New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 27th September 2019
There are some very strong releases out this week. Possibly my favourite pick is a solo concert given by Abdullah Ibrahim earlier this year, whose artistry shows no signs of diminishing in his mid-eighties. A new album from Ethan Iverson's quartet on ECM, recorded at the Village Vanguard, features stellar playing from trumpeter Tom Harrell. Mike Stern and Jeff Lorber's Eleven is a slice of jazz fusion at its most unashamedly celebratory, Poncho Sanchez offers a tribute to John Coltrane marinated in salsa, and on Edition Records Finnish outfit Odderang bring their trademark hooks and dynamic playing to a new level.
This new album from the legendary South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim was recorded live in March of this year, in his new homeland of Bavaria. Aged 84 (he turns 85 in two weeks!) Ibrahim is one of the few remaining jazz players from the golden age to still be performing, and on the evidence of this set he has lost none of his power to entrance an audience. There’s a tremendous dignity and strength of purpose to every track on this inspired set.
Available Format: CD
Exactly what the doctor ordered, this made me want to have a little soft-shoe shuffle on this grey overcast morning. Imagine a more straight ahead, grooving Birdland by Weather Report – Mike Stern’s guitar work is lovely and clean sounding, whilst Jeff Lorber’s keyboard playing shines rays of light out of your speakers.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Trane's Delight is a love letter from one musical pioneer to another, as the Latin Jazz legend pays homage to one of his earliest and most indelible influences. On his first new album in seven years, Grammy Award-winning conguero Poncho Sanchez celebrates the life and music of the iconic saxophonist John Coltrane.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Common Practice
Ethan Iverson (piano), Tom Harrell (trumpet), Ben Street (double bass), Eric McPherson (drums)
The latest ECM album to feature pianist Ethan Iverson - following last year’s duo recording with saxophonist Mark Turner Temporary Kings, and two lauded discs with the Billy Hart Quartet - presents the Brooklyn-based artist at the head of his own quartet in a program of standards and blues, recorded live at Manhattan’s famed Village Vanguard. Iverson’s quartet for Common Practice features the veteran Tom Harrell, who was voted Trumpeter of the Year in 2018 by the U.S. Jazz Journalists Association. Iverson extols the quality of poetic “vulnerability” in Harrell’s playing, particularly in such ballads as 'The Man I Love' and 'Polka Dots and Moonbeams', two of the album’s highlights.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The fifth album from Finnish sound sculptors and creators of atmospheric epics Oddarrang, Hypermetros combines bold hooks and melodies with raw, emotive themes; the title references the Greek word meaning ‘beyond measure’, which perfectly reflects the band’s ambition and vision. Closer in style to In Cinema (2013) and Cathedral (2009) than to their most recent album Agartha (2016), Hypermetros is arguably Odderang’s most compelling album to date – warm, rich and uplifting!
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Matt Groom - Head of Jazz
