snobb Reeds player Jimmy Giuffre is well known for his unique (drumless) cool jazz trio of the late 50s (with guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ralph Pena)and also for his even more unusual relaxed and meditative avant-garde jazz trio of the early 60s (with pianist Paul Bley and bassist Steve Swallow). After a decade of silence, Jimmy returned in the mid 70s with a few albums, and then disappeared again.

His second return in the early 80s is less known (he recorded three albums for Italian Soul Note label) and would surprise almost every fan of his earlier recordings. On all three albums ("Dragonfly", "Quasar" and "Liquid Dancers") Giuffre's new quartet plays ... fusion! Featuring keyboardist Pete Levin (Rhoads, Moog, Oberheim, etc), bassist Bob Nieske and drummer Randy Kaye, besides Giuffre himself (on clarinet, tenor and soprano saxes, flute and bass flute), this quartet plays quite electric music and even energetic in moments. At the same time, as it was with Giuffre's cool jazz and avant-garde music, his fusion is different from what was typical: his hard-bop/cool jazz roots and aesthetics are still in effect, and his compositions vary from airy minimalist electric cool ballads, to almost new age meditative electronic aerial songs. All three albums weren't popular at the time of their release and are now almost forgotten rarities. So the CAM label did a great job here reissuing them all as one set. Even if Giuffre's fusion is far from sensational, I believe these three albums are pleasant and an interesting surprise for his fans.

There is a fourth album in this set - and even if it contains more predictable music, it is obviously the best part of the compilation. Reunited in the early 90s, Guiffre's avant-garde trio recorded "Conversations With A Goose" after a few years of regular concerts, so their communication here is telepathic. Different from the early 60s, Swallow plays electric bass here and Bley's piano is softer and more liquid than usual. But, even with some citations from their past, this music is free-cool jazz, Guiffre's style (no distortion, no overload), more mature than 35 years ago, but still fresh and not nostalgic at all! The only reason this fourth album is a part of the same set is that it was released on Italian Soul Note as well, but nearly a decade later.

All in all, this set is not Giuffre's best music, and not the most interesting of his releases, but if you already know and like his cool jazz and avant-garde works from the late 50s-early 60s, and are not familiar with his later (lesser known) music, probably you will be pleasantly surprised with what you'll find here.

js I’ve always known Paul Winter as one of the first jazz artists to cross over into “new age” territory, as well as one of the first to use straight rhythms and simple harmonies in a jazz context, a tendency that consequently caught on with a lot more artists over the years. He always seemed like a nice guy, so I won’t get hysterical and say he ‘ruined jazz’, but he has always been highly suspect, ha. That’s why it was a surprise to hear this compilation of his earlier material, turns out Paul used to play real jazz, and it was really good jazz too. “Count Me In” is a compilation of 32 tracks recorded in the early 60s that shows Winter working with a very imaginative sextet that blends complex ensemble arrangements with short solos for a modern quasi-big band approach somewhat similar to some things Miles Davis and Art Farmer had been doing. The style is hard bop with a west coast cool approach, a style that was very popular with early 60s college kids who also dug Dave Brubek and Chet Baker. This was an excellent time period for jazz, sandwiched between the excesses of the past bop era and the greater excesses of the coming fusion era, early 60s jazz was smart, compact and eternally hip.

The first ten tracks on this compilation are the best. They feature Winter’s original sextet; six young college kids who won the 1961 Intercollegiate Jazz Festival, which won them a recording contract with Columbia and a US state department backed tour of Latin America. Their youthful enthusiasm and fresh new ideas really come through. Many of these guys would leave pro music after this sextet broke up, including the very talented baritone player Les Rout. Tracks 11 through 17 feature this same sextet playing the first ever jazz concert at the White House. These tracks are nice as history, but the recordings don’t sound great, and the band sounds uptight, nervous and a even a little off sometimes. The final tracks, 18 - 32, feature the last version of Winter’s sextet, which by now had picked up more familiar names such as Ben Riley and Chuck Israels. The music is still good, but I miss the more ‘modernist’ sound of the younger naïve group, plus these recordings are live and are of less than best quality. Mostly I would recommend this CD for the first ten tracks, excellent hipster jazz for young college kids in the years right before post hippie-lemming mentality would trample all over this more subtle culture.

js One of the more interesting developments in modern jazz is a heightened interest in working with large ensembles. The big bands are making a comeback, and they are creating colorful adventurous music that can not be pulled off with a smaller ensemble. The Avi Lebovich Orchestra is typical of many of these new bands in that they not only mix together an interesting array of acoustic and electric instruments, but they also pull from many musical influences at once, merging the modern and avant-garde with more traditional approaches. On “Volcano”, Lebovich’s orchestra features three trombones and several low range saxophones (as well as other horns and reeds) which gives the band a low midrange texture, as opposed to the more trumpet leaning high pitched scream of Don Ellis or Maynard Ferguson. Guitarist Yonatan Albalak helps give the orchestra a hip modern sound by using a variety of electronic effects, and a steady stream of guests on electronic keyboards and other instruments helps keep the sound of each song unique.

Although its easy to hear the influence of pioneers like Don Ellis and Gil Evans when you listen to any modern big band, Lebovich’s music is very much his own creation. Pulling from influences such as post bop, modern fusion, the music of Africa, his own native Israel and the Middle East in general, Avi blends all of these together so that it all becomes one style. The horn arrangements on here are excellent, and the individual musicians are also good at improvising call and response figures and other types of spontaneous polyphony. On most songs, its hard to tell what is arranged, and what is improvised. Most of the tracks on here are great, but some of the hottest are saved for last; “Poem 54” is an odd-metered Middle-Eastern jam that slips into spy movie themes, title track “Volcano” is a West Africa type syncopated groove that recalls Yousou N’Dour’s big band and “Open Sesame Please” is energetic funk that sounds like Tower of Power with twice the horn section. If I have one complaint about this CD, its that I wonder why they saved the best for last, the middle section of “Volcano” could have used a few less mid-tempo numbers and a little more of the fire this band is capable of.

Sean Trane I must admit that I’ve lost track of Trane’s son’s musical footsteps for a while now, but I fell upon his (for now) latest release at the library, and I took it home for a spin or two. The least we can say is that Trane and Alice’s son is totally submerged by his father’s musical legacy, but then again choosing to be a jazz saxman didn’t leave him much room. Don’t make me say what I didn’t say, because I can’t judge too much since I haven’t heard much recent of him, but with Lovano backing him up, close comparisons are inevitable, especially if one hears the Tyner-esque piano note-tickling from both Perdomo and Allen.

The early part of the album is somewhat off to a dissonant start with the opening Road Cross, but it calms down quickly with the introspective Klepto and later on the reflective The Change. A bit later on, the album picks up pace with the Hudson piece. To reduce this album as a Trane homage or study would be selling short Ravi and Joe’s talents, not the least aspect being the compositions, as over half of them are penned collectively; this of course not counting the Coleman and Motian covers that are more or less closing the album, the former being the more exciting piece of the album.

Definitely closer to a standard late 60’s jazz album though a touch of 80’s feel can also be detected) than a Nu-jazz thingie, Ravi’s Spirit Fiction is too Trane-ish not to be set in your shelves right next to his father’s works. Does that make it indispensable, though?

js What’s modern jazz supposed to sound like anymore, with so many styles to choose from these days, its hard to tell. Hard/post bop continues its popular resurgence, the avant-garde is in full effect with more variety than ever before, fusion and soul jazz are back again as relevant styles, meanwhile, all manner of “nu” influences take musicians in a myriad of different directions. If you are looking for that ‘real jazz‘ that is not a direct throwback to the 60s, then Dave Douglas’ “Time Travel” could be a great place to start. Drawing on a legacy that starts with Mingus and Dolphy, Douglas and his band play an abstract hard post bop sound that often veers into free territory while incorporating modern elements as well. Douglas and his crew know how to swing, but this isn't a look back at the Blue Note era. Much of this band’s modern approach comes from drummer Rudy Royston, who plays in a very loose style that often only implies the pulse while supplying complicated fills and patterns that draw on modern fusion as well as free jazz. One possible precedent for this album could be Herbie Hancock’s VSOP concerts that revisited the 60s Miles Davis post bop sound, but with an aggressive post-fusion approach.

Two great standout cuts on this album that show this band’s sense of humor include “Beware of Doug”, which takes old school jump blues riffs and scrambles them up, and CD opener “Bridge to Nowhere” that has that slam bang T Monk type sound. Those who enjoy a more free style abandon will want to check out “Time Travel” and “Little Feet”, while “Garden State” supplies the high speed post bop rush. “Time Travel” is a great CD, real jazz that continues to move forward without selling out to simpler trendy approaches.

kev rowland The Softs are back with their first studio album since the passing of Hugh Hopper in 2008, as incredibly it is six years since the release of ‘Steam’. The line-up is John Etheridge (electric guitar), Roy Babbington (bass), John Marshall (drums and percussion) and Theo Travis (tenor sax, flute, piano), which has to make it one of the longest serving line-ups in the extremely long history of the band (either as The Soft Machine, Soft Machine, The Softs, or Soft Machine Legacy). They may have been going down this furrow of jazz-fusion for more than thirty years, but they still don’t show any sign at all of slowing down or running out of ideas. A special mention must go to Andrew Tulloch who mixed and mastered this album as the sound is incredible, allowing every touch and nuance to shine through.

The album is a combination of pre-agreed structures and melodies with improvisation and the result is a delight from the beginning to end. The interaction between all of the musicians is of the type that only comes with years of playing in this sort of environment, where there is trust between everyone and a firm understanding of what they are all working towards. “Kings & Queens” is a masterpiece of understatement with Roy’s simple repeated bassline allowing the others to expand the theme. While on “Fallout” Roy and John Etheridge start the piece linked as one, in perfect harmony and control before they start to expand. Everyone interested in fusion and jazz will have come across Soft Machine sometime in their musical education, and take it from me that ‘Burden of Proof’ is a more than worthy addition to their body of work. www.moonjune.com

js Soft Machine and/or Soft Machine Legacy is one of the longest running acts in the world of fusion, with its founding members working together in various groups since the mid 60s. “Burden of Proof” is the latest from Legacy, and finds these jazz veterans offering up a wide smorgasbord of styles, its as if they are giving us a sampler of all the different flavors modern fusion can be these days. Interestingly enough, after years of changing members and musical visions, this album has a few moments that recall the classic III and IV albums from the early 70s, a sound that has not showed up for the Machine in a while. In fact, when this CD opens with ambient tape looped Fender Rhodes piano, it sounds like a direct tribute to their third album.

Although all of the players on here are technically proficient, there is a nice subtle approach to this music, the best versions of Soft Machine were not about flash as they were more about atmosphere. Still, when its time for an intense solo, guitarist John Etheridge and woodwind player Theo Travis do not hesitate to bring it on. Another interesting aspect about this CD that recalls their earlier days is the bands reliance on free-form jamming. Many tunes develop into free sessions that vary from intense and busy, such as on “The Brief”, to more quiet and spacey as on several other tracks.

One of the best tracks on “Burden” is “Kings and Queens”, which recalls classic Soft Machine with its repeating laid back bass line backed by atmospheric keyboards and topped with an excellent flute solo by Travis. Overall, long time fans of this group will probably want to pick this up, it’s a fairly solid disc from a group of veterans who have managed to maintain their creativity and enthusiasm over the years.

snobb On his seconds release for German ACT label Italy-born US-based sax player of Indian origin Rudresh Mahanthappa returns to his quartet of "Codebook" (2006,Pi Records) but with one significant difference - instead of piano star Vijay Iyer he adds Screaming Headless Torsos guitarist David Fiuczynski playing fretless guitar here. As a result whole sound switches towards progressive rock still being true high energy fusion though.

