Review: Ana Frango Eletrico's first ever reissue, Little Electric Chicken Heart, follows up 2023's most recent record Me Chama De Gato Que Eu Sou Sua. Surfacing after Mr. Bongo were met with a string of requests to reissue the album not long after its original release in 2019, we're once more compelled to consider the album's merits and what makes the enjoyment of it tick. More of an establishment of style and talent than an exploration of a concept, the album is noted for its fusion of chamber pop, rock and samba, across a vintage palette that defies any overarching categorisation.
Review: You have a genuine piece of musical history here. The Anchors may not be remembered by many, but made a significant impact on everyone who does. Black Soul is the third and - to all musicologist knowledge - last record put out by this pioneering South African funk-soul outfit. Straight out of the Johannesburg township of Alexandria at the height of Apartheid, they became known for exceptional musicianship and reinterpreting the classic Memphis, USA sound for their own oppressed community. Part three of that legacy takes things much, much further, though. So, we can definitely still hear those Mid South sounds that represent the very essence of soul, but here the aesthetic becomes something altogether different, Afro and specific to time and place. Homage paid to the genre founders, but drawing on personal circumstances to own things for themselves.
2023-05-12 Set II (2220 Arts & Archive, Los Angeles) (22:18)
2023-05-13 Set I (22:48)
2023-05-13 Set II (22:44)
2023-05-15 Set I (The Chapel, San Francisco) (23:10)
Review: The Ancients, an intergenerational coalition of free jazz masters, deliver a powerful and evocative double LP that resonates with the spirit of improvisation and collective expression. Isaiah Collier, William Hooker, and William Parker, brought together by Parker for concerts in conjunction with the Milford Graves exhibition at the ICA Los Angeles, weave a tapestry of sound that draws upon the rich legacy of free jazz while forging their own unique path. Across two LPs of long-form improvised sets, recorded in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the trio explores the sonic terrain first charted by the likes of Cecil Taylor and Ornette Coleman, their interplay showcasing some electric, spontaneous creation. Collier's tenor saxophone soars with fiery intensity, while Hooker's drums crackle with a restless energy and Parker's bass anchors the music with a deep, resonant foundation. This is music that speaks to the heart of the human experience, a tribute to the power of improvisation to transcend boundaries and connect us to the deeper currents of life.
2023-05-12 Set II (2220 Arts & Archive, Los Angeles) (22:18)
2023-05-13 Set I (22:48)
2023-05-13 Set II (22:44)
2023-05-15 Set I (The Chapel, San Francisco) (23:10)
Review: The debut recording from The Ancients, an intergenerational trio featuring Isaiah Collier, William Hooker and William Parker initially formed to play Milford Graves' Mind Body Deal exhibition at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. This double LP captures the raw energy and improvisational brilliance of their live performances, showcasing the enduring legacy of free jazz. Collier's tenor saxophone soars and wails, drawing on influences from John Coltrane to Charles Gayle, while grounding his explorations in a deep understanding of structure and form. Hooker's drumming is a force of nature, a whirlwind of polyrhythms and explosive energy that pushes the music to its limits. And Parker, a true legend of the avant-garde, anchors the music with his virtuosic bass playing, creating a foundation for the trio's improvisational flights. The music is both a celebration of the rich history of free jazz and a bold exploration of new sonic territory. The Ancients tap into the spirit of their predecessors, channeling the energy of the Cecil Taylor Unit and the Ornette Coleman Trio, while forging their own unique path, the power of collective improvisation looming large throughout.
Review: Andrew Bird has finally dropped his debut album of jazz standards, Sunday Morning Put-On, with the Andrew Bird Trio, featuring Ted Poor on drums and Alan Hampton on bass. Recorded live at Valentine Recording Studios in Southern California, Bird produced the album which includes classics by Duke Ellington and Cole Porter himself. Highlights include 'Caravan' and 'You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To' and the album closes with the original track 'Ballon de peut-etre.' Additional contributors include guitarist Jeff Parker and pianist Larry Goldings and a tour has also been announced to support the album.
