Jazz Recommendations

My review of Theo Bleckmann‘s album Hello Earth!  The Music of Kate Bush just got published over at AllAboutJazz.  The original article appears HERE, at AllAboutJazz).

*****

The 1980s possessed an incongruous hope for the future against a backdrop of possible nuclear annihilation, as if in the darkest of times, society retreated to a naive state. This is a generalization that doesn’t, obviously, represent the entire gamut of human experience, yet it was there all the same. The majority of singer and composer Kate Bush’s music came from that decade, and there was always something about her music that seemed representative of that cloak of innocence; a touch of fairy tale magic, even when singing about loss, heartbreak or the cost of war.  Since then, cynicism has been adopted by much of society as the interface with the human experience, and so it’s supremely refreshing that singer Theo Bleckmann embraced the magic and optimism from which the source material for Hello Earth! The Music of Kate Bush sprang.

Your album personnel:  Theo Bleckmann (vocals, electronic voice processing, glockenspiel, toy piano, caxixi), Henry Hey (piano, Minimoog synthesizer, Fender Rhodes piano, prepared harpsichord, voice), Caleb Burhans (electric five string violin, electric guitar, voice), Skuli Sverrisson (electric bass, voice), and John Hollenbeck (drums, percussion, crotales, voice).

An appealing aspect of Bush’s music has always been her lack of self-consciousness in baring her heart and soul through her music. It’s the kind of thing that is easy to mock, but the correct reaction is to respect the hell out of it. Bleckmann shows the same courage Bush displayed when recording the original versions.  Of the fourteen album tracks, all but two were recorded in the 1980s, half of which were released on Bush’s Hounds Of Love.

The best example of Bleckmann’s outstanding treatment of the Bush songbook is in opening track, “Running Up That Hill,” which rings with sincerity and beauty, not to mention the glassine shimmer of the Fairlight CMI digital effects that grew in popularity on many pop and rock albums of the 1980s. Bleckmann’s version is an astounding facsimile of the original, a feat outshone by the song’s immaculate tunefulness.

In addition to unabashed sincerity, Bush also had a predisposition to drama bordering on the theatrical. In the hands of a less talented artist, this is the kind of thing that can quickly devolve into the comical. Bleckmann, however, displays the same uncanny knack for making it so easy to buy in, to accept the drama as genuine tension and the theater as the song’s reality.

Another delicious example of Bleckmann taking ownership of the Bush songbook is his transformation of “Army Dreamers,” from Bush’s stately waltz into an a catchy anthem more akin to shouting up at tavern ceilings than spoken elegantly in formal dancehalls. But Bleckmann doesn’t execute full-on costume changes for every Bush composition. Comparing Bush and Bleckmann versions, sometimes the before and after pictures carry a striking resemblance. The details hidden within the differences, however, are often quite breathtaking, as evidenced in how Bleckmann tweaks Bush’s conventional piano solo tune “And Dream of Sheep” into a little lullaby bobbing away on an open sea of ambient effects and vocal looping, or on “Hello Earth!,” in which Bleckmann gains an emotional impact greater than that of the original by adopting a restraint that trades in on some of the sensationalism the Bush’s recording.

The highlight of the album, arguably, is “Cloudbusting,” with its rhythmic marching formations juxtaposed against the piano exuberance of notes scrambling up a flight of stairs, and Bleckmann’s vocal bounce a pleasant fusion of the two extremes. The end result is that “Cloudbusting” is as complex as it is catchy.

The best of tribute albums possess all the soul of the original, while the heartbeat and blood flow is purely that of the music’s adopter. Bleckmann must understand this on some level, because the music he presents makes it easy to fall in love with Bush’s music all over again, while presenting facets so divergent as for Bleckmann’s album to stand on its own two legs, requiring no knowledge or love of the source of the music’s inspiration. In this, Hello Earth! is an unqualified success.

You can stream album tracks at the artist site, here.

Released on the Winter & Winter label.

Available at eMusic.  Available at Amazon: CD | MP3

***

Here’s a video of a live performance of an album song (courtesy of the artist)…

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Menschmaschine Hand Werk, MSV Brecht Hippie Tunes, John Moulder Quintet The 11th Hour: Live at the Green Mill, Kyle Bruckmann Kyle Bruckmann’s Wrack: Cracked Refraction.