Two other quartet members are regular Rudresh's collaborators acoustic bassist François Moutin and drummer Dan Weiss. It's interesting how differently sounds generally same "Indian roots + modern jazz" formula played by piano-less quartet: music here is not two melted in one components anymore but just balanced parallel lines of East and West. To be honest Rudresh never sounded too authentic playing Indian-rooted music, even less he does it here - his Trieste-NY-Indian sound gives lot of spices, but can't be compared with Shakti's world fusion.

From other hand Fiuczynski's fretless guitar is tuned slightly as sitar, all that gives strange modern Western jazz with ragas taste feeling. Add full-acoustic rhythm section - here we are! Album in whole sounds extremely fresh and modern, the only thing I missed are stronger compositions. Enjoying musicianship and interesting sound you will hardly remember even a single tune same moment when the music stops playing.

Important recordings in Mahanthappa discography, showing even bigger potential but released only in part here.

kev rowland A short while ago I was raving about Marbin’s 2012 album ‘Breaking The Cycle’, and I now have in the player their third album ‘Last Chapter of Dreaming’. There have been a few line-up changes, with Danny Markovitch (saxophone) and Dani Rabin (guitar) now joined by Justyn Lawrence (drums) and Jae Gentile (bass) who replaced Paul Wertico and Steve Rodby (who both make appearances on the album on certain songs). There are also plenty of guests, but the focus of this album is the interplay between Danny and Dani which has been honed by touring anywhere and everywhere and playing live as much as possible.

The music moves from hard rock fusion, swirling through jazz and into gentler climates with acoustic guitar, glockenspiel and vocals in “Café de Nuit”. I won’t say what I was listening to before and after I heard this album for the first time, but it really put them into the shade as to my poor abused ears this is faultless. The sound is spot on (congrats Rich Breen), the interplay between all involved is perfection itself while the musicianship is second to none. All of this would be meaningless if the music had no soul and groove but that is there in abundance. If this isn’t a five star album then I don’t know what is. www.moonjune.com

js Marbin is essentially guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitch, plus a variety of guest musicians, who combine jazz fusion, modern blues-rock and world music on their new CD, “Last Chapter of Dreaming”, into a personal form of highly melodic instrumental music. There is a very eclectic mix going on here with Rabin’s strong expressive guitar sound often recalling Jeff Beck, Steve Vai or Oz Noy, while Markovitch’s slippery slinky soprano saxophone recalls the Yiddish influence in the music of Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Melody is the key here as these guys have a knack for memorable tunes that grow and develop, and once again, particularly with Markovitch, often contain strains from older richer cultures.

There’s a lot of great tunes on here; “Blue Fingers” and “On the Square” mix noire jazz sax riffs with hard rock ala early King Crimson, while “Inner Monologue” displays a passionate Middle Eastern melody driven by double time percussion and “Volta“ features rapid fusion solos from both Dani and Danny. Other tunes on here can be more reflective and almost sentimental, but never overly maudlin. Wordless vocals from a variety of guests gives some of their melodies the sound of 50s exotica or early psychedelia, it’s a great effect that they use wisely without over indulgence. Possibly this CDs biggest asset is the production, “Last Chapter” has a big full sound that gives Rabin one of the strongest electric guitar sounds around. All around this is an excellent release by Marbin, but fans of Rabin’s intense, yet melodic, guitar shredding would have probably preferred more fusion and rock, and less of the sentimental tunes, which seem to dominate more towards the end of the CD.

kev rowland OCTET SKULL SESSIONS CUNEIFORM Cornetist, composer, and conceptualist Rob Mazurek first learned the foundations of improvised music while studying jazz theory and practice with David Bloom at the Bloom School of Jazz in Chicago, and first came to prominence when he formed the Chicago Underground Collective (which ranges in size from duo, trio and quartet to full orchestra depending on what is required and has been going for well over 15 years). He has also worked with more mainstream acts such as Sterolab and Tortoise and has worked on more than 40 albums. This is the first album by the octet and is a combination of some composition and a great deal of inmprovisation in an incredibly charged atmosphere. While often in jazz there is one solist at the time, with the rest providing the support, that is not really the case here as what we have is everyone soloing at the same time, but somehow keeping together providing a direction.

The personnel for this album, along with Rob, was drummer John Herndon, vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, flutist Nicole Mitchell, Guilherme Granado on keyboards and electronics, Carlos Issa on guitar and electronics, Mauricio Takara on percussion and cavaquinho (Brazilian ukulele), and Thomas Rohrer on C melody saxophone and rabeca (a rustic Brazilian viola associated with the northeast). It sounds as if Zappa at his most eclectic is having a battle with Miles which results in the sonic equiavalent of a massive thunderstorm. This music is incredibly charged, and one can visualise the lightning passing between players as new ideas spark yet another onsluaght of notes and a different direction.

Mazruek describes the approach as “personalities blending sound ideas that have the potential to expand or contract at any given moment in order to find the hidden spaces that must exist for the elevation and understanding of the origin of where we possibly come from and where we might be going.” Complex and complicated, hard to listen to, this is music that is driving exploration into new areas of jazz that leave the listener drained by the end. www.cuneiformrecords.com

js Although sometimes mistakenly categorized as a ‘jazz-rock’ band, Mahogany Frog is actually a very original and creative instrumental rock band that may use some jazz and fusion in their broad choice of influences, but they forge a sound that is all their own. “Senna”, their new album for 2012, shows a band on the verge of greatness with a solid set of songs that contain a few real gems. Frog lists some of their influences as 50s exotica, 60s psychedelia, 70s prog-rock and today’s electronica. All of that comes together on this CD to make some highly ambitious energetic modern art-rock.

“Senna” opens with Frog channeling about four different classic early Pink Floyd song intros before a wicked drumnbass beat kicks in and the band veers into Squarepusher styled frantic cartoon rock. After this the band charges into a section with a building odd-metered chorus that sounds like an electronic version of Don Ellis’ 60s big band experiments. This opening cut sets the mood for the rest of the album with plenty of rapid fire changes and exhilarating chorus buildups that sound like a cross between The Cardiacs, George Martin’s exotic pop extravagances, early Soft Machine, spaghetti western themes and Mr Bungle, with some early Devo thrown in too. Another top cut is “Flossing with Buddha”, which channels the spiraling optimistic chords of the early jazzy version of Yes, and mixes that with more electronic faux big band buildups.

This is a great CD and recommended for people who are looking for some original modern instrumental rock. "Senna" could also have cross appeal to fans of 60s/70s exotic big band arrangers such as Tartaglia, Don Ellis, Gil Evans and George Martin. Mahogany Frog has a great knack for melodies and arrangements that continue to climb and change without a trace of cliché.

snobb Swedish sax player Mats Gustafsson is a household name in the local alternative scene, and his countless projects represent a wide range of jazz-related alternative music from the scratchy punk-jazz of The Thing, to "out" solo improvs and free-form duos with English bassist Barry Guy, as well as others. Last year (2012), when his Norwegian-Swedish trio The Thing released an album with r'n'b/hip hop vocalist and Don Cherry step-daughter Nenah Cherry, it almost sounded like a joke - but only on the first spin. Catchy RnB songs supported by a rocking/free-jazz trio were strange, but an attractive mix which received good media and listener attention.

All of that looked like a one-night adventure until the end of this January when Mats continued the same concept of adding guests to his groups, but with a much more ambitious project. Using his other trio - the all-Swedish Fire!, he formed a 30-piece Fire! Orchestra adding 5 vocalists, 10 reed players, 4 guitarists, 3 drummers, 3 bassists, plus a keyboardist and electronics wizard to the original trio's line-up! Based on the ritualistic lyrics written by Dutch avant-garde rock musician Arnold de Boer, Orchestra recorded a two part suite with chant vocals from Mariam Wallentin (of Swedish experimental duo Wildbirds & Peacedrums) and Ethiopian-Swedish soprano Sofia Jernberg.

By its concept, Exit! could be compared with Carla Bley's "Escalator Over The Hill", Charlie Haden's Liberation Orchestra or Keith Tippet's Centipede - but transferred to the XXI century. From the very first seconds the listener will be caught by industrial rock pulsations orchestrated by a mind-blowing reeds section and exceptional vocals. The Cherry Thing sounds like a childish rehearsal compared to Exit!'s monumental beauty. With support from leading Swedish jazz and avant-garde rock musicians such as guitarist David Stackenas, bassist Dan Beglund (ex E.S.T., Tonbruket), reeds players Fredrik Ljungkvist (Atomic) and Magnus Broo (Atomic, Angles) as well as others, this work represents the entire modern experimental Swedish scene at its best. Avant-garde free-jazz/rock big band with operatic vocals and contemporary classical music elements played live in front of an enthusiastic audience - you just have to hear it!

It's a pity the album is so short, just around 45 minutes. Mats is known as a passionate vinyl record collector, probably it's the reason why his albums are usually just vinyl disc-long.

Highly recommended - I believe this album will take an honorable place among this year's best releases.

kev rowland More and more I seem to be coming across albums that appear to have more sonic connection with my teenage years than the current day, but as that isn’t an issue all I can say is “bring it on!” This is Senna’s sixth album, but somehow is a band that I have managed to miss altogether but I see that I am going to have to rectify the omissions. The four-piece comprise Graham Epp (electric guitars, MicroMoog, Farfisa Organ, Farf Muff, ARP String Ensemble, Korg MS2000, electric & acoustic pianos), Jesse Warkentin (electric guitars, MicroMoog, Farfisa Organ, Farf Muff, ARP String Ensemble, Korg MS2000, electric & acoustic pianos), Scott Ellenberger (electric & acoustic bass, Briscoe organ, percussion) and Andy Rudolph (drums, percussion & electronics) yet are a far more in your face rock band than you may imagine from the impressive list of keyboards.

This is progressive rock mixed with krautrock mixed with post rock mixed with jazz, all thrown into a melting pot and allowed to brew and take on a life all of it’s own. Imagine Can playing with Tortoise with Soft Machine on the sidelines while someone decides to thrown in some filthy guitar riffs to tie it all together. This is early Seventies sweat and long hair combined certain drugs and the music being played at incredibly high volumes. They combine to provide tight melodies and controlled chaos while at others there seems to be no control at all and they ride the thick basslines a la Chris Squire until it all starts to make sense again. This is not music to be gently listened to on headphones, but to be played at parties where alcohol is in abundance and everyone is having the time of their lives. I mean, there are times it sounds as if Dik Mik is playing with his audio generator.

Filthy, rough and raw, this is great. www.moonjune.com

kev rowland I need to investigate how long it will take me to get to Indonesia from NZ, hopefully not that long, and while there I am going to go to Jakarta and make sure that I catch these guys at a gig. I know that Leo says that there is loads of untapped and unknown talent in that part of the world, but bloody hell! These guys are absolutely stunning! Agam Hamzah (guitars), Adi Darmawan (bass) and drummer Gusti Hendy formed the band in 2004 and this is their debut international release. Ligro when read backwards, means “crazy people” in the Bahasa (Indonesian national) language – but crazy signifying fearlessness and playful abandon.

