Recent Releases

November 2024
Some Recent Releases

A few words about recent releases / reviews:

Apart from where they are included in articles on this website, I don't have a 'Reviews' section for a number of reasons:

I receive so many requests to review recordings it is impossible to include them all.
Unlike some publications/blogs, Sandy Brown Jazz is not a funded website and it is not possible to pay reviewers.
Reviews tend to be personal opinions, something a reviewer likes might not suit you, or vice versa.
It is difficult to capture music in words, so much better to be able to listen and see whether the music interests you.

For these reasons in particular I just include a selection of recent recordings below where I share the notes issued by the musician(s) as an introduction and links to samples so you can 'taste' the music for yourselves. For those who like to read reviews, these, of course, can be checked out on other sites.

Some albums are priced in dollars or other currencies. These are marked ^. There are currency options if you proceed to order. Recordings are now regularly available on different formats (CD, mp3 downloads, vinyl) or platforms e.g iTunes, Spotify, etc. I am unable to list them all so it is worth checking if you have a favourite platform).

Featured In November 2024

UK

Laura Jurd and Paul Dunmall - Fanfares And Freedom
(Discus Music) - Released: 30th August 2024

Paul Dunmall (tenor & sopranino saxophones); Liam Noble (piano); Caius Williams (double bass); Miles Levin (drums); Laura Jurd (trumpet); Chris Batchelor (trumpet); Alex Paxton (trombone); Raphael Clarkson (trombone); Oren Marshall (tuba)

Laura Jurd Paul Dunmall Fanfares And Freedom.jpg

'A live recording from a piece premiered at the 2023 Cheltenham Jazz Festival, and later recorded at The Vortex. Laura Jurd was commissioned to write this piece for scored ensemble plus improvising quartet, and the resulting piece balances the composed and improvised elements beautifully in the fast moving 45 minute work which is very much in the tradition of the best British jazz. "I don’t think I’ll ever forget hearing Paul Dunmall play for the first time. Whilst aware of his gravitas as an improviser, I hadn’t been in the same room as him playing the saxophone until the first rehearsal of this music. His utterly courageous and no-holds-barred engagement with the present is something to behold. This album was recorded live at the Vortex Jazz Club in London. In an effort to capture the music at it’s best, we performed the same set of music twice, the resultant recording being the second set (bar one short improvisation from the first). Paul’s energy and dynamism was unwavering and I have no doubt that he had a third set in him also - a true ‘tour-de-force’ ........... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Fanfare 1 : Listen to Toddle-oddle :

Josephine Davies' Satori - Weatherwards

(Whirlwind Recordings) - Released: 18th October 2024

josephine Davies (tenor and soprano saxophone); James Maddren (drums); Dave Whitford (double bass); Alcyona Mick (piano)

Josephine Davies Satori Weatherwards.jpg

'Like the ever-changing seascapes of award-winning saxophonist/composer Josephine Davies’ Shetland birthplace, the music of her Satori project presents a constantly evolving tableau, at once consistent and different every time. The music in her latest collection, released as Weatherwards, pays direct tribute to the islands that she left at an early age but that continue to exert a powerful fascination for her, drawing her back, just as the Satori project has continued to draw her back over the course of seven years and four albums - “Satori is where I find myself most at home as a saxophonist.” All the compositions were inspired by aspects of Shetland and her personal history there, and in order to realize them fully she has introduced a new element to the band. For half of Weatherwards, longtime bassist Dave Whitford and drummer James Maddren are joined by pianist Alcyona Mick, dramatically expanding the textural and harmonic palette. Yet the essential qualities of Satori remain unchanged ....... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Video Trailer : Listen to Old Happyhansel : Listen to The Simmer Dim :

Art Themen Organ Trio - Live In Soho

(Ubuntu Music) - Released: 18th October 2024

Art Themen (saxophones); Pete Whitaker (organ, piano); George Double (drums)

'Live In Soho reflects a typical set from the Art Themen Organ Trio. Shot through with the sense of mischievous fun that has become the band's trademark, the recording features tunes by jazz masters past and present, from the impactful energy of Chili Peppers, to the bouncy joy of Brahms...I Think to the tenderness of Country the listener gets in the best seat in the house when listening to Live in Soho.' (album notes)

Details : Article by Howard Lawes : Listen to Groovy Samba : Listen to Brahms .. I Think :

Leif Maine and Jackson Mathod - Volte-Face
(Derf Pressee) - Released: 29th August 2024