Menschmaschine – Hand Werk

Menschmaschine is a Swiss jazz ensemble that wears their love of Kraftwerk on their sleeves. Two feet very much in the modern Euro-jazz sound, they’ve constructed a series of unavoidably catchy tunes.  Even when they run willingly off the jazz reservation, they inevitably return, bringing both the song and the melody with them.  Some occasional vocals, which shouldn’t scare off anyone who prefers their jazz to be without; the vocals here are quite enjoyable, and since they tend to show up more often than not in the tracks that stray away from jazz, that should mitigate your reservations.

Your album personnel:  Christoph Utzinger (bass), Kevin Chesham (drums), Oli Kuster (piano), and Domenic Landolf (tenor sax & bass clarinet), and Nadja Stoller (vocals, looper, blockflote, glockenspiel).

Really a fun album, that I’ve enjoyed for a little over a month (as of publish date).  Music that’s lively and unpredictable.

Released on the Meta Records (Germany) label.  Jazz from Switzerland.

Available on eMusic.

MSV Brecht – Hippie Tunes

MSV Brecht is a Berlin quartet of sax/clarinet, guitar, bass, and drums.  They’ve got a Euro-jazz jazz-rock fusion thing going on.  What that means is that it’s introverted music that’s good for staring out windows at rainy day landscapes, but has way too much kick to actually fall asleep to it.  It also means that it’s gonna sound more like indie rock, at times, than anything resembling jazz.  Warm sweater sax notes and drifting melodies, guitar that sometimes hums, sometimes screams, percussion that doesn’t settle for just-good-enough, and some nice matching of clarinet and bass.

Your album personnel: Timo Vollbrecht (tenor sax, clarinet), Peter Meyer (guitar), Bernhard Meyer (bass), and Hanno Stick (drums).

Jazz fans, if you like Brian Blade’s Perceptual, you might find something to like here. Rock/Indie fans, if you like the Doves Last Broadcast, give this album a run.

Released on the Unit Records label.  Jazz from the Berlin, Germany scene.

Available on eMusic.

John Moulder Quintet – The 11th Hour: Live at the Green Mill

Backed by saxophonist Geof Bradfield (who also doubles on bass clarinet), pianist Jim Trompeter, Larry Gray on bass, and long-time collaborator Paul Wertico on drums, guitarist John Moulder presents an excellent live set from Chicago’s historical jazz venue, The Green Mill. Moulder has emerged as one of the unique voices on jazz guitar, equally comfortable showing a face of quiet solitude as he is of sharpened steel. No better representation of that is on the album’s final song “Time Being”, with Moulder’s mesmerizing guitar lines giving lift to Bradfield’s heartbreaking opening notes on sax, and then closing with rock-like heat that could make the sun blush with embarrassment. Moulder uses both acoustic and electric guitars on this set. Sound is solid for a live recording, and the sounds of the Green Mill, when they hit the audio, enhance the listening experience rather than step over it.

Your album personnel:  John Moulder (electric & acoustic guitars), Geof Bradfield (saxophones, bass clarinet), Jim Trompeter (piano), Larry Gray (bass), and Paul Wertico (drums).

Released on the Origin/OA2 Records label.  Jazz from the Chicago scene.

Download a free album track at AllAboutJazz, courtesy of the artist and label.

You can read a more comprehensive album review I wrote for AllAboutJazz, HERE.

Available at eMusic.

Kyle Bruckmann – Kyle Bruckmann’s Wrack: Cracked Refraction

An intriguing session with Kyle Bruckmann on oboe & English horn, and backed by bass clarinet, viola, percussion, and bass. A little bit jazz, a little bit nu-classical, a little bit avant-garde, and now there’s enough ingredients to make this an unclassifiable dish with an addictive taste. Some compositions have the frenetic pace of a horror movie chase scene, and some compositions only need two lovers and a pastoral scene in the countryside to make it complete. Back in Chicago, Bruckmann had his hands in disparate projects, including classical, post-punk, free jazz and electronic experimental, so it’s no surprise that this album pretty much shatters boundaries on sight.

Your album personnel:  Kyle Bruckmann (oboe, English horn), Tim Daisy (percussion), Anton Hatwich (bass), Jen Clare Paulson (viola), and Jason Stein (bass clarinet).

Released on the Porter Records label.  Music from the Oakland, CA scene.