Pick a song, any song, and prepare to be blown away by a trio that are so tight that it is impossible to separate them and just as you think that one person is the main player another comes along and makes you change your mind. Take “Stravinsky (with Bach intro)” for example. This commences as a solo exercise in bass dexterity and control before morphing into an arrangement of Igor Stravinsky's “An Easy Piece Using Five Notes: with Agam very much in control although he is pushed to the end by his colleagues in time. This is an incredible album, and proves that wonderful musicians can be found all over the world. This may not be a band that is known to many outside of their own country, but I sincerely believe that is going to change as here is a band that has the chops to rise to the top of their field. www.moonjune.com

Amilisom What a cool album cover!

Smierc w miekkim futerku is the debut album of a nu jazz band from Poland, and a good one at that. The approach that they give to the genre is diverse, interesting, and unlike anything I've heard before. Although I admit this is the first nu jazz album I've studied, I'm certainly impressed with the textures and sounds created with the electronics and distorted guitar used with the saxophone.

The feel of the album overall is dark, which can be assumed from a look at the album artwork. The feel ranges from dark, ambient soundscapes created with electronics to tight, rock grooves with a saxophone melody to every band member improvising over the top of each other in a sudden chaotic storm of improvisation. Unconventional time signatures show up occasionally. In retrospect, the amount of what many would consider "jazz" is actually a little sparse here.

Whether or not many would consider it jazz or not, I think it sounds great.

kev rowland This is the second album from the trio of Alex Maguire (keyboards), Michel Delville (guitar, Roland GR09, samples) and Tony Bianco (drums, sequencer) and was recorded live in the studio over two days (more than six months apart) in 2011. Although it is instrumental throughout, this is in fact a concept album deriving its inspiration as much from William Blake’s visionary aesthetics (the title is taken from the poet’s “Songs of Innocence and Experience” – and Blake is thanked in the credits along with Stravinsky and Sen. Bernie Saunders) as from a diversity of 20th-century musical icons. One of these icons is Hendrix, and I am sure that he would have enjoyed the raucous, loose yet tight interpretation of “Purple Haze” that appears here; while instantly recognizable, it has been ripped to pieces and then reconstructed with loads of fuzzed guitar and a chaotic approach that is just wonderful.

But, they can go from one extreme to another so from a blasting rock out we can go to something quite gentle and reflective with Alex controlling the proceedings with some finesse and beautifully dated keyboard sounds. This is an album that is completely timeless as although it brings in influences from modern acts such as Tortoise it goes back to the invention of the Sixties and combines it with some over the top 70’s histrionics. It is only the sound clarity that leads one to the conclusion that this is a work of today as opposed to something from 40 years ago. This does take some perseverance, just because the styles they are using are often very diverse but the listener is rewarded. Well worth investigation. www.moonjune.com

js Nido Workshop is a young up and coming jazz group from Italy that mixes roots jazz styles with some free blowing avant-garde tendencies to create some energetic gregarious modern jazz. Their tendency to use unpretentious earthy elements like hard bop, blues and New Orleans jazz, and then spin those elements towards near chaos with group improvisation, will definitely have you thinking it’s the second coming of Charles Mingus. No doubt their three horn front line adds to that effect too. Not only is the Mingus influence obvious, but also the influence of those who followed in his wake, Eric Dolphy, The Art Ensemble of Chicago and especially Henry Threadgill. If you are a Threadgill fan, you will find a lot to like in Nido’s enthusiasm, humorously exaggerated playing and joyful chaos.

The writing and arrangements on here are excellent, very advanced for a new band, there are few clichés and each song keeps you wondering what might be next as the band eschews endless solos in favor of clever ensemble interactions. There are some good solos on here too, but if this band has one weakness its that some of the solos don’t have the confident phrasing of the masters. The future looks bright for this band, especially if they keep using their creative arranging skills. If you like mini-big bands like Mingus and Henry Threadgill, check this one out.

js Doubt’s first album found them mixing a refined approach to free jazz with progressive rock strains, an odd mix, but one that worked well for them. On their follow up album, “Mercy, Pity, Peace and Love”, Doubt changes things up a bit, turns up the volume, and becomes a hard edged modern jazz-rock trio with a penchant for free improvisation. Somewhere in between the good times far out jams of Hendrix, and the more explosive chaos of Sonny Sharrock, lies the new sound of Doubt, with some Vernon Reid, Terje Rypdal and Wayne Krantz thrown in as well. Keyboardist Alex Maguire adds to the intensity with acoustic piano solos that recall Herbie Hancock‘s more outside work, as well as distorted electronic keyboard rides that recall Mike Ratledge and Dave Stewart.

Not everything on here is free and aggressive, “The Invitation” is a nice laid back lounge number with a haunting noir melody that recalls Kenny Garret’s “Detroit” from earlier this year. Overall I think fans of modern jazz rock will like this, as well as fans of modern free jazz. In the 1980s, the NYC downtown/Knitting Factory scene took the freedom of 60s avant-garde jazz and mixed it with the no-nonsense ascetics of punk rock and the electric volume of 70s jazz-rock and the resultant fusion has become a lasting style for bands like Doubt and others around the world.

Sean Trane Well, let’s face it, despite being an absolute fan of the band’s 70’s works, I hadn’t really paid much attention to the band’s output since the mid-80’s (outside some of the reviews I wrote here a few years ago), so I was definitely not expecting much from this new album, that I thought would be much like its recent predecessors (3 or 4 in the last 15 years). Actually if I hadn’t read somewhere that this album was a mainly-instrumental affair, I probably wouldn’t have even given it a shot before a few years. Despite an unpromising title, the Amerindian artwork seemed encouraging enough and the promo sticker specifying that the album had been 20 years in the making did prompt me to stick the CD directly in my car’s deck. Wow, what a complete blast it was… I actually had to pop out the disc to make sure that the previous library user hadn’t switched inadvertently discs. Nope!!! This was for real.

Past the gentle guitar intro and light Indian chants of the opening title-track, the heavy Hammond and Spanish guitar build such a progressive atmosphere that you’d swear that Borboletta or Caravanserai are just about to pop up in your speakers. And the magic does pop or rock) by, your brains frying as if you were back in 74. OK, the modern sound production won’t fool you long: namely the drumming which simply can’t possibly match the Shrieve or Narada Walden of yesteryears; but it is close enough for happiness. Followed by a calm fusion piece Dom, the album avoids the usual traps, mainly by remaining vocally silent - how many otherwise-fine albums are ruined by over-sweetish voices and horrendous love lyrics. The searing and most-energetic Nomad is the peak of the album, but only its third highlight. Simply awesome: Carlos, where were you in the last three decades??? After the fairly cheesy Metatron follows (the first flesh-failure of the disc, despite some fiery Carlos licks), it is relatively obvious that they want to revisit their Amigos days, with some sultry soft Latin fusion with Angelica Faith (co-penned by Chester Thompson) and Never The Same Again. Another winner is the Walden co-penned Light Of A New Day. As the title might indicate, Spark Of The Divine revisits the most esoteric and reflective/calmer moments of the band’s oeuvre.

The next two tracks are aimed at Carlos’ Hungarian buddy guitarist Gabor Szabo, but the mood seems to be more aerial than what the two compadres were enjoying in the first years they’d met: the former having a bit of string island bossa-cheesiness, while the latter is an obvious homage to Gabor. Slowly building on its percussive energy, the album explodes again with the enthralling Eres La Luz, the second sung track, overflowing positive energy (the rhythm suggest Supernatural/Shaman era slightly, but with much more class than 12 years ago), just like the Santana of old and more-recent was always doing. With another typically sultry Santana mood track Canela and ultra-slow Sweet Dancer to close out the album, Calos and the boys have sent us flying alongside the rainbow of felicity, like they hadn’t in a very long time.

Easily the band’s best album of the last 35 years (if you’ll except the brilliant solo Carlos albums Oneness and Swing Of Delight), but SS is also the band’s proggiest album since their golden era. Despite the album losing some of its initial energy after five tracks, Shape Shifter still retains plenty of momentum and a seal of quality that very few albums released in 2012 achieve (and this is a good year too), and this might just make it climb on the edge of my top10 of the year. Hopefully, now that they’ve found the know-how back, it won’t take the band nearly 20 years to come back with an equally excellent album.

Abraxas It's rather sad or dissapointing to realize that such great artists run out of fuel with time. It's the case of hundreds, many of the grand 60s and 70s rock bands suffered from it, and also jazz musicians (and equally happens to painters, film directors, etc)

Not everyone is a Picasso or, for jazz sake, a Miles Davis, that with each new stylistic period they turn things upside down and make something of their own.

John McLaughlin is one of my favourite guitarists, his early solo work that meandered through free jazz and psychedelia was superb, while with Mahavishnu and Shakti he was breathtaking. Then the mid 70s came... not everything was lost, but you could clearly notice territories being walked again.

And now we are in 2012. What happened? I'd say production values changed, what's the sound of those drums? He's hitting inflated bags. The keyboards are digital as if we were still in the 80s and buried in the mix. I don't know why, but John since Industrial Zen or maybe even before, decided to add a very artifical distorted sound to his guitar that sounds like.. emm.. samey? undistinguished? The bass is there, doing a billion things, slapping and complex lines, but it sounds like in those various 80s fusion albums that just don't have bite.

In definitive, unquestionably, you hear the talent and the experience of these guys, John is a legend. And no, this is not pop or commercial music, he didn't sell his soul to the devil. But still, I really don't notice where's John's mind and spirit in this. He's having fun, playing energetic fusion, but sounds like plastic, nothing much to digest or even taste.

This probably sounds more interesting live, where the drums have a warm sound, while the rest get a chance to improvise and free their minds. If you don't mind if John isn't doing anything remotely new and that the sound is probably the laziest use of 2000s technology, then check this out; he still has the chops.

snobb "By way of Deception" is the third album for this Swedish band, and was recorded live in concert, as were their two previous releases. Geographically their debut comes from Swedish Radio recordings in Stockholm, while the second album is from the renowned Coimbra jazz festival in Portugal."Deception" was recorded in the Ljubljana Jazz Fest in 2011, and the new destination obviously radiates from the music presented here. Slovenia is a beautiful small country placed between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea and formally it's not a part of the Balkans. But historically, being a part of the former Socialist Yugoslavia, they are strongly influenced by Balkan culture and even more - by the region's political events (last Balkan war of 90s started right in Slovenia).

The cultural and political atmosphere of the place is really important for Angles' music since they are the modern equivalent of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra. It's not a strange fact that all three of their albums are live recordings - with their music they speak with people about war and danger - not pathetically, but with pain in their hearts.

Previously a sextet, Angles play here as an octet (adding pianist and increasing the brass section, under "Angles 8" name). From the very first seconds of the album's opener, "By Way Of Deception", all the spaces around are filled by modern Balkan folklore tune-based compositions with characteristic unison brass passages, almost dance-able rhythms but at the same time - very elegant and full of sadness. With my quite deep knowledge of local culture I can perfectly imagine how this song sounded to the people for whom this last war is not a history, but still open bleeding sore.

With their bigger line-up, the band has a deeper, heavily arranged sound close to modern progressive big band music. At the same time, their music is jazz only partially: a lot of folklore elements (from Balkan to African and even Latin)and some rock energy produces the strange and magic, but hardly categorized brew. Comparing with two previous albums, the new line up sounds less rock influenced and more avant-garde jazz/world fusion. During concerts, the musicians will return a few more times to easily recognizable Balkan tunes, often added just as short few seconds of pieces in the body of other compositions, but such a trick helps to continue with the opener's atmosphere all concert long. Not all compositions are new on this album - "Let's Speak About The Weather (And Not About The War)" and "Don't Ruin Me" both come from their debut, "Today Is Better Than Tomorrow" and "Let's Tear The Threads Of Trust" - from "Epileptical West". Not an unusual case for the band - their excellent composition "Every Woman Is A Tree" is presented on both their first and second albums. More important - even the same songs always sound different.

