New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up 5th July 2019
Summer is here, the flowers are blooming (apart from my poor begonia on the windowsill - more about her below) and as per usual at this time of year the new releases start slowing down. Fear not though, there are still a goodly smattering of interesting releases to temp you, some of which would suit a glass of Pimm's... although the first might better suit a shot of Absinthe (in a good way).
Oh boy, I need to be in the right head-space for this stuff! But when I am, bassist William Parker is definitely the man to turn to. This group features his long-time cohort, drummer extraordinaire, Hamid Drake, with whom he’s recorded for decades now, notably in Peter Brotzmann’s Die Like A Dog. Recorded live and presenting all-new compositions, this’ll put hairs on your chest…
Available Format: 2 CDs
Two of Dolphy's later albums (later being a relative term when his life was cut short so tragically), and Iron Man has long been a favourite of mine. Jitterbug Waltz is jazz perfection in my book, featuring all the acrobatics you would expect from one of the great innovators. Begonia's not so sure, she wants Cécile back on (I know, I'm stretching the flower riff now).
Available Format: CD
Finally, who could resist Ella & Louis, the first session the pair recorded for Verve in the Sixties. I need a front porch swing to sit on to appreciate this properly. The only negative is that it doesn't have the cute original cover photos, the one where Louis's white socks are rolled down, oh so neatly, but the 8 bonus tracks almost make amends...
Available Format: CD
... but this download does feature Louis's socks on the cover!
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Matt Groom - Head of Jazz