Thomas Leif Maine -(producer, composer, drums, guitars, keys, bass); Jackson Mathod (composer, trumpets); Christopher Summer (writer, vocals); Ajene' James Davis (writer, vocals)

Leif Maine Jackson Mathod Volte Face.jpg

'Leif Maine and Jackson Mathod are thrilled to announce the August release of their album, "Volte-Face", with a single of the same name. This collaboration marks a bold new chapter in contemporary jazz, blending traditional and modern elements with great artistry and a willingness to explore many genres on one project. "Volte-Face" is a sonic journey that showcases Maine's innovative compositions and Mathod's masterful trumpet performances. The album features a rich tapestry of sounds, from soulful melodies to intricate improvisations, capturing the essence of their dynamic synergy. Each track is meticulously crafted, promising an immersive listening experience for audiophiles and jazz enthusiasts alike. Under a pub in South London a studio was built during the pandemic. This place has been a hub ever since. With a lot of people going through it, and being in it, and a lot of recent and very successful albums having been recorded in it, it’s a vibrant space.......... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Transformer : Listen to Far From Home :

David Preston - Purple / Black Volume 2
(Whirlwind Recordings) - Released: 27th September 2024

David Preston (guitar); Kit Downes (piano); Sebastian Rochford (drums); Kevin Glasgow (bass)

'This album is a companion to David Preston’s 2023 debut under his own name: a set of recordings that confounded expectations as much as they delighted audiences. He went into the studio with a coherent set of compositions that focused on texture and mood as much as improvisational virtuosity, and a band of front-rank players whose ability to work outside the confines of genre matched his own. The sessions were so productive that they yielded two albums worth of material, of which this is the second. Like its predecessor, Purple/Black Volume 2 combines the unique talents of Kit Downes, Kevin Glasgow and Seb Rochford into an intuitively coherent unit that explores the carefully crafted material in a way that impresses with its focus and control as much as with its spontaneity. The result is an album that combines the directness and accessibility of mainstream popular music forms with the depth and subtlety of jazz. Where Volume 1 presented a bright, extrovert personality, Volume 2 invites the listener to lean in to the music, the better to enjoy the intricacies that are hidden below the surface .......' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Ostina: Listen to Ennio :

Will Barnes Quartet - Live At Pizza Express, Soho
(AAB Stereo) - Released: 25th October 2024

Will Barnes (guitar); James Batten (drums); Jack Gonsalez (piano); Clovis Phillips (bass)

Will Barnes Quartet Live At Pizza Express Soho.jpg

'A tight collective of experienced jazz instrumentalists from rural Wales. Presenting songs from their acclaimed debut album, ‘Source of the Severn’, an exploration of the rugged landscape of Mid Wales and the Marches. Expect music that reflects the rural isolation of their home with roots that penetrate bebop, post-bop and contemporary jazz. Original compositions are punctuated by inventive reworkings of pop, rock and jazz standards for an eclectic evening of improvised music. The quartet released their debut album on AAB Records to critical acclaim in Oct 2023 and have completed the first leg of a UK tour to sell-out audiences in arts centres and theatres throughout Wales and the Borders. The group have also performed at many of the country’s top jazz festivals and clubs as well as being invited to perform on BBC Radio 4 Loose Ends. The quartet now embark on leg two of their album tour, taking the project further afield, bringing the border landscapes to urban audiences. A slice of the Marches delivered to your door… Hiraeth!' (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to The Mad Masrch Hare :

Kim Cypher - Catching Moments
(self release) - Released: 22nd November 2024

Kim Cypher (tenor, alto and soprano saxophones, vocals, backing vocals and clarinet); Liane Carroll (piano & vocals); Ray Gelato (tenor saxophone & vocals); Antonio Forcione (guitar); Ashley Slater -(trombone, trumpet & vocals); George Cooper (piano); Anders Olinder (piano & organ); Tom Berge I(piano); Chris Cobbson (guitar); Ian Bateman (trombone); Alan Bateman (trumpet & baritone saxophone); Jonny Bruce (trumpet); Raph Mizraki (double & electric bass); Mike Cypher (drums, congas & percussion); Karl Vanden Bossche (percussion)

'Four years in the making - A diverse, highly eclectic album, created out of LOVE for music, driven by passion, positivity and huge respect for those working in the arts. Music marking a moment in time, shaped by life’s rich tapestry and personal events, celebrating uniqueness, and catching moments with others who devote their lives to a brighter tomorrow for the arts ' (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Tomorrow's Song : Listen to Birdie In The Grass :