Looking now from a four years and three released album distance, their debut was a true musical event, second album - strong if a bit predictable release. With "By Way Of Deception" it looks like the band found a new direction for the development of their musical ideas (during fall 2012 they played some Belgium gigs already as "Angles 9"). If you liked Angles' previous albums, this one will be a joy for you, for newcomers - for a more nu jazz sound, start from band's debut, if you prefer progressive big band-ish sound - you're in a right place.

js From a lot of the new CDs coming out these days you can’t help but notice a popular trend amongst the nu jazz crowd, as well as the post 70s fusion bands, is dark ambient flavored jams led by an electronic trumpet player. Miles Davis’ mid-70s psychedelic rock band may have had zero impact on the world of jazz back in its day, but its legacy has grown in modern times to one of today’s most influential groups in the world of fusion. Today’s nu jazz bands also look to the sonic electronic trumpet explorations of Jon Hassel and Don Cherry too. With a lot of artists exploring this sort of sound, there will be those artists that stand out from the crowd and one of those is Naked Truth, particularly on their new CD “Ouroboros”.

“Ouroboros” has a massive sound that may seem formidable at first, but repeat listens begin to unveil the creative mysteries and variations in texture that keep things interesting. Although all the musicians on here are great, the real star is trumpeter Graham Haynes. Graham is very capable of high speed bop/fusion runs, but he keeps all that in check as he provides just the right long held tones with perfect timing. Unlike most nu jazz trumpeters, Haynes eschews the typical breathy sound and goes for a full brassy sound that is more Freddie Hubbard than ECM. Haynes' subtly echoed tone is one of the nicest I’ve heard in a while and his mature soulful timing is what makes this whole thing click. The rest of this all-star band provides creative electronic backdrops, particularly Roy Powell with his non-cliché approach to classic keyboards and drummer Pat Mastelotto with his subtle techno sounds. Bassist Lorenzo Feliciati leads the crew and adds tasteful post-rock guitar chimes.

There is a nice variety of music on here ranging from heavy dub, to psychedelic fusion grooves, twisted avant-garde rock and more. I think one of the nicest things I can say about a piece of music is that the more I listen to this, the more I like it.

Sean Trane Third album (if you don’t count a vinyl-only live album) from this Norwegian keyboard-lead trio, but this time with the addition of a famous Swedish guitarist called Reine Fiske (Landberk, Paatos & Dungen) for over half the seven tracks. Basically, you’re dealing with the usual Elephant9 album (even down to the boring-as-usual Rune-Grammofon label artwork) but with the notable input from one of Scandinavia’s most exciting and “out-there” (as in psych) guitarist, which adds a considerable element that can answer Storlokken’s wide array of keyboards that include a Rhodes, a Hammond, a Minimoog and piano. Oh yeah, bassist Ellertsen plays also some acoustic 12-strings as well.

Even the opening Black Hole sounds like the chaotic quagmire announced in its title, but the power and interplay between the three compadres is simply irresistible: you’ll have the sound up to 11 in no time. A Foot In Both is a much quieter and pensive affair, where Ellertsen’s 12-strings guitar takes the lead role above the moog and organ layers. The title track opens on smooth keyboard layers, but gradually Fiske’s guitar draws the controlled chaos with its feedback

The long anxiogenic thunder rolls of Psychedellic Backfire suggest that we’re in the last throes of the lost mythological Atlantis civilization, where the tsunami waves attack regularly the cliffs of what were once a continent and now only a chaplet of reef. Once the waves have done their destruction, the booming bass and sinister Hammond drones are describing explosion of pockets of molten magma flowing from your speakers and coming in contact with whatever’s left of Atlantis’ trade goods storage buildings.

Elsewhere, the dominating element in the short A Place In Neither is the demented Ellertsen bass riff. Hendrixian feedback guitar is dominating the first part of the 13-mins+ Freedom’s Children, which sports its name quite well. The middle sections speeds up and goes bonkers gradually and starts saturating until its chaotic and explosive end.

Well, despite the addition of Fike, Atlantis is certainly well in the artistic line of E9’s discography, while adding a little “je-ne-sais-quoi” (guitars of course) as icing on the cake; and I take the bet that it’s probably going to be the apex of the band, unless they add more musicians

Sean Trane After their Romantic Warrior reunion tours of the late 00’s (which has reunited Chick, Lenny, Stanley and ADM), RTF came back for another one of their album celebration, this time Hymn Of The Sevent Galaxy. Indeed, the original intent was to get Connors to return and play homage to their best album ever (IMHO, anyway), but it turns out Connors couldn’t make it. So Corea turned to his Elektrik Band long-time comrade Frank Gambale, and in the process invited the French violin legen JL Ponty, this was born RTF4. Notthat this line-up has released any new material: it just toured and concentrated on mainly two album for their sets: RW and 7th Galaxy.

This triple disc affair is a strictly live one, with the third beng a DVD where there are for features, including a lengthy but relatively uninteresting interview, a short RTF career resume, and more importantly, two of the lengthier track in their set. Apprently, if the comrades appear relatively affected by their respective ages (only Ponty seems to have aged more gracefully), it doesn’t seem to impede their stage play, and RTYF still has lots to offer in concert. The quintet is in fine musical form, even Lenny, who seemed relatively weaker in their previous RW project. Of course, the quintet adapted the music of those two mythical album to fit their five-man front, and that might just be the main attraction of this album, but it’s of relatively limited interest, because the nature of the tracks are still very close to the originals, despite the much lengthier versions. Indeed, Senor Mouse, Renaissance, Cosmic Rain and Romantic Warrior are all expanded beyond their studio duration, so that everyone one stage can blow a bit of steam. Another two attractions are the 8-mins Gil/Miles Spanish thing and Stanley’s famous title track from his School Days solo album, though I could’ve done without the audience-participation sing-along chorus bit. Frank Gambale fits in fine in filling both Connors or ADM’s shoes, while Ponty’s violin intervention go from enthralling to relatively clumsy, sometimes temporarily breaking the spell of the original composition.

While the first two CD discs are sharing fairly evenly the almost two hours of the show, the third disc holds as much interest, despite the afore-mentioned interview’s relative lack of interest. Unless you like your musical heroes self-gloating and goofing around unnaturally, you won’t be watching that first feature a second time. The only reason to do so would be to catch glimpses of the other tracks of the sets, which are not offered without the interview comments. The two longer pieces of Cosmic Rain and Romantic Warrior are indeed available on their own, and if these are the DVD highlights, one wonders why they didn’t do the whole set that way. As for the closing forgettable Story Of, it’s rather insignificant. Sooooooo, the Mithership Returns package is a bit of a mixed-bag affair, with the CDs holding evident interest, but it is with the DVD that lies the disappointment. One that could’ve been easily avoided too: Just the full filmed set, without the interviews and its expandable gloating and boasting would’ve been infinitely more satisfying.

snobb NY-based bassist Michael Formanek's debut on German ECM label was released two years ago and being really strong album didn't make a lot of fuss.It looks that ECM tested the market with a bit more adventurous release than their regular ones, and they stayed happy with the results.

Second album quartet released with same line-up, but this time release was supported by US-European tour (who said that jazz is dead if even such non-commercial releases are supported by transcontinental tours?)and big campaign in media. Only month has gone from the day of album's release, but I saw lot of (generally very positive) reviews in European and especially UK press.So - what do we have here?

Shortly, music here is more or less same as on previous album. Same - but better. Opener "Small Faces" is one of most memorable album's composition,collective work with excellent communication between musicians. The difference one can hear from very beginning is that this album, being a classic ECM release, is a bit freer and a bit more adventurous. It looks after some success of first Formanek's album on ECM label decided their listeners wouldn't be shocked by some doze of adventure and let the musicians do not limit themselves by too safe musicianship.

Second song "Pong" is almost hit - catchy melody with bright,very lively Tim Berne sax melodic line. Before recording of this album musicians played lot of gigs together so communication level is almost telepathic. Each quartet member has enough place for improvisation inside of quite framed compositions structures.

My first meeting with this album's music for me happened during album presentation concert and it was really interesting to see and hear, how live musicianship was close to studio sound, even sound balance and atmosphere was "typical ECM". I expected to see legendary Tim Berne's sax improvs, but was slightly disappointed - on this album he is just one of quartet members and perfectly plays this role.Probably biggest surprise was fast,very technical and quite brave pianist Craig Taborn explosive improvisations. Not only during concert but on recording as well he's probably main hero.

Album's compositions seriously differ one from another, but are really related by musical concept. American jazz tradition gets European chamber feeling and result is quite elegant and accessible from first impression, but multilayered and far not so simple music, after every repeated listening you'll find new interesting moments here.

Adventurous jazz not always is dissonant,structureless or screaming. Recommended!

js Those who lament the passing of the early days of jazz-rock fusion, when bands were much more energetic and intense, should find reason to rejoice in the music of Ligro and their new album “Dictionary 2”. This threesome is one of the most intensely shredding jazz-rock trios to hit the scene in a long time and, despite their ties to jazz-rock’s past, they are not the least bit nostalgic. Ligro’s music is modern and full of the sort of eclectic influences and rapid change-ups that are all part of the post-70s scene. Although this band is very aggressive and energetic, with a strong distorted lead guitar sound, they never give into predictable plodding rock riffage, instead, the fleet and nimble rhythm section of Adi Darmawan on bass and Gusti Hendy on drums keeps things jazzy fresh and very syncopated, swingin and funky.

A lot of artists may come to mind as you listen to Ligro go after it; Tony Williams’ early Lifetime with John McLaughlin as well as Tony’s later version with Alan Holdsworth, some of Hendrix’s more out there moments with Mitch Mitchell, Robert Fripp’s mid 70s jams with Bill Bruford and Vernon Reid’s recent Harmony Row band. Sometimes guitarist Agam Hamzah’s over the top solos may remind some of Pete Cosey, he also sites Buckethead, David Fiuczynski and Terje Rypdal as influences. Although Ligro can improv with the best of them, they are hardly a typical “jam band”. Rather than a play a quick tune and head straight for the solo, Ligro’s songs often involve complex structures and many unexpected change-ups that frame the improv sections in ways in which its hard to tell the structured parts from the improv parts. All three members of Ligro are masters of the rapid unison passage that recalls McLaughlin led bands like Shakti and Mahavishnu Orchestra. Although Hamzah’s lead guitar may be the star of the show, Darmawan’s quick and never heavy-handed bass work may remind some of similar understated virtuosos like Ralph Armstrong and Alphonso Johnson. This one is highly recommended for those looking for high quality modern jazz rock, these guys are a cut above the rest.

AtomicCrimsonRush Dean Watson's 'Imposing Elements' is a jazz prog odyssey of scintillating music.

Dean's followup to "Unsettled" is another jazz feast with touches of metal and symphonic prog that is rather relaxing and a great album to put on after a hard day at work. It is soothing and features accomplished musicianship enough to satiate the appetite of any music lover who is into keyboard driven heavy prog with jazz nuances.

The keyboard wizardry on such tracks as '16 Feet Below' is tremendous, with strong bass embellishments and interchanging time sigs. The music is definitely uplifting and features dynamic arrangements, the drumming being a key feature. This track is my favourite on the album, I love the jazz threads merging with prog elements and superb keyboard work throughout.