Available at eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article, and the third of three parts of the Tiny Reviews from this batch of new arrivals.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.

There is something wise in how the opening track to Floratone II is titled “The Bloom Is On.”  It implies a return of something that existed in previous seasons returning yet again.  In that the sound presented on the ensemble’s follow-up album is very similar to the spot where Floratone’s 2007 album left off, the thought of a new bloom of an old flower fits right in with the scheme of things.  And just as the new bloom of Spring is a welcome sight every year, so is the release of Floratone’s second collaboration.

Floratone is a core quartet of guitarist Bill Frisell and drummer Matt Chamberlain, with producers Tucker Martine and Lee Townsend (given credit as collaborators).  New members to the ensemble include Mike Elizondo on bass, and long-time Frisell partners-in-music Ron Miles (trumpet) and Eyvind Kang (viola).

Floratone’s sound is quite unlike anything else on the scene.  An industrial bluegrass, an Electro-Americana thing… mixing rustic instruments with modern looping and effects, channeling old music through new machines, organic sounds carried over frequencies of steel.  It makes for an odd dichotomy.  It’s also appealing as all hell.

Let’s talk about that sound…

Opening track “The Bloom Is On” is a march of staccato rhythms, asymmetrical guitar lines, and a skewed melody.  Bright notes fight through the strange dissonance until they become indistinguishable from one another.  Second track “Pluck” opens with more staggered rhythms, but Ron Miles’ trumpet eclipses the percussion with bold pronouncements and soaring arcs of sound.  There is not much to differentiate the first two tracks in terms of theme; or said differently, if one were to trace the creative ancestry of the two songs, they would lead back to the same muse.

At this point, a difference between first album and second has become apparent… the second album aims the spotlight directly on the interplay between Frisell’s guitar and Chamberlain’s percussion.  The debut album was a more democratic blend of each ensemble members’ voices, but, here, it’s the voices of Frisell and Chamberlain who stand alone at the front of the stage.

Third track “Snake, Rattle” begins to shake any preconceptions that the first two tracks may have instilled.  Inciting images of a cemetery haunted by the ghosts of bluegrass musicians, Chamberlain’s spooky percussion added to Frisell’s voodoo guitar notes paint an ominous canvas.  The ill winds of keyboards and electronic effects blow through the song, and Elizondo’s booming basslines sound like a countdown to a moment of dread.  That the ensemble constructs this track into something that the foot can tap along to is a revelation that can’t help put a smile on a jaded ear.

Fourth track “Parade” kicks the tempo back into gear, with the bounce of horns and march of drums, angular guitar lines, quavering electronics, scattered keyboards, and then those sublime interludes that the Floratone ensemble specializes at… like breaking from an overgrown forest into a valley clearing, with long cool swaths of prairie grass, a clear sparkling stream, and all the sunlight one could ever ask for.  The group’s talent at seamlessly ushering compositions into these peaceful moments and then returning again to the dissonance of the “forest” is a highlight of both first and second albums.  The ability to shift from chaos to peace to chaos is not new to music, but it is a maneuver not often excelled at.  Floratone proves with their follow-up that the expertise they displayed on the debut album was no fluke.

Fifth track “Not Over Ever” is a brief beautiful interlude.  Ron Miles, who arguably has come closest to matching Miles Davis’s evocatively frail sound on trumpet more than any other horn player since, voices one wavering note after the other as Frisell accompanies with ephemerally shifting notes and Kang makes his viola sound like a mournful howl of a lonely heart in the dead of night.  There is an undercurrent of lush drone.  This interlude is an album highlight.  It also leads right into a blistering tune full of fight and fire, a pace that is broken only when guitar and keyboard play simple single notes over top of the still sprinting rhythm section.  The juxtaposition of a smattering of pretty notes atop frenetic percussion is as cool as it is delicious.  But make no mistake… it’s Chamberlain’s percussion that carries this track.  His furious gallop creates an environment where no other instrument can do wrong, where all other instruments can feel free to express themselves however the mood shapes them, because he makes it known that the song rides on his shoulders.  Arguably the strongest album track.

Seventh track “Do You Have It” settles into a nice groove.  Chamberlain lopes ahead along with bass.  Frisell lays down a smart pattern of guitar bursts to accentuate the rhythm.  And just when it seems like the song has shown all its got, Frisell walks up and down the line with sharp steel twang and Brion’s keyboards in tow.