AuB - Folk Devils
(Whirlwind Recordings) - Released: 29th November 2024

Alex Hitchcock (tenor saxophone); Tom Barford (tenor saxophone); Jasper Høiby (double bass); Marc Michel (drums); Morgan Guerin (1, 2, synthesisers); Maria Chiara Argirò (4,6, synthesisers)

'In the crowded field of contemporary jazz AuB stands out on first listen. Reinventing the classic twin-tenor line up for the 21st century is a tough proposition but top-flight UK virtuosi Alex Hitchcock and Tom Barford are more than equal to the task, not so much reviving the format as turning it inside out and upside down. For their brand new collection Folk Devils the two horns dance and dialogue over the scintillating team of Danish bassist Jasper Høiby and French drummer Marc Michel in a series of compositions that perfectly balance complexity with powerful melody, drama with intimacy, angular post-funk with somber, spacey beauty. It’s an international affair: renowned New York producer/multi-instrumentalist Morgan Guerin and London-based Italian keyboard player Maria Chiara Argiró each add their own distinctive flavours of electronic texture with subtle layers of synths, but on every track it’s the saxophones that tell the story, in a constantly shifting conversation with each other and the no-frontiers rhythm players.......... (album notes)

Details and Sample : Listen to Cavort :

America

McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson - Forces Of Nature : Live At Slugs
(Blue Note Records) - Released: 22nd November 2024

McCoy Tyner (piano); Joe Henderson (tenor saxophone); Henry Grimes (bass); Jack DeJohnette (drums)

McCoy Tyner Joe Henderson Forces Of Nature.jpg

'A never-before-issued live recording of jazz legends McCoy Tyner and Joe Henderson leading a stellar quartet with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Jack DeJohnette at the hallowed lost jazz shrine Slugs' Saloon in New York City in 1966. Originally recorded by the legendary engineer Orville O’Brien — who recorded classic 1960s jazz albums such as Freddie Hubbard’s The Night of the Cookers and Alice Coltrane's Journey to Satchidananda — the tape has been in DeJohnette's personal archives for nearly 60 years. Produced for release by Zev Feldman, Jack DeJohnette and Lydia DeJohnette.' (album notes)

Details : Purchase details (Amazon) : Video teaser :

Peter Bernstein - Better Angels
(Smoke Sessions Records) - Released: 27th September 2024

Peter Bernstein (guitar); Brad Mehldau (piano); Vicente Archer (bass); Al Foster (drums)

'It would be accurate to say that the quartet that Peter Bernstein has assembled for his remarkable new album is making its debut, but it would also be more than a little misleading. While it’s true that this all-star group – which teams the acclaimed guitarist with pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Vicente Archer, and legendary drummer Al Foster – had never played together prior to recording Better Angels. The result is the best of both worlds: striking interplay that can’t help but thrive on the chemistry generated by the various connections, combined with the high-wire energy derived from delving into the unknown. Better Angels extends that combination of the comfortable and the unfamiliar to Bernstein’s choice of repertoire, which pairs thoughtfully selected standards with bold new original compositions....... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to You Go To My Head : Listen to Better Angels

Kris Davis Trio - Run The Gauntlet
(Pyroclastic Records) - Released: 27th September 2024

Kris Davis (piano); Robert Hurst (bass); Johnathan Blake (drums).

'Pianist Kris Davis, has made her mark internationally as a master improviser, composer, bandleader and highly sought-after sideperson. Davis won a Grammy in 2023 for Best Jazz Instrumental album on Terri Lyne Carrington’s album New Standards, and she was voted 2022 and 2020 Pianist of the Year in The Downbeat critics poll. She also won a Doris Duke Artist Award in 2021. ' (album notes). ' The album pays tribute to six extraordinary women pianists who have profoundly shaped her sound and influenced her musical direction: Geri Allen, Marilyn Crispell, Angelica Sanchez, Carla Bley, Renee Rosnes, and Sylvie Courvoisier. ....The trio is clearly having fun in Run the Gauntlet, a mature, boundary-pushing record made by adventurous instrumentalists whose rapport is no less than wonderful.' (Jazztrail)

Details and Samples : Listen to Run The Gauntlet with Video : Listen to Softly As You Wake with video

Samara Joy - Portrait
(Verve Records) - Released: 11th October 2024

Samara Joy (vocals); Connor Rohrer (piano); Jason Charos (trumpet); Donavan Austin (trombone); Kendric McCallister, David Mason (saxophones); Felix Moseholm (bass); Evan Sherman (drums).