'Past Present' opens preceedings with minimalist keyboard and spacey atmospheres. The dissonant tones create an ethereal soundscape like Pink Floyd. Keyboards dominate but the layer of rhythmic percussion and bass is a nice foundation to build upon. There are ambient key pads beneath and the tempo changes soon in to a faster cadence and a variation of tones as a synth and lead guitar trade off solos.

Another highlight is found on 'Underpass' with cymbals, vibraphone and piano dominating until a lead guitar takes over. Then a distorted riffing guitar breaks through the light weight music. The jazz fusion sound is terrific with odd time shifts and space for each instrument to breathe, all played virtuoso by Dean Watson.

'Push Too' has some quirky vibes and a funky bassline as a synth swells along a disjointed melody. I like the way the dirtier guitar riff drowns out the synths, and then a vibrant lead solo soars over it all in the style of Andy Latimer.

'Pendulum' has a symphonic edge with music that drifts along as though swinging back and forth, hence the title. The lead guitar sings sweetly as the music builds along a graceful keyboard motif. Swathes of mellotron and jazz piano permeate the atmosphere and it seems to be ascending higher until it breaks into a passage of piano fortissimo. A beautiful piece of music to wrap your ears around.

After all the melancholy tranquillity, 'Depth Charge' submerges into a jazzy ominous piano motif. The darker sounds are portentous that something will explode. It does as the paroxysm of metal guitar lead thunder and synth lightning takes over. The lead work is fiery and follows a complex bass and synth. The drums are sporadic at this point and full of emotive power, with hi hat work and cymbal splashes like waves crashing up on the boat. The imagery is conjured by the arrangements carefully amalgamated with the tension and release of light and dark shades, slow and fast tempos.

'Of Age' has a metal distortion riff and is blended well with colourful mellotron ambience. It locks into some odd time sigs, and progressive building blocks of synth lines and guitar phrases. The guitar riff is simple but effective. The next section is a layered keyboard break and it settles into a rhythmic section as a lead guitar howls over. The acoustic flourishes are effective and the chimes as the sig changes again into a faster more urgent pattern. Guitar blazes away with finesse sounding again like Latimer. One more time change and a return to the main riff bookends this sensational track in a blaze of glory.

The album ends on the longest track, 'New Resolution', beginning with impactive jazz piano reminding me of Miles Davis 'Freddie Freeloader' from 'A Kind of Blue'. As with that track, this feels like walking down a rain soaked street at night with the neon lights dancing off the soaked roads. It is up tempo and entrancing with powerful keyboards including a delightful shimmering Hammond sound. The strong jazz tones are augmented with off eat patterns and lead guitar phrases.

Thus the journey ends on a high note and this album is as good if not better than Watson's debut. The music is always compelling and moves in many directions enough to maintain interest. Watson plays well on all instruments and is a fine arranger. The album is well produced, with high quality sound and is certainly an instrumental album well worth seeking out.

BlueNote To start off with the bad things, I have to say I don't really like fusion. For me, its aesthetics make it look as though it can't decide whether it will fall into jazz, or prog (Porcupine Tree-esque prog to be precise in this case) category. If I could advise something to this artist, what to do to better fit my taste - Please, do something more clear in genre, either prog or jazz (which I would like the most).

But now time has come for the good things - if you are not familiar with this artist, I have to make sure you know at least one thing about him - he plays every instrument on this record himself. Yes, that's right, pretty impressive, isn't it? Sheer musicianship glows from every lick and phrase played and one can only admire artist like this.

Whole album is very pleasant to listen. Every track has it's own kind of sound and you don't feel like listening to the same things for whole album. You feel like going on a musical trip. Which is great - I like my music to be unpredictable in some way. But this also means, I cannot choose my favourite track (although I love the guitar on Push Too). My favourite track would be the album as a whole.

To summarize: I like Dean's style, I like his approach to composition and I'm really dazzled by his skills and what he achieved in this great record, but to be really blown away, I need something either more jazzy, or proggy.

You remind me of peaople like Steven Wilson and I'm really looking forward to your next work and I'd love to hear it even if you don't follow my recommendations.

js “Transparent Heart” is the second album by Bob Belden’s modern fusion project, Animation, and finds him working with a similar mix of 70s Miles with modern influences for another excellent instrumental collage. “Transparent Heart” contains a collection of tracks that flow together seamlessly to tell the story of Belden’s experiences in New York City; from initial impressions upon his arrival to the city, to the attack on the towers and its socioeconomic aftermath, and to the recent occupy movement. The end result is a modern fusion “symphony”, much like the city itself; kinetic, busy and energetic at times, but foreboding and darkly dramatic at other times.

The expected Milers Davis styled high energy jazz-rock workouts are here, and the band often recalls the DeJohnette led “Live at the Fillmore” sessions. Animation drummer Matt Young’s modern drumnbass influenced beats show how close DeJohnette was to a proto drumnbass beat back in the 70s. All the other members of Belden’s crew turn in great solos with Roberto Verastegui’s keyboard work being particularly interesting when he eschews flashy solos for a more modern approach that uses odd dissonant drones. Belden frames these energetic sections with dark electronic orchestrated melodies that sound like a modern movie soundtrack. Other quiet moments feature collages of taped voices topped with somber flute or electric piano colors.

This is an excellent CD whose depth and dramatic impact continues to grow with repeated listens. Although there is plenty of good modern fusion on here without a trace of 70s kitsch cuteness, “Transparent Heart” is more that just a fusion record, as it encompasses a wide range of styles and moods that paint a vast colorful soundtrack.

js Marius Gundersen is a classical guitarist from Norway who also plays Brazilian music. If your prejudices are telling you that this is an odd fit, you couldn’t be more wrong. Gundersen has a wonderful feel for the Bossa Nova rhythms of Brazil. His touch is so light and delicate, and his rhythms are so subtle and supple, that I’m sure he has made many native Brazilian guitarists jealous. When you get into the higher echelons of classical performance, its all about control and all the different shades of lightness you can bring to a piece. Gundersen’s ability to play lightly, but with strength, makes “Retrato Brasileiro” one of the best guitar albums to come out so far this year. If you are a fan of mastered technique, Gundersen’s playing will be sweet delicate music to your ears.

Gundersen pulls from many sources to assemble his songs on this CD. There are many classics from Brazilian composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim and Baden Powell, as well as six originals composed by Gundersen himself. Particularly nice is Gundersen’s bitter sweet melody on “Obrigado” that closes out the CD. All of the songs on here flow together smoothly creating an endless stream of intricate acoustic guitar sounds. You don’t need serious knowledge in Brazilian music to enjoy “Retrato Brassileiro”, this CD has cross appeal for fans of all kinds of instrumental music from modern classical to contemporary jazz. Some may even say this CD makes for great background music, but it is even better when you give it a serious listen.

js I had been looking forward to the new Branford Marsalis CD, things he mentioned on a promotional video were encouraging. Although this is not quite the powerhouse I had hoped for, there are some very good “tunes” on here, as well as some that are OK. Marsalis and his crew draw from the past, particularly Monk’s abrasive hard bop, Miles’ mid-60s impressionism and Ornette’s lyrical freedom, but they also take a modern understated no nonsense approach, less extravagance and more driven focus. New drummer Justin Faulkner proves to be a great asset and almost steals the show on a couple numbers. He also helps modernize their sound with new approaches including favoring the toms over the typical ride cymbal creating an almost one man drum line.

Anyone who has seen Branford live knows he can deliver fierce tenor onslaughts with sheets of notes. The closest to that on this CD is “Whiplash”, where a quick loopy bop melody quickly gives way to Branford’s tenor solo over just drum and double bass. Joey Calderazzo is a great pianist, but its nice to hear Branford in this pure tenor trio setting. Marsalis eschews pyrotechnics on this one in exchange for clever rhythmic exchanges with Faulkner. Other highlights include two excellent modern impressionistic ballads that show off Calderazzo’s subtle piano colors. “As Summer into Autumn Slips” is almost neo-classical as Marsalis turns in his best performance on soprano sax drawing sweet oboe like sounds from his horn. “Endymion” is a sort of melodic free jazz free-for-all that features another good tenor solo and “Brews” and “Teo” supply the harsh Monk style off-center blues. The rest of the CD gets a little more eclectic and nostalgic, even getting back to the world of Sidney Bechet on bonus cut “Treat it Gentle”.

As mentioned earlier, there are some very good tunes on here, some of the more eclectic material may diminish the concentrated focus of the best ones, but on all cuts, the playing is top notch. What Branford offers is not flashy or extravagant, as reflected in the simple and really obtuse CD title.

Sean Trane Third studio album from the Portico Quartet, now famous for their use of the Hang drums. Through a very un-committing artwork (presenting their names broken down, multiplied and colourized, the quartet still features the sax as the lead instrument, and if their signature instrument (the Hang) is a bit less present, you’re still unmistakably in the usual Portico soundscapes in the first half of the album. However things tend to change dramatically for the second part and veer very post-ambient.

The group still dishes out the same kind of exciting, but thoughtful fusion as they did in their first two albums, yet managing to renew themselves sufficiently to avoid repetition. Some tracks are more reflective and calmer, sometimes even approaching some post-rock soundscapes (Spinner), others developing some strong electronic elements first (start of Rubidium), then veering post-minimalist (the second part of Rubidium). At times, the album also bears an ECM reminiscence that enters the post-rock minimalism mix (Hot Climates). A bit surprising is the Bjork-like vocal appearance of Steepless. The mixed electronic moods (In some weird Tortoise way) continues 4096 Colours and onwards to the closing Trace.

A fairly different album from Portico Quartet, where the signature Hang drum is much less present and the second half has little to do with their usual soundscapes, but is no less spellbinding, but in a very different manner.

Sean Trane Back to business after some health issues of one member, just one look could have you guess that AM’s latest album Unison is in the general direction of Amazir and Culture Griot, based on the album’s artwork that is now typical of their production for the Cypress label. And you’d be completely wrong about this issue, because it’s rather a 180° turn and Aka goes back to its roots, so far so that you’d guess in a blind test that you’re dealing with some kind of long-lost album from 92 or 93. Yes, just Hatzi, Galland and Cassol alone, with no guest to change their sound; even Fiorini (which had become thought of as the “fourth Aka”) is conspicuously absent.

This return-to-roots direction is plainly evident right from the first note of Omax 1 and keep going right on through Michel Is Back (is that Hatzi or soundman Andina?) and then throughout the album. Indeed, we’re dealing with a progressive kind of jazz that change rhythm, time sigs and melodies constantly. Some slight hints might tell you that we are 20 years into the AM’s musical endeavour and one of them is Galland’s sometimes over-mixed drums - notably in For Drummers Only, where he solos as well, the the following slightly mid-eastern Mirror. Most of the rest of tracks are of the same acabit/ilk, and the album is pretty even throughout.

So if you liked their debut album or its rework, you’re bound to love Unison, because even if not a carbon-copy, it’s really sonically close to the band’s genesis. A really high-quality release, even if somewhat less adventurous than their previous few, but if one wants to hear where Culture Griot is leading, you might want to check Fabrizzio Cassol’s latest album Strange Fruit, where the African direction continues. In the meantime, Unison while an excellent album, might not be as essential as its predecessors, because it’s been done before, some 20 years ago.

js Mole is a new nu jazz band comprised of four musicians who are already well known on the international jazz scene. Mark Aanderud plays the piano and electric piano while Herman Hecht minds the trap set, David Gilmore provides the guitar pickin and Jorge Molina holds down the bass. Aanderud sites modern jazz pianists such as Esbjorn Svensson and Kurt Rosenwinkel as influences, and certainly Svensson’s mixture of post bop and melodic rock is a big influence on the Mole sound. During Gilmore’s jazzier moments he can sound like Wes Montgomery, while his post bop influenced fusion style may remind some of Schofield and Abercrombie, finally his more rockin moments recall the young Larry Coryell. To all this Hecht and Molina provide a variety of modern rhythms including drumnbass, ambient rock and jazzy funk.

