New Jazz Releases

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Henk et al., thanks for the recommendations.

Just heard this one--some very beautiful and interesting solo piano. Anyone familiar with this artist?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyshawn_Sorey

[Henk]

XB-70, I don't really like that kind of "intellectual" playing. I listened to this sort music, and free jazz in general, quite much. But now not anymore.

This is a very fine release:



A large ensemble. Best music from the Netherlands, Amsterdam scene.

Though a large ensemble, they don't sound bombastic. It's free but in a good way, a bit quirky.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPIXqDdoBKg

[Henk]

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[asin]B00IPXOAUA[/asin]

First class recording. Absolutely great musicianship by Rollins, and at such age. It seems he gets better and better.

5 star review on Amazon, 19 voters.

[torut]

Just heard this one--some very beautiful and interesting solo piano. Anyone familiar with this artist?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tyshawn_Sorey

It's stunningly beautiful. Especially, the longest piece, A Love Song, is wonderful. Mostly very Feldmanian. It could be one of the (my personal) best Jazz albums in 2014. Thanks for the post.

[torut]

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[asin]B00IPXOAUA[/asin]

First class recording. Absolutely great musicianship by Rollins, and at such age. It seems he gets better and better.

5 star review on Amazon, 19 voters.

I have not heard Vol. 2 or 3 yet, but Vol. 1 is great. A long time ago, I listened to a broadcast of the performance recorded on a cassette countless times. I think his sound is getting weaker and more fragile recently, but still great.

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Sonny Rollins has got to be one of the coolest people alive. I hope to see him perform live in person some day before he goes...Thanks for the recommendation.

I have been listening to the Gretchen Parlato CD a bit more...I really do like her voice, and think she certainly has talent, but there are just a few too many scat-like pieces on the album. I wish she would do more ballads and develop her melodic sense some more. And a few of the pieces have included recorded segments of her as a small child blabbering on about something and banging on pots and pans or whatnot. Call me a curmudgeon, but I find it extremely distracting and annoying.

Also, just picked up the BlueNote LP reissue of "Midnight Blue" with Kenny Burrell and company. Will give it a spin soon.

Anyway, back to my Beaujolais...

[XB-70 Valkyrie]

Check out Susanne Abbuehl, a wonderful, but little-known (at least in the U.S.) Swiss singer--A very beautiful, dark, sexy voice, paired to some very interesting, unusual material. Not the usual love songs here--material includes pieces by Sun Ra, William Carlos Williams, Emily Dickinson, and some other very interesting sources. The feel is always quite relaxed, slow paced, and contemplative--true chamber jazz. The instrumentation is quite unusual too, with TWO clarinets in Compass, and an Indian harmonium, and fluglehorn in The Gift.

[Henk]

I have not heard Vol. 2 or 3 yet, but Vol. 1 is great. A long time ago, I listened to a broadcast of the performance recorded on a cassette countless times. I think his sound is getting weaker and more fragile recently, but still great.

Vol. 3 are recordings of concertos from 2001-2012. Really no sign of weakness imo. I also have Vol. 1, but I consider Vol. 3 better. Possibly he's getting weaker and more fregile the last few years. He really is a wondergreybeard.

[Henk]

It's stunningly beautiful. Especially, the longest piece, A Love Song, is wonderful. Mostly very Feldmanian. It could be one of the (my personal) best Jazz albums in 2014. Thanks for the post.

Ok, will get the recording. Samples gives not a good impression.

[torut]

Vol. 3 are recordings of concertos from 2001-2012. Really no sign of weakness imo. I also have Vol. 1, but I consider Vol. 3 better. Possibly he's getting weaker and more fregile the last few years. He really is a wondergreybeard.

I listened to Road Shows Vol. 3 today, and I was deeply moved. You are right, his playing is very stable and powerful, not weak at all. Several years ago I watched his band live, and I somehow had an impression that his tone had become thin and trembling. However, his performance on this album is really great. I also love this latest band with Clifton Anderson, Bob Cranshaw, Stephen Scott, etc., since Global Warming (1998) and Sonny, Please (2006). (There have been some changes of the members.)

[Henk]

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[asin]B00MPJQ5JY[/asin]

First listen, very impressed!

[torut]

Looking forward to this album below by Avishai Cohen, such a cool trompetist, being released these days (can't get it yet):

Some youtube clips sounded very good. His playing is careful and sensitive, on both ballad and groovy tunes, reminiscent of Miles Davis. I am going to get the album.

https://www.youtube.com/v/Wgk1Qssk3QY

(There seems a bassist with the same name.)

[Henk]

Got the Cohen as well, Torut. Really good stuff indeed.

Two more releases, of which the samples sound very promising to me:

[torut]

Angles is a great group. Epileptical West was astounding when I first listened to it.
I liked Malaby's Tamarindo. His playing is sort of elusive, like Shorter, though their styles are different.

[Henk]

Angles is a great group. Epileptical West was astounding when I first listened to it.
I liked Malaby's Tamarindo. His playing is sort of elusive, like Shorter, though their styles are different.

I don't like that free stuff so much. In the past I listened much free stuff, but after saying farewell to it, I realized I never really liked it. And I don't like slow, poetic, sentimental jazz either. This recording is more mainstream, my territory.

[Henk]

Pretty experimental/innovative stuff, with vocals. Samples sound good, very good vocals for so far I can judge!

[Henk]

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[asin]B00MOLOJRS[/asin]

Dead boring.

[Henk]

Tomorrow:



I have high expectations from it.

This is an awesome recording. Groove, funk, rock, electric.

[asin]B00HGTNJSS[/asin]

Very nice recording, which keeps fresh after listening more times.

[Henk]

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[asin]B00R3O0PGA[/asin]

Samples sound nice.

release: 20th jan.

[Henk]

Rob Mazurek - Alternate Moon Cycles



Just downloaded. Gonna listen to it now.