'Born from of a relentless global tour schedule, Samara Joy took her touring band, made up of other rising young jazz musicians, into the legendary Van Gelder Studios (the venerable studio from which 'A Love Supreme' and so many of the great catalog records from Impulse and Blue Note were recorded) in February of 2024. Recorded across three days, Samara and her musicians were able to capture an incredible snapshot of who she is today and the promise of tomorrow. It's a collection of standards, as well as one original and some of her first forays into lyric writing and features her singular voice, alongside arrangements and playing from this tight knit young group. The recording is this story of the community she's created with a new generation of young players and serves as a studio rendering that delivers on the promise of the live show so many fans have seen them perform over the last year.' (album notes)

Details : Video for You Stepped Out Of A Dream : Listen to Day By Day :

Alex LoRe - Motivity
(Weirdear Records) - Released: 18th October 2024

Alex LoRe (alto and C melody saxophone); Thomas Morgan (bass); Johnathan Blake (drums).

'Alto saxophonist Alex LoRe pays affectionate tribute to his mentor, the late Lee Konitz, on his fifth album Motivity and specifically to a Konitz release that had a huge impact on him, 1961's Motion. A year after his initial exposure to the album during his undergraduate years at the New England Conservatory, LoRe met its creator when he performed a contrafact on “I Remember You” for him during a master class and then eventually came to know him as a teacher and friend. When Konitz passed away in April 2020, it became clear to LoRe that an homage was inevitable. Mirroring the chordless trio format of his mentor's session with bassist Sonny Dallas and drummer Elvin Jones, LoRe recruited bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Johnathan Blake for his own breezy set.' (album notes)

Details : More Details : Samples : Video :

Immanuel Wilkins - Blues Blood
(Blue Note Records) - Released: 11th October 2024

Immanuel Wilkins (saxophone); Micah Thomas (piano); Rick Rosato (bass); Kweku Sumbry (drums); Ganavya, June McDoom, Yaw Agyeman (vocals); plus special guest appearances by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, guitarist Marvin Sewell, and drummer Chris Dave.

'On October 11th, acclaimed saxophonist and composer Immanuel Wilkins will release his expansive third studio album Blues Blood, a meditative offering co-produced by Meshell Ndegeocello that features his quartet with Micah Thomas on piano, Rick Rosato on bass, and Kweku Sumbry on drums; vocalists Ganavya, June McDoom, and Yaw Agyeman; plus special guest appearances by vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant, guitarist Marvin Sewell, and drummer Chris Dave. A multimedia performance about the legacies of our ancestors and the bloodlines connecting us, Blues Blood marks the first time Wilkins has included vocalists on an album, with each of the distinctive voices tapping into different aspects of heritage.' (album notes)

Details : More Details : Video Trailer : Video for Matte Glaze :

Europe and Elsewhere

Bill Frisell, Kit Downes, Andrew Cyrille - Breaking The Shell

(Red Hook Records) - Released: 27th September 2024

Bill Frisell (electric guitar); Kit Downes (organ); Andrew Cyrille (drums); Lucy Railton (cello on El)

Frisell Downes Cyrille Breaking The Shell.jpg

"Breaking the Shell" is a groundbreaking new collaborative trio release from drummer Andrew Cyrille, guitarist Bill Frisell, and pipe organist Kit Downes. This highly anticipated new album showcases a unique and rarely heard combination of instruments – electric guitar with pipe organ, and drums. The result is a meditation on sonancy and an opportunity for three highly creative spirits to roam freely within an entirely new dimension. “This is a trio serving a force and a philosophy greater than itself. Bill Frisell, Kit Downes and Andrew Cyrille are like a tetrahedron, a triangular pyramid, a three-dimensional equilateral triangle with four faces, the fourth being the creation and contours of the music itself.” - Philip Watson (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Untitled 23 : Listen to El :

Tord Gustavsen Trio - Seeing

(ECM Records) - Released: 4th October 2024

Tord Gustavsen (piano); Steinar Raknes (double bass); Jarle Vespestad:(drums)