Review: In 2002, pianist and composer Andrew Hill's A Beautiful Day captured a landmark Birdland performance that also revealed a new facet of his own artistry. Now, A Beautiful Day, Revisited from Palmetto Records enhances this experience with a remixed and remastered edition that expands the recording's depth and detail. Producer Matt Balitsaris adds previously unreleased material, including a second, unique rendition of the title track and a lengthened version of '11/8' featuring Hill's introductions of each ensemble member. Hill's band, with improvisers like Greg Tardy, Marty Ehrlich and Ron Horton, creates a rich, expressive soundscape that balances Hill's compositional elegance with spontaneous, free-jazz momentum.
What Shall I Tell My Children Who Are Black (Dr Margaret Burroughs) (3:20)
Impepho (3:36)
We Are Starzz (4:25)
London (2:50)
Capetown (feat Asher Simiso Gamedze) (15:22)
The Oracle (5:38)
Review: Since turning up in the Windy city a few years ago, spiritual jazz singer, clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid has become a stalwart of Chicago's vibrant avant-garde scene. Here he delivers a debut album that should, if there's any justice at least, propel her towards international superstardom. Both her melancholic clarinet lines and distinctive singing feature prominently throughout, alongside sparse percussion, occasional Afro-futurist synthesizer motifs, harp and guitars - all of which Dawid plays herself. It's a virtuoso display that more than confirms her status as one of the spiritual jazz scene's most authentic voices.
Review: Axis of Time is the stunning debut album from Philadelphia mallet percussionist and poet Angelo Outlaw. Featuring Eraserhood Sound's signature synth & soul production, the LP is a dazzling blend of jazz, rare groove, funk, soul and r&b. Outlaw's statement of intent is to transport the listener to a dissociated, dream-like state; a retreat into a fantasy from which one may not wish to return. That of a sonic holiday is indeed the vibe of this vibraphonic virtuosum, with landscapes of flute, wah-pedalled guitars and, of course, bell-like harmonies played by Outlaw himself, all evoke the sense of riding on the back of a paradisiacal bird, and into the anaesthetic distance.
Review: Eraserhood Sound present the debut album from Angelo Outlaw, a Philadelphia-based mallet percussionist and poet with serious chops in the sweet spot where spiritual jazz and heavy funk collide. Axis Of Time has been crafted as a vehicle for escapism, propelled by transcendent instrumentation to reach celestial heights across 11 exquisitely rendered compositions. The sparkling vibraphone rubs up against fuzzed-up guitar lines, underpinned by the infectious groove of the rhythm section for a standout excursion from a vital new talent in the field of life-affirming jazz funk. Just take the dizzying highs of lead single 'Free My Mind' as an instructive route into this exploratory, deeply-rooted record.
Review: Ray Angry's latest album One is a splendid trip through cinematic, epic landscapes of jazz. As a member of The Roots and a highly sought-after musician, Angry brings his classical training in gospel and jazz to the forefront, infusing his music with pop sensibilities. Tracks like 'Nebula' and 'Musique Mecanique III' demonstrate his ability to create immersive experiences that transcend traditional jazz boundaries. With its cinematic quality and storytelling abilities, One leaves listeners in awe, delivering a mind-blowing musical adventure. Whether you're a jazz aficionado or simply curious, this album is a must-listen for its innovative approach and sheer brilliance.
There Is No, There Is No (Dedicated To Rich Nichols) (3:16)
(It's So) Natural (3:36)
Only For Love (5:15)
Tough Times In The Rag Trade (LP3) (5:13)
Damper (3:36)
God's Grace (3:28)
Peace '26 (5:02)
Space Oddity (6:18)
The Bear (4:53)
Brothers (5:24)
Review: Outside In decided to highlight Ray Angry's exceptional talent as a top pianist with the new album Three. Solo piano, a tradition that runs through jazz greats like Art Tatum to Keith Jarrett, is the perfect platform to showcase Angry's brilliance so in the fall of 2022 he visited Reservoir Studios, sat at the Steinway piano, and played for two hours straight. The result was an extraordinary torrent of music, blending classical, jazz, and pop, all unique to Ray. Now the best of it is served up in this bumper box set with a deluxe booklet with writings by Questlove and Black Thought.
