coleman is very accessible. That's a really good point. I enjoy his studio stuff, but it does take more effort to connect with it. But this live set is a sit-back-and-enjoy kind of thing.
I saw Steve live for the first time a couple of years ago, and he brought the funk, kind of to my surprise. Very engaging performance & personality. He has carved out a nice little deal traveling around doing "residencies," so the music is pretty well worked out by the time he gets on stage. Enjoying the 2 tunes available at Bandcamp...Will get the CD in the fullness of time
“One of the most interesting new labels in Danish jazz.” That is how the American magazine All About Jazz describes Copenhagen-based Barefoot Records — a musician-run collective and record label, consisting of seven artists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Poland. Originality and artistic integrity are keywords in the catalogue of 54 critically acclaimed releases of the label that, instead of sticking to any specific genre, takes musical gut feeling as its guiding force.
Members of the collective: Håkon Berre, Morten Pedersen, Jeppe Zeeberg, Kasper Tom Christiansen, Tomasz Dąbrowski, Sven Meinild, Henrik Olsson.
Michael Gregory Jackson – electric & acoustic guitars, vocals,
harmonica, shakers, tambourine & cowbell, Niels Praestholm – bass,
Simon Spang-Hanssen – alto & soprano saxophones,
Matias Wolf Andreason – drums
"One of the World’s Most Influential Innovative Guitarists, a
Beyond-Genre Pioneer with Stunningly Singular Technique, MICHAEL GREGORY
JACKSON Has Impressed & Inspired Musicians Across Genres &
Generations, including Guitar Icons Pat Metheny and Bill Frisell.
In WHENUFINDITUWILLKNOW, MGJ and the Danish Jazz Musicians in his
Clarity Quartet Return to Avant Roots He Had Germinated Alongside Wadada
Leo Smith and Oliver Lake in the ‘70s Jazz Loft Scene. . . ."
Released today at Bandcamp. Below is the All About Jazz Review.
If you ask an Afrobeat fan to name their favourite bands—excluding lineups led by Fela Kuti during his lifetime—the probability is that their top five choices will include Seun Kuti's Egypt 80 and Femi Kuti's Positive Force, both based in Lagos, along with Dele Sosimi 's Afrobeat Orchestra, based in London. Other credible outfits have emerged, but none which has so far seriously challenged that tripartite ascendancy. London trumpeter Sheila Maurice-Grey's Kokoroko is an outfit to watch, however, combining, as it does, a firm grip on the post-Afrika 70 tradition with some striking new directions.
Kokoroko debuted on record as part of the Brownswood label's 2018 compilation We Out Here, a showcase for emerging young London jazz artists which was recorded under the light-touch supervision of reed player Shabaka Hutchings, feted for his own work with Sons of Kemet, Shabaka & the Ancestors and The Comet Is Coming. Kokoroko has now released its first disc (and download), a 4-track EP which clocks in just shy of 25 minutes.
Kokoroko is a horn-led mainly-instrumental album. It is also an ensemble work, but one which includes space for uniformly compelling solos from Maurice-Grey, saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, trombonist Richie Seivwright and guitarist Oscar Jerome. A deep-strata rhythm section is anchored by bass guitarist Mutale Chashi .
Kokoroko turns out tough, classic Afrobeat grooves on the up-tempo "Adwa" and "Uman" and also reveals a sensitive touch with ballads from beyond the standard Afrobeat paradigm. Closing track "Abusey Junction" is particularly lovely and at just over seven minutes it is the longest track (it was also the closer on We Out Here). The tune was written by Jerome, who confirms his position as an important voice on the new London scene, as previously announced on his self-released EP Where Are Your Branches? in 2018. On "Adwa," Jerome turns in a gritty solo at times reminiscent of early period James Blood Ulmer, while on the ballads he evokes a glistening melodicism in the same league as that of two benchmark West African guitarists, Kante Manfila, the Guinean electric guitarist who was Salif Keita's collaborator in Les Ambassadeurs, and Koo Nimo, the Ghanaian palm-wine master.
Kinoshi, who recently released the luminous Driftglass (Jazz re-freshed, 2019), the debut album by her SEED Ensemble, is another top-rank young talent and she blows a coruscating solo on "Adwa." Seivwright, who has played with Maurice-Grey and Kinoshi in the Nérija collective, is less widely known but welcome both in her own right and also for her instrument—the trombone is rarely heard in Afrobeat, but it fits in snugly here, both as part of the horn section and also as a solo instrument. As leader, Maurice-Grey modestly refrains from hogging the solos, but she turns in blinders on "Uman" and "Abusey Junction," the first full of fire, the second shimmeringly beautiful.
From every angle, Kokoroko is a hugely impressive debut.