Eighth track “The Time, the Place” has a Southwestern funereal sound to it.  With Frisell on steel stringed, Chamberlain’s snare and percussion, and Miles’ plaintive trumpet calls, the images of a procession across desert plains, expansive big sky, and a silence so complete that even the gentle breeze sounds like a shout.

“No Turn Back” returns to the album’s opening sounds, yet with more zeal and more electronics, and a bit more hurried.  Even when Frisell lays down some distortion and Chamberlain rocks out on drums, it still apparent as a facet of earlier statements.  It’s nice to hear a different presentation of a common theme, but I can’t help but feel like they’re trying a bit too hard on this track.  It just doesn’t sound like it came naturally to them.

“The Time, the Place (Part 2)” is another interlude, mostly Ron Miles playing slow and soft over the blip of electronics and wandering guitar notes.  It leads into “Gimme Some,” a mixed jumble of sounds that comes off as being a bit muddled.  At only two minutes in length, it perhaps is meant to serve as more of an interlude or was simply a bit of improvisation that never reached fruition that the group wanted to include on the album anyway.  The tune’s heart is in the strange percussion, though the wild leaps Frisell takes on guitar grab some attention.

Following the brief interlude of “Grin and Bite,” the album ends with the serene “Stand By This,” a pastiche of fairy tale bells and chimes, lullaby strings and moonlight trumpet, drums like soft sleepy breaths… a sonic distillation of the sound of good dreams.

So, where does that leave us?  There were times, many times actually, when I found myself thinking back to the debut album and wondering if they were performing new versions of old compositions.  There is a profoundly strong cohesion of sound between first album and second, though whereas the first album leaned more toward the softer melodic side of the spectrum, the current recording is far more expansive in terms of the percussive elements.  It makes for rougher edges and breathtaking dynamics.

The way it all shakes out, if you loved the first Floratone album as much as I, then the release of the follow-up album is a reason to celebrate.  If you liked the first one, but were hoping for something more, something different, then you might be left feeling a bit underwhelmed.  And though I fall into the former category, it’s not much of stretch to see things from the point of view of the latter.  Me, personally, I’ll be keeping this album in my regular rotation for the foreseeable future.

Released on the Savoy Jazz label, who lets you stream the album in its entirety on its site, here.

Also, you can stream many of the tracks from their first (and second albums) on Floratone’s site, here.

Available at:  eMusic | Amazon: CD | MP3

Here’s the EPK video for the album…

Tiny Reviews, featuring:  Metta Quintet Big Drum, Small World, Guillaume de Chassy Silences, Jean-Philippe Scali Evidence, and Malte Schiller’s Red Balloon The Second Time Is Different.

A strong line-up of albums today, including one (de Chassy Silences), which has made it into my daily rotation, another that is threatening to (Metta Quintet), and an album that has a song so uplifting that it might just steal your heart (“Eternel Present” from Scali’s Evidence).

Let’s begin…

Metta Quintet – Big Drum, Small World

Metta Quintet is the performing arm of non-profit organization JazzReach, dedicated to the promotion, performance, creation and teaching of jazz music. Past members have included Miguel Zenon, Omer Avital, Helen Sung. among other musician all-stars. The current line-up features mainstays Marcus Strickland (tenor sax) and Josh Ginsburg (bass), and two newcomers- David Bryant (piano) and Greg Ward (alto sax).  It’s a straight-ahead affair, and short, too: Five tracks clocking at just over a half hour.  But it’s solid jazz that won’t steer anybody wrong.  Also worth listening to is an earlier album Subway Songs, with the NYC train system as the thematic device.  Neat stuff.

Overall, just a really enjoyable album.

For newcomers to jazz, if you’re looking to explore a bit on your own, I highly recommend checking out the discographies of current and past members of Metta Quintet, as well as past Metta Quintet recordings.  You’ll find a gold mine of great jazz.  Personal favorite is bassist Omer Avital, but I can’t envision anyone going wrong by blindly pulling a name from the Metta Quintet roster and just diving in.

Released by the JazzReach label.

Available on eMusic.

