Fresh Sound New Talent label

Jan 21 2020

Best of 2019 #56: Marta Sanchez Quintet – “El Rayo de Luz”

 

Choppy waves jostle the boat and they crash loudly upon the shore and move at brisk speeds that defy the tranquility of a serene lake, and, yet, if those waves were composed by Marta Sánchez, that lake would still elicit a powerfully hypnotic effect.  The pianist has a talent for setting melodies free in a turbulent environment, and yet attaining a flow like the sweetest song.  Her 2015 release Partenika was proof of that talent in the strongest sense, perhaps captured most vividly in the staying power of the melodies, and how some had an almost timeless quality to them, even as they were framed by compositions that were clearly made from the stuff of the present day.  Her 2019 release El Rayo de Luz continues in that vein, but diverges where Sánchez focuses more of her attention on the nuance of those waves, and how tiny permutations effected at just the right moment make the biggest splash.

Your album personnel:  Marta Sánchez (piano), Roman Filiu (alto sax), Chris Cheek (tenor sax), Rick Rosato (bass), and Daniel Dor (drums).

Released on the Fresh Sound New Talent label.

Music from New York City.

I wrote about this album for The Bandcamp Daily.

Cool album cover artwork by Alicia Martin Lopez.

Listen | Read more | Available at:  Amazon – Bandcamp

By • Recap: Best of 2019 • 0 • Tags: , , , ,

Jan 9 2020

Now up: November’s Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations

 

And here we go.  Let’s do some more catch-up on notifications about my latest Best Jazz on Bandcamp recommendations posting on The Bandcamp Daily.  This monthly installment covers albums for November 2019.  There’s ten primary recommendations in total, plus some bonus recommendations, to boot.  There’s been no let-up on the deluge of new music in 2019, so if you were thinking about maybe settling into a prior month’s purchases, forget about it… you’ve got more excellent new music to discover.  I have been saying this same thing nearly every month, and every month it is true.

On that note, let’s begin.

Follow this LINK to read those recommendations and listen to music from each album.

Check out past recommendations by running through my contributor archives.

Have fun going through the list!

Cheers.

By • Announcement - Music, Jazz Recommendations - 2019 • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Dec 8 2018

Album of the Day: “Wobegon” by Aaron Irwin Trio

 

Artist:  Aaron Irwin Trio

Album: Wobegon

Label:  Fresh Sound New Talent

Style:  Jazz Americana

Favorite Track:  Wobegon

Hometown:  Brooklyn, NYC

What I like about it:  It’s rooted in thick melodies as wide as the day is long.  It’s the kind of music you’d imagine being played out on the back porch on an Autumn day, green fields dotted by the colors of fallen leaves, and the sunlight dwindling over the horizon.  I like how it ratchets up the heat and makes those languid passages resonate that much stronger by way of comparison.

Extra Notes:  I wrote about Irwin’s 2015 release A Room Forever back when it first came out, and I still highly recommend it.  It falls in line with his latest, though if Wobegon is a campfire crackling away in the backyard, then A Room Forever is a flickering candlelight in the window after the campfire has been extinguished, everyone’s gone to sleep and fireflies play beneath a sky full of stars.

Your album personnel:  Aaron Irwin (alto sax), Mike Baggetta (guitar) and Jeff Hirshfield (drums).

Available at:  Amazon

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2018 • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Jan 15 2018

The Round-up: Falling becomes flying becomes light

 

Here is some very good new music.

 

Eric Revis – Sing Me Some Cry (Clean Feed Records)

Eric Revis has a way of setting fire to the blues that is pretty damn thrilling, and he also has a way of directing the flames to leave ashes that, also, sound a lot like the blues.  In between, when the conflagration of Sing Me Some Cry is in full force, it’s all combustible fury burning bright, and it’s not so much about determining the nature of the sound as it is just appreciating the strength of the explosion.  Tenor saxophonist Ken Vandermark, pianist Kris Davis and drummer Chad Taylor help the bassist with the dramatic transmutations.  Music from NYC and L.A.

Artist site | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

Courtney Pine – Black Notes From the Deep (Freestyle Records)

Courtney Pine is a long time veteran of the jazz scene, so it really should come as no surprise that he’s able to deliver such a soulful album with such a laid-back sound.  Some ballads and some blues and some solid vocal contributions from Omar Lye-Fook MBE is the equation that leads to the success of Black Notes From the Deep.  This is an album you want playing while you’re sitting around with a drink in one hand and your broken heart in the other.  If Omar’s name sounds familiar to readers of this site, it’s because of his powerful contribution to a track on Kairos 4tet’s excellent 2014 release Everything We Hold.  Music from London.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp – Amazon

 

LUMI – A Love Drunk Poem (Havtorn Records)

There’s a structure to these tunes easy to follow, but each is delivered with a looseness that that makes them feel wide open and free to roam where they please.  The LUMI quartet of drummer Pontus Häggblom, double bassist Alex Littorin, pianist Martin Jutéus and saxophonist Emil Nerstrand deliver strong takes on thick melodies, then go about stretching and twirling them around in any way that amuses them to do so… and often with a boisterousness that’s positively addictive.  And, so, the title A Love Drunk Poem either dictated the album’s boozy lyricism or was the logical choice once everything was done and all that was left was the give the album its name.  Either way, the result is bundles of fun.  Music from Malmö, Sweden.

