new release round-up,Jazz New Release Round-up - 15th September 2023
by Barney Whittaker
This week brings a host of new sounds starting with the supergroup of Michael Blicher, Dan Hemmer & Steve Gadd, whose new album It Will Be Alright promises an intriguing mixture of studio and live cuts. Next, Blankfor.ms, Jason Moran and Marcus Gilmore have teamed up for their album Refract, a concoction of minimalist jazz and tape-loop wizardry. Drummer Richard Baratta leads a seasoned ensemble on Off The Charts, and relative newcomers The Hawks Triad drop their second release encapsulating late summer, Carnivale. Finally, one of 2019's most ambitious albums, Kris Davis' Diatom Ribbons is presented in a new setting recorded Live At The Village Vanguard.
An effortlessly smooth recording held together by the matchless synergy at the heart of its collaboration, this release is worth checking out for the combined experience of the trio saxman Michael Blicher, organist Dan Hemmer and drummer Steve Gadd alone. These cats are on the prowl, their shrewd dynamic certainly helps deliver that extra bit of oomph whenever the players see fit. With its laid-back vibes and playful energy, this sultry album does what it says on the tin – reaffirming that everything will indeed turn out fine.
BlankFor.ms, Jason Moran & Marcus Gilmore
Glitchy electronica meets angular piano chops on this experimental piece of sonic discombobulation. Improvisatory polymath Jason Moran flexes his keyboard beyond its utmost extremities whilst conceptual sound artist BlankFor.ms interprets his stimuli through a lens of deep listening and degraded tape-loops. Elsewhere, drummer Marcus Gilmore contributes a percussive display right out of the trip-hop textbook without ever relying on cliche. The whole record makes for an exhilarating piece that keeps your ears guessing right until the last moment.
Calling on a dream team of the most vital jazz performers around, the lifelong drummer returns to the studio following a mid-life career in film production, having supervised (amongst other projects) The Wolf of Wall Street and the Spiderman franchise. We’re all the better for it, and with the calibre of musicianship on display here, it’s as if the jazz aficionado New Yorker has hardly been gone. Featuring some of the finest B-sides of classic sixties and seventies-era recordings from the likes of Chick Corea and McCoy Tyner, this album will delight staunch fans and first-time listeners alike.
And now for a musical road trip that’s as wide in emotional recall as it is in stylistic influence. The Hawks Triad is a Swiss/Argentine jazz-rock trio formed only a few years ago with the intention of infusing guitar-driven Americana with flavours of late night jazz. In the similar acoustic vein of Khruangbin but with their own signature twist involved, the group’s second EP is a warm and charming experience from start to finish.
Having made her name with the 2019 album that breached all sides of the experimental jazz-groove idiom, this new release from pianist Kris Davis translates her perplexing breakthrough work into a live context with added musical fireworks. The pyrotechnics are popping off everywhere you look, but with the returning lineup of drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, bassist Trevor Dunn and turntablist Val Jeanty plus the addition of guitarist Julian Lage at the helm, you know you’re in safe hands. A complex, sophisticated and truly rewarding set.
Barney Whittaker
from www.prestomusic.com
Edited by snobb - 26 Sep 2023 at 10:37pm
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