'With Seeing, Tord Gustavsen begins an intricate new chapter in his series of acclaimed trio recordings, initiated in 2003 with Changing Places – an album that is today considered a classic. The new recording with its compact, concentrated song forms "reflects my personal development as I get older, going for the essentials in life and music“, says the Norwegian pianist. Throughout five originals, two cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach, a traditional Norwegian church hymn, plus the 19th century English chorale "Nearer My God, to Thee“, Tord together with long-time ally Jarle Vespestad on drums and Steinar Raknes on double bass digs deep into his unique blend of jazz, blues, gospel, Scandinavian folk and church music. "Cherishing the melodies“, as Tord puts it, the group’s interplay draws strength from restraint, patiently building the music toward its climaxes, while Gustavsen, a true master of the trio format, shapes the whole with his delicate touch and subtle gospel glow.' (album notes)

Details : Video for The Old Church : Video for Seattle Song :

Devin Gray - Melt All The Guns II
(Rataplan Records) - Released: 14th October 2024

Ralph Alessi (trumpet (USA); Myslaure Augustin -(piano (FR); Devin Gray (drums/composition (USA)

'Drummer-Composer Devin Gray Presents Melt All the Guns II, the Second Release by his Melt All the Guns Trio, Featuring Trumpet Ace Ralph Alessi and, New to the Band, French Pianist Myslaure Augustin. Melt All the Guns II — to be released digitally and on CD via Gray’s Rataplan Records on October 4, 2024 — features 11 rhythmically intricate, melodically charged compositions by the drummer-leader, brought to vivid life by this trio of top-flight improvisers. Gray, Alessi & Augustin will perform material from Melt All the Guns II and more on November 1 at London’s Vortex, November 2 at Jazz Fest Berlin, and November 3 at Tube’s in Graz, Austria.
“Devin Gray is a polymath: inventive drummer, intrepid composer, chief of a burgeoning record label. Gray continues his ascension with ‘Melt All the Guns’… The title might suggest a recording where frustrations boil over into blurts and squeals. In fact, it’s just the opposite. The protest music that the trio makes is akin to meditative paintings, vivid in scope with microscopic-level attention to detail.” — Brad Cohan / JazzTimes on the debut Melt All the Guns EP' ......... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Melt All The GUns II : Listen to Swing States :

Ross McHenry - Waves
(Earshift Music) - Released: 13th September 2024

Donny McCaslin (tenor saxophone); Adam O’Farrill (trumpet); Matthew Sheens (piano); Ben Monder (guitar); Ross McHenry (bass); Eric Harland (drums).

'Waves' is an ambitious project from bassist-composer Ross McHenry, an exploration of memory, history, and the impact of seismic personal and existential events. Crafted in the wake of Australia's devastating 2019 summer fires, Waves stands as a poignant love letter to the landscapes and relationships that shape our stories. Recorded at the Bunker Studios in New York, the album features an impressive roster of musicians, including Eric Harland, Ben Monder, Donny McCaslin, Adam O’Farrill, and Matthew Sheens, lifting McHenry's celebrated compositional voice to unprecedented heights. 'Waves' embarks from the depths of the ocean to the nostalgia of childhood gardens, encapsulating Ross McHenry’s reflections on the ephemeral nature of memory and history. "This work is about how we loosely grasp our own memory and fathom the uncontrollable chain reactions of seismic personal and existential events," McHenry explains. The album is not just a musical exploration but a journey through the emotional landscapes that define us. It reflects a profound connection to place and the stories that emerge from our interactions with the world around us. "Written against the backdrop of a burning Australia, 'Waves' is a testament to the resilience of landscape and the human spirit," McHenry .... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Waves : Listen to Love and Obscurity :

Tommy Crane - Dance Music For All Occasions
(Elastic Recordings) - Released: 27th June 2024

Tommy Crane (drums, composition); Charlotte Greve (alto saxophone); Simon Jermyn (bass); Edwin de Goeij (piano); Sarah Page (harp); Claire Devlin (tenor saxophone #4); Martin Ditcham, Miller Maboungou (percussion); Mishka Stein (bass); Aron Spicer, Sterling Spicer, Jones Spicer: (choir).