Guillaume de Chassy – Silences

It seems, lately, that jazz albums recorded by former classical pianists have been hitting New Arrivals with some noticeable frequency.  A common trait among the better of those releases is that the pianist seems unwilling to fight the gravitational pull of either music.  One would think that it would lead to a confused muddle of compositions, but instead, many of these albums fuse the best of both worlds and produce some intriguing music.  That’s what we got here.  With Guillaume de Chassy on piano, in a trio with bass and clarinet, he gives us a startlingly resonant chamber jazz recording.  Elegant and haunting.

Your album personnel:  Guillaume de Chassy (piano), Thomas Savy (clarinets), and Arnault Cuisinier (double bass).

This album has grown on me exponentially over the last month.  It’s quickly becoming one of those albums that I’m almost compelled to listen to first thing in the morning.  Piano lines that are only delicate on their face, but possess a sharpness that pierces silence with a wave of the keys.  Clarinets that can paint every shade of heartbreak.  Bass that doesn’t hide in the shadows, but instead makes the shadows part of the music.  Beautiful.

Released on the Bee Jazz label.  Jazz from the Ile-de-France, France scene.

Available on eMusic.

Jean-Philippe Scali – Evidence

Pretty cool large ensemble album from the French saxophonist.  Jean-Phillipe Scali on alto, baritone, and soprano saxes, and backed by piano, Fender Rhodes, trumpet, trombone, bass, drums, and some guesting with vibes, bass clarinet, tenor sax, and an additional trombone.  Nice hopping tunes with some nifty wrinkles to keep things interesting, like on the the catchy “Five Minutes’ Walk”.  Unmistakably jazz, from a musician with an inventive touch.

Your album personnel:  Jean-Philippe Scali (alto, baritone, and soprano saxes), Julien Alour (trumpet, bugle), Jerry Edwards (trombone), Adrien Chicot (piano & fender rhodes), Simon Tailleu (bass), and Manu Franchi (drums), with guests:  Francois Theberge (tenor sax), Thomas Savy (bass clarinet), Bastien Ballaz (trombone), and Stephan Carracci (vibes).

In addition to the music available on Scali’s soundcloud page, it appears you can stream a bunch of album tracks on his artist page, here.

This is a strong album, and I highly recommend checking it out.  Some exhilarating moments, like on the excellent “Eternel Present,” which I could listen to over and over again.  As I mention above, the tune is so uplifting, it’s gonna steal some hearts.

Released on the Abeille Musique label.  Jazz from the Paris scene.

Available on eMusic.

Malte Schiller’s Red Balloon – The Second Time Is Different

Nice big band recording from a young group of players. Lighthearted, with that necessary touch of melancholy that gives gentle texture to any solid large ensemble session. This should take care of anybody’s need for a warm big band fix to fight off the bleak winter months.  Not a lot of information found online about them.  Here’s a link to the site of an ensemble member who has a little info on the group.

And while I hate providing a link to myspace, it does appear that you can stream all or most of the album there, so here’s the link to his album’s myspace page.

Released on the Unit Records label.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article, and the second of three parts of the Tiny Reviews from this batch of new arrivals.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.

Tiny Reviews, featuring Rebecca Trescher’s Hochzeit Null11 Sud, Robert Glasper Black Radio, Matthew Shipp Elastic Aspects, and Johnathan Blake The Eleventh Hour.

Let’s begin…

Rebecca Trescher’s Hochzeit Null11 – Sud

Multi-reedist Rebecca Trescher has created an album that doesn’t engage the listener so much as stalk them. Ominous, yet beautiful in that way fear can be, it’s an album of momentary spurts of notes with just clarinet and bass clarinet weaving sounds in between.  It creates a heavy mood, even when the music is light as a feather.  Songs like “Nass,” with its languid sway and gentle moan, I could listen to forever.  Some small effects here and there. Fans of Marty Ehrlich, Clean Feed label, and John Lurie/Lounge Lizards should check out this excellent album.  Plenty of ambiance throughout… a smoky shadowy tavern, light filtering in through smudged windows, a shot of whiskey, a heart full of heartbreak, and a sublime happiness whenever the warm touch of the Spring breeze drifts through the bar and makes everyone happy to be alive.  That kind of thing.

Your album personnel:  Rebecca Trescher (clarinet, bass clarinet), Julian Bossert (alto sax, clarinet), Phillip Staffa (guitar), Frederick Betz (bass), and Tilman Herpichbohm (drums).

Released on the Metropol Musik label.  Jazz from the Nuremberg, Germany scene.

Available on eMusic.

