New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-up - 19th June 2020
This week’s new release round-up is as scatter-shot as ever; a couple more new releases from UK indie label Whirlwind make an appearance, including some twangy electric guitar from Matt Gold. Making a second appearance this year is Tenderlonious with an EP in collaboration with Pakistani classical quartet Jaubi, while fellow Londoners Let Spin bring their third album of prog rock-infused jazz. Ambrose Akinmusire offers us some bluesy post-bop with avant-garde tendencies, and a reissued rarity from Dee Dee Bridgewater also makes an appearance.
The debut solo record of Chicago guitarist Matt Gold, released at the end of last month on Whirlwind Recordings. Gold describes his appreciation of “cross-pollination” between musical scenes, and this is evident; Gold’s speciality certainly seems to be colourful, melodic jazz-rock, but here and there we get hints of atmospheric post-rock or electronic textures, as well as a couple of songs with an unmistakable indie-folk flavour. Guitarists will no doubt find some appreciation for Gold’s buttery smooth playing style, though this album’s universal appeal is his lyrical songwriting.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Another release on Whirlwind Records, this time the second collaboration between saxophonist Walter Smith III and guitarist Matthew Stevens. A follow-up to their 2018 record In Common, In Common 2 is very much in the same vein as its predecessor, with a different ensemble of musicians this time around, picked from their mutual pools of past collaborators. The resulting record consciously differentiates itself from what came before, refreshing as the pair’s first outing with some immediate melodies and diverse tunes.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Recorded in Tokyo and released exclusively in Japan, Mr Bongo records have reissued this 70’s soul-jazz classic for us non-crate diggers, making it its first international vinyl release. Dee Dee Bridgewater’s 1974 debut album only ever saw two issues, both in Japan in 1974 and 1985, and features her classic versions of ‘Afro Blue’ and ‘People Make the World Go Round’. Keeping it faithful to the original pressing, the 2020 reissue features the original cover art.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
The third record from London-based jazz-rock quartet Let Spin offers some of that modern London sound with a prog-rock edge. All four members being active musicians in the bustling London scene, they’ve already contributed to a number of other projects like Melt Yourself Down, Led Bib and Union Division just to name a few. A self-described ‘egalitarian post-jazz quartet’, all members contribute their own self-penned pieces. Even with these inherent differences between the composers, Steal the Light is still incredibly consistent; I personally enjoyed their wild experimentation while sticking to their groovy rock-oriented sensibilities.
Available Format: CD
Rounding off this week’s list is American trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire’s fifth release on the Blue Note catalogue, On the Tender Spot of Every Calloused Moment. Playing in his longtime quartet with Sam Harris on keys, Harish Raghavan on bass and Justin Brown on drums, Akinmusire’s sometimes erratic style no doubt warrants a band of familiar collaborators. With one foot in the post-bop sensibilities of his historic labelmates, and another in the avant-garde, Akinsmusire zig-zags between soft, tender ballads and angular dissonant ‘outside’ compositions; with a seal of approval in the form of Archie Shepp’s liner notes. Fans of free jazz will no doubt find Akinmusire’s more outward tendencies enjoyable, though the album is far from a chromatic barrage, with a certain overarching ‘bluesy-ness’ that carried me through much of the record.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