Artist site | Buy:  Amazon

 

Lucas Brode – I Lick the Kerosene of Progress (Self-Produced)

This solo guitar set from Lucas Brode is simultaneously gripping and laid-back.  It demands attention, but doesn’t necessarily require you to sit up at edge of your seat.  The roll-out of melodies is the album’s transformative moment, time and again.  Sometimes the melody appears like the dawn over the horizon, sometimes it’s stuttered out like a nervous tic, and other times it eschews form and structure for a pervasive cinematic ambiance.  Very cool.  Music from NYC.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Bandcamp

 

Lena Bloch & Feathery – Heart Knows (Fresh Sound New Talent)

It’s an interesting transformation from Lena Bloch‘s debut to her sophomore release Heart Knows.  The debut’s updated true-blue expressionism has morphed into something with thicker ambiance and an emotional amplification bordering on spiritual.  Bloch still brings an adroit lyricism even in the moodier atmosphere, and, actually, that may be the contrasting element that makes this album resonate as strongly as it does.  The tenor saxophonist brings a solid cast with pianist Russ Lossing, bassist Cameron Brown and drummer Billy Mintz.  Music from Brooklyn.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

 

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2017 releases • 0 • Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jun 25 2017

Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album: Jeremy Udden – “Plainville”

 

Sunday morning is when the serenity comes down.  Sunday morning is the cocoon from the heavy exhaustion of too much Saturday night fun.  Sunday morning is when the city agrees to use its inside voice.  Sunday morning is when a hush settles in over the land.  It is a time for sitting still and listening to quiet music and silently praying the aspirin and coffee do something to stop your head from exploding.  Drama and stress are strictly forbidden on Sunday morning.

Your Sunday Morning Jazz Album is just for you, for times just like these.  If you possess the freakish compulsion to get-up-and-go when the clock strikes Sunday morning, this music is not for you.  Go and listen to a Spotify EDM playlist or something.  But whatever you decide, just do it quietly and far away from those of us who appreciate the true solemn nature of a Sunday morning.

On alto sax, Jeremy Udden conjures up the tranquility you desire when sitting out on your back porch when it’s just you and nature and a cat dozing nearby.  The Massachusetts native sends out melodies like a stiff, cool breeze on a Summer morning… airy, fluid, and possessing an unmistakable presence.  His 2009 release Plainville wasn’t his debut, but it was his first dedicated foray into the type of folk-jazz that has signified his recording career since.  It also signaled his singular concoction of serenity perfect for a Sunday morning jazz album.

Occasionally the album’s temperature spikes, but even with some electric guitar heat on “Curbs,” it behaves as the precursor to the gently comforting sweetness of “Christmas Song,” amplifying its comforting effect.  And though “695” kicks up the tempo a notch, the delivery of the melody transmits the solemn tone that guides the entire recording.  Brandon Seabrook‘s banjo goes a long way to dictating the strength of the folk influence, and drummer RJ Miller has a talent for crafting a serene ambiance (ie, his 2013 release Ronald’s Rhythm).  Keyboardist Pete Rende and bassist Eivind Opsvik cast shadows everywhere by working the darker tones, and the way this complements the brighter tones of Udden’s alto sax goes a long way to explaining how dynamic this tranquil recording ultimately becomes.

You need this album today, right now.

  • Artist-Title:  Jeremy Udden – Plainville
  • Personnel:  Jeremy Udden (alto & soprano saxophones), Pete Rende (organ, Fender Rhodes), Brandon Seabrook (banjo, guitar), Eivind Opsvik (bass) and RJ Miller (drums).
  • Proper Use:  1) Sitting on that back porch in communion with nature, 2) Watching cats peacefully doze the afternoon away in a patch of sunlight.
  • Additional notes:  May be utilized as a soundtrack to fireflies cutting through the darkness on a Summer eve.

Released in 2009 on Fresh Sound New Talent.

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Soundcloud page.

Music from Brooklyn.

Available at:  Amazon

By • Jazz Recommendations - 2009 Releases, Sunday Morning Jazz Album • 2 • Tags: , , ,

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