Tommy Crane Dance Music For All Occasions.jpg

' ........ with his father as his muse, Tommy Crane became a bandleader. The Montreal-based musician had spent months laying the groundwork: recording his own demos, writing out the songs, creating charts and lead-sheets, then working with co-producer Warren Spicer (Plants and Animals, Unessential Oils) to figure out how the stuff should sound and how it should be recorded. Only when that was ready did Tommy assemble his principal quartet, bringing together his scenes in New York and Montreal: alto saxophonist Charlotte Greve (Wood River, Arooj Aftab) flew up on points; bassist Simon Jermyn (Wood River, Jim Black Trio) took the Port Authority bus; pianist Edwin De Goej (U.S. Girls, Martha Wainwright) might have hopped his bike cross-town. The work was professional, efficient: sumptuous pros all together in a room. One and a half ecstatic days, all of it live to tape ...... The sound that resulted is sensuous and lush, a jazz that’s informed by Grover Washington, Boards of Canada, Keith Jarrett’s European quartet, and George Benson’s Breezin’. “My father was obsessed with smooth jazz from the Seventies and Eighties,” Tommy remembers, “stuff by session guys from bands like Toto and Steely Dan.” He and Warren were determined to pay tribute to that sound, harnessing the players’ contemporary talents to a music that feels like cruising down a highway under dappled sunset skies ....... (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to A Moment Of Clarity Amidst The Fog : Listen to Amhurst Ave :

Nano Brothers - Ascend Flowers
(Klaeng Records) - Released: 8th November 2024

Johannes Ludwig (saxophone); Jürgen Friedrich (piano)

"Ascend Flowers is one of those precious few moments when you can witness something completely new being created while listening to it. All the songs were recorded in a continuous session in which the start button was pressed at the beginning and the process was then not interrupted for several hours. There is no more than one take of any song. The duo’s vision lies in questioning the familiar and the known from the ground up once again and re-positioning it with astonishing solutions. What’s amazing is that the Nano Brothers turn a corner and completely reconfigure free improvised music. Ascend Flowers is not about a ritual or a trip by the musicians in which they allow the listener to participate, but about the radical poetry of spontaneously felt substance." (album notes)

Details and Samples : Listen to Hommage Supreme : Listen to Spring Lines :

Otto Kintet - Wildernis
(Choux de Bruxelles) - Released: 27th September 2024

Otto Kint (bass); Jeroen Capens (tenor sax); Lukas Somers (guitar); Martin Salemi (keys); Daniel Jonkers (drums)

' With their third album 'Wildernis', the Brussels jazz quintet Otto Kintet delivers a sharp observation of (human) nature. The new album reflects the journey that the band members have taken together and individually, as well as the metamorphosis of their home base, also named ‘Wildernis Strmbk.’ All compositions are by bandleader and double bassist Otto Kint. He drew inspiration from Wildernis Strmbk, an abandoned sports complex that he transformed into an incubator for artists from various disciplines. Kint lived there for five years and watched as nature gradually reclaimed the tidy, man-made site. Kint translated this evolution into diverse compositions with room for improvisation and unrestrained interplay, an approach he carried into the studio. The entire album was recorded with all musicians in one room, without headphones or overdubs. “We relied more than ever on our instincts and senses instead of our rational minds,” Kint explains. The goal was to color the compositions, play in the moment, and make music together. The band has been playing in the same lineup for eight years, and you can hear that on the album. The diverse styles and tones of the five musicians blend exceptionally well. For instance, Martin Salemi (keys) primarily plays acoustic piano, giving Lukas Somers (guitar) more room to experiment with effects. Jeroen Capens (saxophone) expanded his instrumentation with the clarinet, playing both his signature powerful sax solos and more subdued parts. Daniel Jonkers (drums) as always, finds the perfect tandem with Otto Kint’s double bass.......... (album notes)

Details and Samples : More Details : Listen to Fontanel : Listen to Science Friction :

Reissues

Dinah Washington - Wake The Town And Tell The People

(Jasmine Records) - Released: 11th October 2024

Dinah Washington (vocals) with various personnel

Dinah Washington Wake The Town And Tell The People.jpg

'Bessie Smith earned the right to bill herself as ‘The Empress Of The Blues’ in the 1920s – but from the mid-1940s until her untimely death in the early 60s, there is never any doubt as to who ‘The Queen’ was. From her first recording session onwards, Dinah Washington inspired the next generation of blues and R&B women from Esther Phillips through to her biggest fan Aretha Franklin. It’s almost impossible to guess the direction that female R&B might have taken without Dinah at the roots. This new Jasmine collection supplements and complements our previous volume of her early work, picking up Dinah’s audio story in 1956 and carrying it through to some of her final sessions in 1962. From pop to R&B to jazz, it shows just how true her oft-quoted statement ‘I can sing anything’ really was. All of Dinah’s bigger later hits are here, including her two Pop and R&B Top 10 hit duets with Brook Benton alongside songs that will forever be ‘hers’ such as ‘This Bitter Earth’, ‘September In The Rain’ and ‘What A Difference A Day Made’. The focus here is generally on Dinah’s R&B-style material, and may thus hold great appeal for fans of ‘early soul’ who don’t realise just how big an influence she was on those who followed in her wake.' (album notes)