The songs on “What is the Meaning?” range from guitar shredding fusion workouts to piano driven indie/progressive rock instrumentals and quiet ambient interludes. Along with their jazz influences, Aanderud also sites modern moody rock groups such as Radiohead and Massive Attack as influences on their sound. All of the musicians on here are great, but possibly the star of the show is David Gilmore and his burning, yet beautifully understated guitar solos. He also displays tricky syncopated rhythmic skills that he has built up through his work with Steve Coleman.

For those who seek an excellent merger of nu jazz ambience with classic fusion energy, Mole delivers both while always sounding both contemporary and original.

js “Danza de Andalucia” is the debut recording from new flameco/fusion group, Asgeir & Mo. Asgeir is virtuoso flamenco guitarist Asgeir Aaroen, and Mo is classically trained violinist Bjarte Mo. On most cuts they are also joined by jazz bassist Magnus Rod Haugland and Latin percussionist Gabriel Chicaiza. Some other cuts also feature a variety of other guests, including an occasional string section. The music on here ranges from fleet fingered flameco influenced acoustic world fusion work outs to more melodic and sentimental folk instrumentals. For those who are not familiar with modern flamenco fusion, the popular music of Stranz and Farah might make a good comparison, especially since both groups use Latin American percussion rhythms as well as occasional Middle Eastern melodies. Also, the guitar work of Paco de Lucia may ring familiar to others, although I would say that Aaroen’s approach to the guitar may be a bit more refined or classical than de Lucia. When Asgeir and Mo play their rapid unison lines one might also be reminded of the technical passages covered by the guitar-violin duo of John McLaughlin and L Shankar.

I think fans of modern flamenco will find a lot to like here. Asgeir Aaroen is a highly technical player with a very clean and exact technique. Jazz fans will probably prefer the fusion numbers, but the softer instrumentals also give this CD cross appeal to fans of contemporary instrumental music as well.

dreadpirateroberts Portico Quartet’s self-titled release is marked by a shift in sound toward more ambient territory. The electronic aspects, handled by nearly the whole group, sometimes approach soundscapes, often add texture to their nu-jazz, and ultimately dominate the album. They don’t always make for totally compelling moments, such as ‘4096 Colours,’ and the brief, sketch-like pieces, but there’s a consistent down tempo mood to the album.

Overall this electronic development is hardly negative, though I did find myself responding immediately to standout pieces like ‘Ruins’ or ‘Spinner’ and ‘City of Glass’ due to their similarities to material on the quartet’s previous album, 'Isla.' Wyllie’s saxophone once again carries the melody on these pieces, with the distinctive Hang still playing an important (if reduced) role. Of course, it might be a little unfair that I gravitated to these tracks, but not surprising, I liked 'Isla,' so naturally I’ll like similar songs from its follow-up.

Conversely, the stronger ambient-influenced pieces were really enjoyable too, steps away from jazz perhaps, but still great stuff – like the almost harrowing ‘Window Seat,’ which is at times droning or pulsing but mostly (and clearly) dealing with ideas of isolation. ‘Rubidium’ is a little similar, with a slow build of tension that leads into a jagged bridge demonstrating the band’s further exploration with forms different to their previous release. The sketches seem to inhabit similar roles on the album, but fall short of ‘Window Seat’ and ‘Rubidium.’

So while this is thematically consistent, ambient nu-jazz, there’s a dip in the compositions across the ten pieces. The album might have been better served by one more cohesive song as opposed to the sketches and its least successful moment, ‘4096 Colours’ which plods through its reverb before just sort of dissipating – but there’s still a lot to savour. Fans of ambient music might want to try this one out, along with nu-jazz fans who like their electronics – keeping in mind that it’s an organic if cold sounding electronic element. Fans of Portico Quartet’s ‘older’ sound might be thrown at first, but the changes aren’t insurmountable. Keep listening.

Slartibartfast Bram Stoker is 100 years dead as of April 2012. Imagine that. Nosferatu is actually the name of a movie released in 1922 based on Stoker's novel Dracula but the studio wasn't able to get the rights the novel. The music was created for a modern Polish stage production that is supposed to be "of" the novel. I wasn't able to verify what they are actually calling the play, but anyway...

I was a big horror movie fan and also a movie soundtrack fan when I was a kid before I got into prog and jazz and classical so I had to go for this album and it has some of all of that all rolled together. Before you even get to the music you have to take a look at and a feel of the package. The Tzadic label gets two thumbs up for all the CD album packaging and artwork I have encountered so far. The outer cover is a velvety textured black cardboard with dark red slick textured lettering and a little bat on the front. The back is also smooth and velvety with dripping blood from the top edge. The booklet is more of a matt finish but also uses slick clear lettering on the front and clear slick blood streaks running down from the top edges of the pages in various patterns. The booklet has a few pages of pictures from the production (play, dance?) and it looks like it would be really good to see. Maybe it will make it to DVD one day.

Two other albums come to mind and they are Philip Glass's Dracula soundtrack for the Bela Lugosi movie that did get the novel rights and Harold Budd's (not at all about Dracula or Nosferatu) She Is A Phantom. The latter album comes closer to it for having vibes and a more atmospheric quality to the music. Put the three together and you'll have a nice spooky trio.

The track names are fairly indicative of the music you get as the characters and story themes inspire the music. Desolate Landscape starts out the album with foreboding dark ambient music. Mina mellows it out a little while with piano and vibes. The Battle of Good and Evil noisy as you would expect from a battle between good and evil. John gets to in a little of his trademark sax strangling of course. Very industrial sounding a little Nine Inch Nailsish.

Sinistera and Van Helsing have that spooky vibes driven sound that makes me think of the Budd album. Fatal Sunrise brings back some mellower sax work and Bill Laswell steps forward with some atmospheric bass. Hypnosis comes in and spins around your head vibes and electric piano. The Lucy theme has some similarities to another piece from another album, but I can't quite put my finger on it right now. All of the non-undead persons titled pieces on this are really down to earth, mellow, and contemplative. Nosferatu on the other hand is screwy and creepy with rat noises and Zorn's breath.

The Stalking is one of those trademark Bill Laswell ambient dub style pieces. It's a long stalking too, as all stalking should be I guess. Old horror movie stalkings tend to be that way. It's the longest piece. The bass plods on along and creepy keyboards and squealing sax drift in and out and about. The Undead is a quiet piece with John on piano. Death Ship sounds like a creaky old vessel on a dead sea. Jonathan Harker has Rob Burger, the main keyboardist in the group, taking center stage in a duet with the group's percussionist, Kevin Norton, on vibes.

Vampires At Large, bass and electric keyboards lurking about. Renfield, piano and vibes again, hesitant, a little mysterious. Stalker Dub wraps it up, figures, did you remember to shoot it in the head with a silver bullet? No wait? that's all wrong. The stake, the stake, aieeee!!!

js David Fiuczynski’s new CD, “Planet Microjam”, explores a musical world that is still mostly untapped in the western world of music, the world of micro-tonality. For those unfamiliar with the term, microtones are basically the notes that exist between the known notes in the musical scale of the western world. Micro-tonality involves splitting the musical octave into much smaller increments, much as they do in much of the traditional music from Asia and the Middle East. To western ears micro-tones can be a bit odd at first, basically it sounds like the musicians may be out of tune, but for the listener eager to discover new music, it does not take long to get used to this different way of doing things and you may find it fascinating also.

For the lover of new sounds and experimental explorations, its hard to find something new anymore, but this CD offers sounds that will be fresh for even the most hardened avant-garde enthusiast. At the same time, in an interesting balancing act, the music on here is not so outside that it will be unattractive to those who are only mildly curious. Much of the music on here falls into a sort of world beat/post bop fusion that may remind some of Shakti, Bill Laswell, Talvin Singh, L Subramanian and other artists who fuse jazz with Indian and Middle Eastern improvisation. The pieces that feature piano tend to be more tonal and sometimes have functional chord changes in a jazz fusion style. Within this more traditional tonal setting, David’s micro-tonal guitar sounds more like an Indian sitar or sarod.

All of the musicians on here are excellent and the jam sessions really build, plus the great Jack DeJohnette shows up to play some of his rhythmic magic on a few cuts. If you are looking for something new, or seek world music fusion jams with a little more authenticity and soul, then this CD is for you. David Fiuczynski is a real virtuoso on guitar and his music sounds like no one else.

snobb This album became a beautiful soundtrack for me one summer evening - the day was cloudy and cold, but at the end, the northern summer showed its almost ruby-red dawn shine. This album's first sounds come from the woody Jamo acoustic system (I adore its soft velvet sound) bringing me somewhere to a parallel world. Melancholic acoustic piano in combination with wordless, almost operatic, vocals from Heidi Vogel sound like an old Italian movie soundtrack. But, right away the sweet melody is exploded with muscular groove...

Ten years ago Esbjörn Svensson Trio changed the European jazz scene with their pop-rock-jazz songs, full of Nordic crystal cool air, folksy roots and catchy tunes. Their music influenced the artists that are on the front pages (Michael Wollny, Phronesis, etc)nowadays. But, with all my love for the EST compositions, one thing I always missed there was the groove. I grew up in Nordic culture and cool melancholy (someone probably calls it "emotionless")isn't strange or a rare thing here, but even "frozen people" like groove in their music!

A big part of "Legentis" music is obviously influenced by Nordic nu jazz, but fortunately it doesn't sound like one more clone at all. Added English folk or Canterbury elements act as fresh blood in the nu jazz formula, and as if that would not be enough - Latin jazz and vocals!

For sure this music has its own face - mixing different influences in intelligent, warm and groovy music which could probably be called English nu jazz. Great compositions and a muscular rhythm section are both important components as well.

Alex's third (and debut on F-IRE) album is recorded with his new (international) trio - Russian classically trained acoustic bassist Yuri Goloubev and Israeli drummer Asaf Sirkis (I was able to hear Asaf playing live with his own explosive rock-influenced trio at last year's Vilnius Jazz fest). Easily the best new release from Albion I have listened to this year.

Recommended for every EST and nu jazz fan, in fact, you don't even need to be a jazz lover to be caught by this music.

Sean Trane As its title indicates, this is FBP's fifth album, and it comes with a sweet little treat in the form of a DVD live At Nearfest in '10. Still with the same septet line-up, this album is a logical musical continuity of L'Axe Du Fou and should disappoint absolutely no-one that knows anything of the band. We're dealing with a typically 90's & 00's gentle, yet complex, instrumental and progressive fusion, still all written by their leader and drummer Patrick Forgas. Through a rather delicate and strange conceptualization, this album represent the five acts of theatre dramaturge Raymond Russell's last play called Poussières De Soleil (I'd have preferred that for an album title) or something to that effect, despite the album's six tracks. The album's front artwork is a bit dull and messy (too much text), and Id rather have seen the more Hypgnosis-like artwork of the inner booklet getting the nod. The opening Corps Et Ames start rather slow, but soon goes rougher and wilder, with Violet's crunchy guitars in the forefront, before leaving the spotlight to Mlodecka's violin solo, and returning like a burning sun. Violet's fiery guitar attacks right out from the start Loin D'Issy (a "far away" play on word on a Paris suburb), but this leaves the other to shine for much longer. The lengthy George V track starts out rather softly, but goes wild in is second quarter, before resting softly by the halfway mark on Mlodecka's gentle violin (JL Ponty-like) and the song gently speeds and crescendos but doesn't really climax towards its end. One might have thought that the Ultraviolet track's title might have been a hint to their guitarist's glory, but he doesn't get the spotlight UV or IR until the middle section, but even then it won't become a sunstroke. While the following Feu Sacré certainly sees a lot of violin, the closing album-lengthiest Midi-Minuit recapitulates everything said on their fifth album, and could just be the ideal (and best-ever) musical résumé of the band's works so far.