Robert Glasper – Black Radio

Robert Glasper garnered a lot of attention and cross-genre love for his album In My Element, which aside from being an outstanding jazz album, challenged boundaries by doing a mash-up of Radiohead and Herbie Hancock tunes, as well as a shout-out to J. Dilla.  With subsequent albums, Glasper has moved further into soul and hip hop territory, which hasn’t always been greeted with resounding enthusiasm in jazz circles.  Black Gold continues that journey, as it lays on the soul and hip hop influences even stronger. The thing of it is, Glasper is a strong pianist, and this is evidenced ever more clearly as he moves further from Jazz’s center; Glasper’s grasp of the heart of jazz is such that he doesn’t so much expand into new music territory as he forces that territory to gravitate to him.  If Jazz is the Mountain, then Glasper makes that mountain come to his piano. Philosophizing aside, it’s an album with some pretty moments, easy vocals, cool percussion, and Glasper’s signature sound.  Oh, yeah, and a groove version of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” that is just too cool.

Your album personnel:  Robert Glasper (piano, Fender Rhodes, keyboards), Casey Benjamin (vocoder, alto sax, flute), Derrick Hodge (bass), and Chris Dave (drums), with guests:  Jahi Sundance (turntables), Eykah Badu, Lalah Hathaway, Mos Def, Shafiq Husayn, Bilal, Chrisette Michele, Musiq Soulchild, Meshell Ndegeocello, Amber Strother, Anita Bias, Ledisi, Lupe Fiasco (vocals, on various tracks), and Stokley Williams (vocals, percussion).

Released on the Blue Note Records label.  Jazz from NYC.

Available on eMusic.

Matthew Shipp – Elastic Aspects

Pianist Shipp is (deservedly) recognized as one of the most inventive composers on the scene. He also gets lumped in with avant-garde a bit too quickly. It’s not an unreasonable categorization, as his compositions rarely fall into conventional territory, but it does lead to expectations, which can result in overlooking some divergent moments. No more does this become evident than on third track “Psychic Counterpart,” which if dissected, would have the beating heart of a Thelonious Monk tune within.

Your album personnel:  Matthew Shipp (piano), Michael Bisio (bass), and Whit Dickey (drums).

Yes, there’s plenty of deconstructed piano lines, ferocious bowing by bassist Michael Bisio, and Whit Dickey’s drums scattering the ashes of the rhythm in all directions, but look away too soon and you’ll miss some moments of sublime ballad and infectious swing.

Released on the Thirsty Ear Recordings label.  Jazz from NYC.

Available on eMusic.

Johnathan Blake – The Eleventh Hour

Debut album from Mingus Big Band alumnus Johnathan Blake, and it’s a good one.  Some nice modern straight-ahead playing with a solid line-up, including Mark Turner, Kevin Hays, Robert Glasper, Ben Street, and a guest appearance by Tom Harrell (with whom Blake played with).  Nice driving tempo to keep the head engaged and heart rate up.  Inclusion of harmonica on first and final songs is outstanding.  Opening track (and title-track) has a nice mix of chill jazz fusion counterbalanced with the rustic sound of harmonica, whereas on final track “Canvas,” the flickering interplay between sax and harmonica over a burgeoning swell of ensemble momentum is exhilarating.

Your album personnel:  Johnathan Blake (drums), Mark Turner (tenor sax), Ben Street (bass), with guests: Jaleel Shaw (alto sax), Kevin Hays (piano, Fender Rhodes), Tom Harrell (trumpet, Flugelhorn), Gregoire Maret (harmonica), Robert Glasper (piano, Fender Rhodes), and Tim Warfield (tenor sax).

Very promising debut album from a respected and active sideman for musicians like Tom Harrell, David Sanchez, Russell Malone and Kenny Barron.

You can stream the entire album on Blake’s bandcamp page.

Released on the Sunnyside Records label.

Available on eMusic.

That’s it for today’s article, and the first of three parts of the Tiny Reviews from this batch of new arrivals.

Here’s some language to protect emusic’s rights as the one to hire me originally to scour through the jazz new arrivals and write about the ones I like:

“New Arrivals Jazz Picks“, courtesy of eMusic.com, Inc.
© 2012  eMusic.com, Inc.

My thanks to emusic for the freelance writing gig, the opportunity to use it in this blog, and the editorial freedom to help spread the word about cool new jazz being recorded today.