Review: Made up of Jun Miyake and Ichiko Aoba's live sessions held in Tokyo in November 2016 and the following February 2017, Pneuma consists of valuable recordings that had only been released in high-resolution format for distribution; the record is now finally released in vinyl format here on P-Vine. The first performance in January featured Tatsuhisa Yamamotoon on drums and the second in February made up a quartet formation with the addition of bassist Hitoshi Watanabe. The two ultra-talented musicians provide us a glimpse into how the music of Jun Miyake and Ichiko Aoba is made and this record breathes into their practice a new life.
Review: Stones Throw has tapped up the brilliant psychedelic jazz group Apifera for a second album to follow on from the greatness of their debut. That once came back in 2021 in the form of Overstand, which was a widescreen and cultural mix of all manner of weird and wonderful sounds. Now, Keep Teh Outside Open builds on that and finds keyboardist Yuval Havkin and Nitai Hershkovits, drummer Amir Bresler and bassist Yonatan Albalak all colliding Israeli folk, Afrobeat, post-rock and jazz into richly colourful and absorbing sound worlds full of lush broken beat grooves.
Review: Blue Foundation returns with another lush and immersive album that deepens their signature blend of dream pop, shoegaze and ambient electronics. Crafted over three years by the much loved Danish duo Bo Rande and Tobias Wilner, Close to the Knife explores themes of melancholy and introspection through layered textures and haunting vocals from Wilner and Nina Larsen. Guest appearances from Scarlet Rae, Helena Gao, and Sonya Kitchell enrich its emotional depth, while contributions from Chinese experimental noise band Wang's Xie Yugang and drummer Federico Ughi add complexity to this shapeshifting soundtrack.
Review: Born in Kent and central to the UK's 70s jazz modernism, Neil Ardley composed with the precision of a scientist and the vision of a cosmic philosopher. This long-overdue reissue from Analogue October captures a project that translates planetary orbits into a nine-note harmonic systemitoo vast for acoustic instruments, brought to life instead through early synthesisers. 'Arcturus' and 'Spiral Nebula' interlace fluid sax work from Barbara Thompson with John Martyn's signature reverb-drenched guitar, while Geoff Castle's synths evoke deep-space drift. 'Rainbow Four' channels modal funk, and 'Neptune' floats into ambient abstraction. Produced at Morgan Studios with a full ensemble of jazz heavyweightsiTony Coe, Ian Carr, Billy Kristian, Richard Burgess, and Trevor Tomkinsithis is a record that swings between science fiction and symphonic elegance. For all its high concept, it remains rooted in groove and human touch. A meticulous AAA cut from the Decca master tapes seals the experience: a bold and beautiful reminder of how far British jazz once dared to travel.
Review: This album transports listeners to 1950s and 60s Colombia, where the tropical sounds of the Caribbean and Pacific coasts dominated the mainland music scene. Edmundo Arias, alongside Lucho Bermudez and Pacho Galan, was one of the pivotal figures of this era, yet his introverted nature kept him out of the spotlight, making his contributions less celebrated than his peers. Born in Tulua in 1925, Arias came from a musical family and mastered several instruments. After his father's death in 1948, he and his brother moved to Medellin, the epicenter of Colombia's music industry. Arias quickly established himself as a talented musician, composer, arranger, and band leader for leading labels like Zeida, Ondina, Silver, and Sonolux. Despite his preference for working behind the scenes, Arias' impact was profound, collaborating with numerous musicians and mentoring young artists. His prolific output included hundreds of compositions and numerous albums. This compilation, Guepa Je!, shows the finest of Arias' work from the 50s and 60s, a period often regarded as the pinnacle of his career. Enjoy the vibrant, joyous sounds of Colombia's tropical music heritage.
Review: First released in 1980 via the little-known Pick Up Records, Danish jazz-rockers Ariel's self-titled debut record sees an unlikely reissue via Jazz Room here. A worthy reintroduction of the quintet to the world at large - where before it wasn't well-known at all - it comes after the album was recently hepped to by none other than Brownswood aficionado Gilles Peterson, whose encyclopaedic internal memory bank and capacity to chin-wag served the cascading recollection of the album by Jazz Room label boss Paul Murphy. Now the eight-tracker dazzles us once more, fusing jazz with subtle elements of kraut and kosmische to make for bustling, brimming urban fugs, all hemmed together by a consistent baritone sax, and the vocal pyrotechnics of Hawaiian singer Lei Aloha Moe.
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