As for the DVD, it's the full set played at the legendary festival and it features two then- unrecorded tracks from the present studio album - recorded nine months later and released over 18 months after the festival - including the opening Ultraviolet and the shorter Feu Sacré. From the previous then-fresh off-the-press album, we find the Axe Du Fou title track and the excellent Double Sens, while the rest of the set is from their Soleil 12 album or earlier. As always in a festival, the audience is largely made up of an eclectic crowd that's mainly present for Group X, Band Y or Orchestra Z, so the polite crowd reception is not always representative of the band's capacity to ignite a dedicated crowd. One can indeed fear that the mainly-symphonic crowds of the festival might have appreciated only moderately FBP's instrumental gentle modern fusion, and that by the end of the 70-mins set, they might've had their fill of it. In either case, I found the FBP's set a bit subdued (I'd seen them before, and that was wilder) and a bit too even, lacking big moments and emotions. The crowd culture maybe and the long transatlantic distance as well, but the set's Eclipse finale indeed managed to shake off the slow torpor that had set in.

Anyway, this is another impeccable Cuneiform release, on that comes with an outstanding bonus, that's become the label's specialty - see Miriodor's Cd+DVD, or the 70's UK fusion combined releases (Surman, Soft Mahine) of the last few years. To be honest, if you're to investigate FBP's work, Acte V has become the indisputable entry point, and if you're a confirmed fan, there is no way you ould possibly pass up to this one

js “Seeds from the Underground” is the latest offering from saxophone virtuoso Kenny Garret and finds him working with the sort of post bop material typical of his career, but with some new differences as well. The influence of Coltrane and Pharoh Sanders’ modal work runs heavily through Garret’s playing and composing, but at the same time, the music on here is less raw than Trane and Sanders 60s output, but instead has a slight “contemporary” polish. Whether this more modern production is a plus or minus is up to personal taste. When I mention that the production has a contemporary sound, don’t think for a second that the musicians on here hold back at all, Garret’s saxophone playing is as brilliant as ever, and pianist Benito Gonzalez attacks the keys with a big sound influenced by McCoy Tyner, but with a little less thunder and a little more modern refinement than McCoy.

There are a lot of interesting experiments with Latin and Afro-Cuban rhythms on here, aided by the bata and percussion work of Rudy Bird. The combination of Garret’s post bop structures with the poly-rhythms of Cuba and Africa makes for a nice modern sound. There also seems to be a slight influence from the repeating minimalist structures of the nu jazz crowd. Some of the tunes on here are less like energetic workouts, but more like snapshots of sophisticated rhythms bound within tight structures. Another interesting addition to this album is the wordless vocals of Nedelka Prescod which lends an exotic sound to some melodies. On “Haynes” she backs the soloists with a repeating melodic figure that recalls Albert Ayler’s experimental work with vocalists. All through this album Garret tries different musical styles, such as the old-school bop on “Du-Wo-Mo”, but frames everything in his unique musical language which gives the album unity.

Some album highlights include the beautiful lonely melody on “Detroit”, which perfectly captures the pathos of that mostly abandoned once bustling American industrial center; and “J.Mac”, a lengthy modal workout which allows Garret and Gonzalez a chance to really go off. This is a good album and it will appeal to fans of Garret and modern post bop, but I think for new fans, possibly a better place to start with Garret is his high energy live concert with Pharoh Sanders, "Sketches of M.D.", recorded in 2008.

js Certainly the ongoing post bop revival has been great for jazz; smooth jazz is fading fast, fuzak is almost gone and play-by-numbers cookie cutter 80s fusion is dead. Current young post bop artists have raised the bar for what is expected of today’s jazz musician, both in terms of creativity and technique. Much of this new music is good, but what about the sly humor that was always a big part of jazz? Today’s post-bopper tends to be a bit dry and cerebral, but if you look at many of the greats in the past, a certain hip wit was a big part of their language. Parker had it, so did Ellington and Gillespie, and it all pretty much culminated into sometimes absurd levels with one Sonny Blount aka Sun Ra. The first time I listened to Iordache’s new CD “One Life Left”, I thought I heard a distinct Sun Ra influence. Turns out Iordache started out his career leading a Sun Ra cover band, needless to say he gets the humor and he brings this back to the world of jazz in very understated and clever ways. “One Life left” isn’t silly or glib at all, but it is very witty, cool and hip.

Iordache leads a seven piece band on here including himself and Lucian Nagy on woodwinds, plus trumpet, bass, drums and two guitars. Guitarist Toni Kuhn also doubles on a very funky analog sounding synthesizer too. The three horns, and sometimes flute, combine with the electronic guitars and keyboards to create instrumental textures that work perfectly with the music they play. Drawing upon elements of cool jazz, nu jazz, exotica and lounge funk, Iordache’s tone colors can sound like Herbie’s “Speak Like a Child”, Jagga Jazzist, Snarky Puppy, Henry Mancini, Gil Evans or Dolphy's "Hot Cool and Latin". “One Life Left” is new cool jazz for the 21st, with lots of odd quirky eccentricities to boot.

Some album highlights include “Peace” with its classic mid-90s trip-hop down tempo beat and lush vibratoed chords on the electric piano, and “Suriname” which opens with smooth horn orchestrations backing an exotic synth melody that recalls the old Don Ellis experimental big band. This is a very creative and well executed album. To the serious post bop fan this CD may seem a little light, but these players are not light weight at all, they just prefer to keep their cool, with their tongues planted in cheek.

darkshade Tribal Tech return after an 11 year hiatus with "X". Not the most original album name, but whatever. I'm not Tribal Tech expert, I only have a few of their albums from the late 80s/early90s, and only heard a couple of tunes from their later albums, but I can tell you without a doubt---this is their most original album in a while. This album is hard, experimental in places, and funky in others.

The only thing you know you can expect is virtuoso playing from these guys, of course. After that, X sees the band playing around with song structures. Apparently, in 2010 they recorded most of the rough tracks for this album, lots of improvisation and so on. Then they spent the year and half before this album came out adding overdubs and structuring the jams, making much of this music seem composed; and in a way it is.

What I also like about this album is the "usual fusion" sound is gone, you know, that late 80s/early 90s fusion sound, like Chick Corea Elektric Band, Dave Weckl Band, or Zawinul Syndicate (minus the world fusion aspect); THAT sound. It's gone here. And it's good, because otherwise it would date this record horribly. No, the band is trying new things on this album. A little electronic beats here and there, different keyboard sounds, etc. This record is more earthly. There are moments of intense electric post-bop, some more soulful, contemplative playing by Scott Henderson, and a variety of other different moods.

It's not the most progressive album, but it's a fun record, and one of the more original albums by the band. And it's nice to see Tribal Tech not stuck in the same sound, experimenting with different things.

A pretty good fusion album. If you like modern fusion, you'll probably enjoy this. If you're a Tribal Tech fan, you'll enjoy the different feel this album has.

darkshade It's been 4 years since Rage! came out, and here we are in 2012 with a long awaited new Lettuce album, titled "Fly". I pretty much got into the band around the time their last album came out, so Ive been waiting the whole 4 years for this album to come out. When it got announced, I was a little worried that it would be Rage! Part 2, which wouldn't be so bad, but it might have been more of the same. Luckily, Lettuce's third album is once again it's own album with it's own sound. The production is a little dirtier than the last album, but still crystal clear. The sound is as tight as ever, but there's new things going on. The band worked on different set ups for where the instruments would be mixed and panned, which is really noticeable when you listen on headphones; such as drums being on the left speaker, and horns soloing in the right, etc. This gives the sound a bit of a vintage sound, but Lettuce are no imitators, they bring in modern influences to their funky sound. This album sees the electronic influence rise, dare I say a dash of dub-step, something that hasn't been heard much before in Lettuce, not a lot, so don't be scared away. This is, of course, mixed with their legendary jazzy sound and a little hip-hop influence.

As I said before, this is not Rage! part 2, but a completely new monster. The album starts off, with a more laid-back than the previous two album openers, with the title track, a little reminiscent of James Brown's "I Feel Good" but funkier. Lots of spacey, delayed guitar and wah-ed out horns. The second track "Lettsanity" is fast and funky, a real bad-ass song; sounding like it came from the Rage! sessions, and is the closest this album comes to sounding like Rage! did. Nice sax solo.

From here on out, the band move into new territory. "Ziggowatt" is some heavy funk, the guitar, bass-organ, and bass playing in unison makes this a song that might blow out your sub-woofer, heh. Kind of reminds me of eric Krasno's other band, Soulive. Some rock-ish guitar solos here too. "Madison Square" shows a more melodic side of the band, seldom seen before, but still funky as hell. This song grooves, one of the best cuts here. The rhythms are crazy, which have an almost galloping feel. OH MAN the middle section is one of the coolest funk sections Ive heard in a long time. It demands your attention. Fast horn lines with drums and bass layin' it down, half time. The guitar is actually the glue here, playing fast lines, while comping some chords, and doubling the bass; all at the same time.

"Bowler" sees the band playing around with the panning of the instruments. horns on the right, drums on the left, guitar sort of in the middle. This is an interesting song, and introducing some real curve-ball chords. Very Meters-like. "Jack Flask" is another funk powerhouse. This is one of the more aggressive songs, great horns, almost reminds me of P-Funk mixed with Tower of Power.

The token vocal song "Do It Like You Do" is sung by guest Nigel Hall, who returns from guesting on Rage! but the vocal track is so short it doesn't really affect the flow of the album. One of the better vocals tracks from the band (none of them are bad though)

"Play" is another good funk song, though nothing crazy. Kind of a standard Lettuce song. "Let It GoGo" is another sort of standard Lettuce song, but a little better, with some tasty horns and excellent percussion work. Of course, standard Lettuce songs are still full of high energy playing and tight rhythms.

Next is the War cover "Slippin' Into Darkness". Probably not as good as the original, but hey, they still do the song with tons of energy, as is to be expected. Adam Deitch is really in the pocket on this one. Krasno returns for a mighty fine guitar solo

"The Crusher" sounds like what it says. A real slow, and I mean slow, funky tune, sometimes it seems like the beat drops tempo even more, and is almost experimental in the rhythm department. Sounds like a giant robot slowly trudging through a city, destroying buildings and such. This song is a real 'crusher'. Apocalyptic funk, if you will.

"Ghost of Jupiter" starts out the jazzy, but then the beat comes in, and reminds me of a dark, blacksploitation movie from the 70s, just has that feel.

The album ends on a high note, with one of the best songs on the album, "Monorail 3000". If you are familiar with The J.B.'s "Monorail", that's sort of what's going on. I don't think this is a cover, but it's reminiscent of the J.B.'s song. This is REAL FUNKY, some of the best kind. The bass is slick, the horns are blasting, and tight, like Miles Davis-tight. And speaking of Miles, a trumpet solo pops up here, the one instrument that hadn't had a chance to shine on this album until now; well better late than never. Everything works in this song. A good way to close out this album.