Details :

Bessie Smith - Empress

(Jasmine Records) - Released: 11th October 2024

Bessie Smith (vocals) with various personnel

'Forever the ‘Empress Of The Blues’, Bessie Smith was and always will remain one of the pioneering superstars of black American music. Throughout the 1920s, Bessie had few peers as a blues woman, and fewer still who could match the sales that her long string of 78s racked up. With one or sometimes two new releases a month, it would have been hard for anyone to catch her. The quality of those releases made it almost impossible. Bessie began recording in the ‘acoustic’ era but was one of the first artists to record using the new electrical process that was introduced in 1925. This new Jasmine CD release brings you as many of Bessie’s first year of electrical recordings as a) have survived and b) we could fit into one collection. Although it doesn’t include all her classics it offers a generous sampling of them among its 24 tracks, some with just Bessie and piano accompaniment, others featuring a fine small band of musicians of a calibre that you would expect such a blues megastar to be able to work with. Inevitably there have been a number of digital compilations of Bessie’s work in the 40 years since CDs came onto the market, this is the first to specifically focus on one year in the recording life of this sublime performer and to watch the evolution, from a fairly early stage, of one of the greatest blues legends of all' (album notes)

Details :

Gerry Mulligan Quartet - Spring In Stockholm : Live At Konsurthuset 1959

(New Land Records) - Released: 17th October 2024

Gerry Mulligan (baritone sax, piano); Art Farmer (trumpet); Bill Crow (bass); Dave Bailey (drums)

Gerry Mulligan Quartet Spring In Stockholm.jpg

'Gerry Mulligan, appearing with the Night Lights band in the midst of a scorching European tour of 1959. This superb quartet features Gerry Mulligan on baritone sax and piano, Art Farmer on trumpet, Bill Crow on bass and Dave Bailey on drums. The band are at the peak of their powers, and these stunning recordings are vital in confirming Mulligan’s band as one of the hottest outfits of the time. Working alongside the Swedish National Radio Archives and the Gerry Mulligan Estate, we managed to locate the original master tapes from inside the Sveriges Radio vault and transfer them to Kevin Gray, who worked his usual magic in mastering and cutting, giving these previously unreleased recordings incredible sonic scope. The newly created cover art was designed by regular New Land collaborators, Two To Tango, offering a superb modernist look. Manufactured at Pallas and printed in reverse-board sleeves on 180gm vinyl, this is an important addition to any collection. Baritone Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan was a true icon of jazz, being one of the prominent figures in the West Coast scene through the ‘50s all the way until his death in 1996. Voted number one musician in his instrument by Downbeat Magazine for 42 years in a row, Mulligan was one of the key players of his time and a figurehead who help shape the sound of jazz to come. From periods in the Birth Of The Cool era Miles Davis line up as well as forming a piano-less quartet with Chet Baker, Gerry was always on the frontline of what was hip and happening in America’s one true art form.' (album notes)

Details :

Bobby Wellins Sextet - Homage To Caledonia

(Jazz In Britain Records) - Released: 13th September 2024

Bobby Wellins (tenor saxophone); Pete Jacobsen (piano, electric piano); Adrian Kendon (bass); Spike Wells (drums); with
Lol Coxhill (soprano saxophone); Bryan Spring (percussion)

'On download, streaming and CD for the first time ever, the Bobby Wellins Sextet performing The Culloden Moor Suite and other favourites. Recorded live in the autumn of 1979, this CD features performances by Bobby’s augmented Quartet as well as a stunning solo improvisation by pianist Pete Jacobsen. Compiled from recordings of the first two concerts of the autumn 1979 tour by Bobby’s regular quartet augmented by Lol Coxhill and Bryan Spring, the CD includes the only complete ‘small ensemble’ recording of the Culloden Moor Suite released to date, alongside a selection of favourite tunes from the tour.' (album notes)

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