New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 26th July 2019
Friday again... and I've got two wasps dancing around to Tubby Hayes, possibly some kind of bebop mating ritual. If they leave me alone I'll leave them alone. Let 'em bee.
Quite a decent showing for new releases this week - the aforementioned Tubby Hayes, which I'll be covering in greater depth next week - it's a proper jazz event though, these lost Fontana sessions from arguably the UK's finest ever saxophonist, at least in the bebop tradition. Then there's a record from George Haslam, one of our greatest living reedsmen, in a folksong-influenced programme. A fun-filled Pearl Bailey (not Mildred) compilation is my unexpected treat of the week, and an enjoyable guitar and bass trio from Philip Catherine, Paulo Morello, and Sven Faller has also been a welcome addition to this week's listening. And Live Constructions Volume 2 has sent the wasps packing, couldn't handle their improv, the wusses.
Philip Catherine and Paulo Morello first played together in 2010 at the Burghausen Jazz Festival, and now with bassist Sven Faller they have released this homage to Django Reinhardt. Very easy-going but engaging acoustic guitar duets.
Available Format: CD
I’m loving this Pearl Bailey comp. Her biggest hit was ‘It Takes Two To Tango’, which is included here, but it’s the rarer, often humorous and bawdy tunes that have got my attention. The remastering makes these really stand out – fans of Dinah Washington should certainly find room for ‘Pearlie Mae’.
Available Format: 2 CDs
Ancient & Modern
George Haslam (baritone & alto saxophones/tarogato), Steve Cohn (piano/shakuhachi/hichiriki/shofar), Steve Kershaw (double bass)
George Haslam’s Slam label has long been one of the UK’s most consistently interesting jazz content providers. This session featuring Haslam, US pianist Steve Cohn and bassist Steve Kershaw, was recorded in All Saints Church in rural Oxfordshire, where George Orwell is buried, hence the ‘Orwell’s Blues’ reference of one track. Taking their starting point from folk songs and the blues, these are enjoyable, thought-provoking recordings, shot through with a sense of humour.
Available Format: CD
Live Constructions Volume 2
Daniel Carter (saxophones/trumpet), Julian Priester (trombone), David Haney (piano), Adam Lane (bass), Reggie Sylvester (drums)
'Live Constructions' - you'd never guess it was going to be an improv album would ya? Following 'Live Constructions Volume 1' Carter and Haney returned to the studio together with Julian Priester, Adam Lane and Reggie Sylvester, to record, you guessed it, ‘Live Constructions Volume 2’. It's actually pretty good once you've acclimatised, like four friends having a conversation with the occasional squabble, to paraphrase Elliott Carter's comments about one of his quartets.
Available Format: CD
It's often the case that 'lost tape' releases would be better off that way, but definitely not in the case of Tubby Hayes's Grits, Beans And Greens: The Lost Fontana Studio Session. It's staggering that a session of this quality, up there with the very best Hayes ever committed to tape, should only now be re-surfacing.
Available in a single CD and this deluxe version, plus on vinyl, this is one of the major discoveries of recent years, which I'll be reviewing in full next week.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Matt Groom - Head of Jazz