Whew, this review came out longer than I thought. Well, if you're still reading this, you must be interested in this album. I say get it, it's a great funk-jazz album. Not as good as the previous album "Rage!", but some of the better funk to come out in recent times. They do some new things, which is good, because all of the band's albums have their own special flavor. Every Lettuce album so far is amazing and essential for any jazz-funk or general funk collection. Fly with Lettuce.

dreadpirateroberts In essence there are only three things ‘wrong’ with this album as I see it – one; it’s a little overproduced, two, the hints of ‘world music’ are not very strong in spite of what the package suggests, and three, it’s not an amazing album.

For an album not to be amazing is certainly forgivable, and I am enjoying ‘Shape Shifter’ with its focus on the guitar as a lead instrument, as opposed to an instrument that gets showcased between guest vocalists. And by ‘lead’ I mean it in terms of main focus, rather than its potential for jazz-fusion soloing. There’s nothing on ‘Shape Shifter’ that approaches the transcendence of say, ‘Caravanserai’ but it’s still Santana, still effective overall and distinctive at times.

In pre-release press, Carlos mentioned the band’s landmark 1972 album in relation to 'Shape Shifter,' and it bears some resemblance, in terms of its instrumental focus (the album has only true vocal track) and its occasional Latin moments, but not a lot of jazz. It’s more of a pop rock album at times, though that’s probably almost as misleading as comparing it to ‘Caravanserai.’ Most certainly ‘Shape Shifter’ is pop-influenced – blending aspects of his ‘Smooth’ era and select parts of his past, wilder efforts with some few steps toward world music. Admittedly, this North American Indian component isn’t a large feature, but it’s welcome when it does appear, most notably in the opening song, which is dramatic but still great stuff.

In terms of production, the use of keyboards rather than piano, and the very clean, almost plastic guitar sound that can be heard on many of the rhythm tracks, adds to the slick, partially unpleasant feel to some of the sonics. While it’s nice to hear an organ simulated on ‘Shape Shifter,’ some of the other synth parts don’t seem to gel, like in ‘Dom.’ Not to pick on the keyboards, they don’t stick out like a sore thumb or anything, but I didn’t find them effective on every song. Thankfully, much of the guitar solos are presented in a form that’s a little more raw, I feel I can just make out some of the attack on the strings – not sure if this has anything to do with Santana releasing this on his own (new) label ‘Starfaith Records’ but it’s nice to hear in any event.

Compositionally there’s a lot to like, despite a sameness to some of the material. The opener is probably the best piece on the album, while some of the more ballad-influenced material like ‘In the Light of a New Day’ or ‘Angelica Faith’ making use of the quintessential Santana guitar phrasing. Elsewhere it sounds like more of a band effort, especially in the early stages and latter half. In fact, it’s when they let more of the Latin rather than Pop feel into the record that I find myself enjoying ‘Shape Shifter’ most – tracks like ‘Macumba in Budapest’ or ‘Mr Szabo’ show this, with its percussion and use of keyboard. Even the vocal cut, ‘Eres La Luz’ has some of that feel. In addition there’s ‘Nomad’ where the band gets rocking. Here the keyboard solo reminds me a little of something like Flame Sky from ‘Welcome’ perhaps, and Carlos himself is spurred on to get a little more aggressive.

Despite being uncomfortable reviewing an album so soon after its release, I do feel that three stars or ‘good but not essential’ is a fair assessment of this one. Fans looking for moments akin to Santana’s first forays into jazzier material will not find it here. Few would truly expect that, I imagine, but fans in need of a rest from the (at times) formulaic approach that has dominated his work in recent years, should at least check ‘Shape Shifter’ out and make their own decision.

octopus-4 Sounds from the jellyfish...

The band's name "radiata", is a word which describes a common symmetry in the Animal's Realm, and the fact that this album is entitled to a jellyfish famous for the quaterfoil on its top may indicate something.

First of all, the absence of symmetry.

This work is very experimental, as often happens when the vocalist Claudio Milano is involved. The vocal research is an important part of this album, and as another reviewer has underlined, it's not distant from the experiments that Demetrio Stratos was doing in the 70s, also because Claudio Milano is one of the very few vocalists in the world who has the possibility to sing in that way. Bass, Cello, Trumpet and Sax complete the quintet with the first two providing tempo and rhythm, when those two words have a sense, and trumpet, sax and voice providing a bit of structure in what appears to be a set of skillful improvisations.

Improvisations over lyrics written by the bassist. One thing for all, for Italian speakers, a title like "Bile dal Po" (Gall from the Po) hits like a hammer. The Po river is the longest and one of the most polluted rivers of Italy and it has always had an important place in the Country's history.

The music is anvant-jazz, experimental, but not too much challenging. It's basicly jazz and Claudio's vocals are the most avantgarde element, also because of his capacity to modulate his voice like an instrument. I've been surprised to hear what he does for just few seconds at minute 3 of "Planula Larvae", as I have heard that kind of vocals only from Stratos in "Concerto all'Elfo" before. From this album Planula Larvae is the track that I prefer, probably because it's the one closer to my tastes.

Listening to this album I can't not think to how a modern ballet based on it could be, or even a light show.

Diploblastic deserves a mention for the bass line on which the other instruments (except the cello in this case) to create an ideal atmosphere able to transport the listener in their world. Let's also mention the incredible vocal performance on "Echinoderms", the first minutes of "Radially Symmetrical Cnidarians" halfway between contemporary classics and a mantra and finally the closing track "(C)Tenophores" with bass and cello giving a "beat" to the other three high-pitched instruments for the first three minutes, then on a cello crescendo there's another impressive vocal part, then silence and another "movement" comes. This music is hard to describe, so I can just close this review saying that it's a kind of contemporary art that requires headphones and concentration. Take your time and give it repetitive listens so to catch all the shades brought in by the various instruments. "Technical" listeners will also appreciate the great skill of the band's members.

Enjoy.

snobb Modern experimental music is such a wide open term that often you can't imagine what to expect from each new release. Radiata 5tet's debut album is probably a bit more predictable for listeners familiar with Italian vocalist Claudio Milano's other works. For newcomers this music could sound as radical as the legendary Demetrio Stratos' incarnations supported by a free improvisation quartet.

Even if this is far from easy listening, from the very first moments this album's music catches the listener - it sounds like a soundtrack to a modern theatrical play (it is so full of emotions, action, noises and silence, that it doesn't need a video illustration). At the end of this album you will probably feel like watching a great Italian movie - one from the Michelangelo Antonioni collection, something that you saw decades ago, something almost forgotten, but in fact recorded in your memory for the ages.

There are no drums or percussion on this album, but it's really great to hear how deep the bass and cello (the only female and non-Italian band member - Argentinian cellist Cecilia Quinteros) build rhythmic structures for these complex free-form compositions. Claudio Milano's vocals act as one more musical instrument (a lot of lyrics are in Italian, so if you are like me and are not an Italian speaker, you are losing one more component of this artistic soundscape). Modern avant-garde music, free jazz, the legacy of Italian art rockers Demetrio Stratos/Area and colorful Italian cinema musical traditions all mix together in this modern, and in moments dark (noir) and nervous, but always beautiful album. Recommended listening for music fans with open ears.

js Risk” is the latest CD by Italian avant-garde saxophonist Stefano Ferrian and his group known as “Ferrian’s Nutimbre”. The music on here is on the “fun” side of the avant-garde equation with lots of slam bang deconstructionist humor and tasteful witty improvisations that avoid the indulgences that mar many "outside" outings. The band lists a virtual who’s who of classic avant-garde jazz artists as their influences, which all may be true, but Nutimbre really seems to favor those who can take an almost flippant or self-deprecating approach. Some of Nutimbre’s music may remind you of Henry Threadgill, Sun Ra, The Art Ensemble of Chicago or Dolphy’s “Out to Lunch”. Along with the jazz influences, Nutimbre can also recall deconstructionist rock artists such as Ivor Cutler or Fred Frith, especially in the stuttering and stumbling semi-rock beats often favored by their drummer, Fabrizio Camiero. On the other hand, the quieter cuts on the album, such as “Hazardscapes”, can sound like modern concert hall music.

Album opener, “Oblique” sets the tone for the album with harsh yet goofy staccato chords on the piano driven by a drunken rambling rock beat. Trumpeter Vito Emanuile Galante locks in with the piano’s broken phrases and they sound like a skipping record until Vito takes off on a fractured Dixieland melody and so it goes from there. On the title cut “Risk”, the band sounds like a comically angry version of your typical pub bebop group getting increasingly off center as they trade solos in the style of an overly enthusiastic local amateur combo. “Neuphorin” shows off the band’s jazz chops with a high speed free bop romp that recalls early Ornette Coleman. Overall this CD should appeal to fans of modern avant-garde jazz, as well as fans of clever deconstructionist music in general.

Ricochet This won't be written in much of a good mood. How unlikely it is, given the work and especially the band, I can say so myself. All this rather makes me most low-spirited among fans. I'm dizzied and aroused by emotions and I can't detach either so to see more than one side of things. Still, much like many were thrilled to hear a new E.S.T. album's been made or felt blessed they get to hear more of their music, I think a kindred passion has been fueling my belief that such an addenda to E.S.T.'s already unique story was rather not worth it.

The news certainly didn't thrill me either. Really now, four years having passed, both Berglund and Östrom well pursuing something else, and I was to believe this isn't more than the usual posthumous mishap of ransacking through unreleased material and bidding it off? A sentiment then well dismissed, of course, by the great excuse that it all stems from the same 2007 session as Leucocyte, plus that it's supposedly the rest of a double album Esbjörn himself contemplated. Alas, my faith in it lasted right until the tapes started playing the first time, as it really sounds less precious.

Neither bad, nor out of style, I do however think that 301 is marred by the circumstances. And it's hardly the first questionable such release. The other was titled Leucocyte, released just three months after Esbjörn's death, thus a token and a tribute weighing heavily on. Difference is, its stroke was well overwhelming, with its blaze, gravitas and great pathos, its extravagant, experimental angles and its extent of a requiem. Ain't its mesmerism therefore slightly tarnished now?

Surely 301 can't match up. And I've seen plenty attempts to push it skyward, from critics and fans alike calling it "the best", "the ultimate", "the definitive", which frankly I can't fathom for one second. There are more noble intentions into its making, as it is indeed some sort of closure compared to Leucocyte - peaceful, beautiful tunes; clean trio music, often ridded of any electronic distorsions and depressed tones; refulgent and fulfilling. But it's still a "B-side" to that session, placid in its style, frail in its inner sanctum. And to not sense its vital link, its resolve in the E.S.T. suite probably troubles me the most.

That being said, two compliments, mainly for the album's finest - indeed regrettable had we ended up never hearing them - two epics. Neither being "Inner City / Inner Lights", with a quality slow-ticking clockwork, but which never takes off, as it naturally should; besides, the piano keys buzz cold and twang. Thus moreover "The Left Lane", that follows right after, with its dandy simple tune, from which the rest is pure, blissful fantasy. And then "Three Falling Free Part II", which is simply breathtaking. Östrom is supreme, almost as much as with his ominous thundering on Leucocyte's "Premonition - Earth", definiting another tāla of his own, on which the others build on euphorically. To what, on Leucocyte, was ending almost in misery, disheartening, noisy suspension and evanescence, here "The Childhood Dream" fulfills a more natural, tranquil and echoing consolation.

Still, to have such mixed feelings, almost for the first time, about an E.S.T. album, is almost a terrible feeling in itself. This is the first time I dare reviewing one of their works and I can't even call it a victory.