Comments
My new recommendations are up...
https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/08/01/the-best-jazz-on-bandcamp-july-2017/In truth, it was a very weak month for new releases. But I think July has traditionally been one of a couple rough months as far as the tides of new release strategies go. That said, this'll keep you busy.
Oh, hey, an eMusers-only exclusive rec...
Max Johnson - "In the West"
It popped up on Bandcamp the day after I submitted my column...
https://maxjohnson.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-west
A very cool album from a very cool bassist. He's got a quartet for this recording, with pianist Kris Davis, drummer Mike Pride and the pedal steel of Susan Alcorn. Released on Clean Feed Records.
Aum Fidelity is setting up shop on Bandcamp...
https://aumfidelity.bandcamp.com/album/meditation-resurrection
...but, 18 bucks for a digital download?
yeah, double disc, but still ...
($11 for a single apparently)
The new Vijay Iyer Sextet recording "Far From Over," released on ECM Records, is on Bandcamp...
https://vijayiyersextet.bandcamp.com/album/far-from-over
However, it wouldn't surprise me to discover that ECM was watching his BC experiment. Considering BC does the lossless format, that might be something that ECM might lean to.
But I dunno. Cool album, though.
https://timbernesnakeoil.bandcamp.com/
Nothing is streaming and it appears only the CD is available for sale, nothing digital.
But it's interesting to see.
-Dave
Miles Okazaki is clubhouse leader for album of the year IMO, if only on points for ambition. But then I haven't heard the Steve Coleman yet...
“One of the most interesting new labels in Danish jazz.” That is how the American magazine All About Jazz describes Copenhagen-based Barefoot Records — a musician-run collective and record label, consisting of seven artists from Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Poland. Originality and artistic integrity are keywords in the catalogue of 54 critically acclaimed releases of the label that, instead of sticking to any specific genre, takes musical gut feeling as its guiding force.
Members of the collective: Håkon Berre, Morten Pedersen, Jeppe Zeeberg, Kasper Tom Christiansen, Tomasz Dąbrowski, Sven Meinild, Henrik Olsson.
Matias Wolf Andreason – drums
In WHENUFINDITUWILLKNOW, MGJ and the Danish Jazz Musicians in his Clarity Quartet Return to Avant Roots He Had Germinated Alongside Wadada Leo Smith and Oliver Lake in the ‘70s Jazz Loft Scene. . . ."
Released today at Bandcamp. Below is the All About Jazz Review.
Kokoroko debuted on record as part of the Brownswood label's 2018 compilation We Out Here, a showcase for emerging young London jazz artists which was recorded under the light-touch supervision of reed player Shabaka Hutchings, feted for his own work with Sons of Kemet, Shabaka & the Ancestors and The Comet Is Coming. Kokoroko has now released its first disc (and download), a 4-track EP which clocks in just shy of 25 minutes.
Kokoroko is a horn-led mainly-instrumental album. It is also an ensemble work, but one which includes space for uniformly compelling solos from Maurice-Grey, saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi, trombonist Richie Seivwright and guitarist Oscar Jerome. A deep-strata rhythm section is anchored by bass guitarist Mutale Chashi .
Kokoroko turns out tough, classic Afrobeat grooves on the up-tempo "Adwa" and "Uman" and also reveals a sensitive touch with ballads from beyond the standard Afrobeat paradigm. Closing track "Abusey Junction" is particularly lovely and at just over seven minutes it is the longest track (it was also the closer on We Out Here). The tune was written by Jerome, who confirms his position as an important voice on the new London scene, as previously announced on his self-released EP Where Are Your Branches? in 2018. On "Adwa," Jerome turns in a gritty solo at times reminiscent of early period James Blood Ulmer, while on the ballads he evokes a glistening melodicism in the same league as that of two benchmark West African guitarists, Kante Manfila, the Guinean electric guitarist who was Salif Keita's collaborator in Les Ambassadeurs, and Koo Nimo, the Ghanaian palm-wine master.
Kinoshi, who recently released the luminous Driftglass (Jazz re-freshed, 2019), the debut album by her SEED Ensemble, is another top-rank young talent and she blows a coruscating solo on "Adwa." Seivwright, who has played with Maurice-Grey and Kinoshi in the Nérija collective, is less widely known but welcome both in her own right and also for her instrument—the trombone is rarely heard in Afrobeat, but it fits in snugly here, both as part of the horn section and also as a solo instrument. As leader, Maurice-Grey modestly refrains from hogging the solos, but she turns in blinders on "Uman" and "Abusey Junction," the first full of fire, the second shimmeringly beautiful.
From every angle, Kokoroko is a hugely impressive debut.
released April 12, 2019