New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 31st July 2020
This week I’ve been catching up with some late July releases, including new music from Joshua Redman and friends, old-school American sextet Black Art Jazz Collective, and a ‘chordless’ ensemble record from German bassist Roger Kintopf. I’ve also been listening to British electric guitarist Ant Law’s dreamy new album, Turkish-Russian quintet Nevi’s new international-influenced record, and free jazz group Collage Project’s latest offering.
The second album by US-based sextet Black Art Jazz Collective, the brainchild of saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. With a mission statement of honouring the legacy of their African-American jazz forebears, the sextet is completed by an ensemble of young rising star musicians: trombonist James Burton III, pianist Victor Gould, bassist Rashaan Carter and drummer Mark Whitfield Jr.. From the very opening of 'Ascension', it’s evident that the Black Art Jazz Collective are paying tribute to the genre’s past, though the compositions retain a bold modern edge, with colourful harmonies and fast, driven tempos. The Collective are true to their name; though each member has no difficulty in getting themselves heard, there’s no overplaying, no one dragging behind. A focussed, no-nonsense record of great playing and great tunes.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The second release for Köln-based bassist Roger Kintopf, accompanied by Dane Asger Nilssen and Victor Fox on alto and tenor saxophones respectively, and Felix Ambach on drums. A ‘chordless’ quartet with no piano, the pieces instead carry themselves purely on the interplay between the two horn players’ parts. Rather than sticking to the back in a traditional rhythmic role, Kintopf stands firmly at the helm of the ensemble, with Ambach’s tight drum fills firmly in the foreground alongside him. The dissonant melodies can be both challenging and exciting, though equally as enthralling are the jagged rhythms the quartet takes us through.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Contemporary Turkish-Russian quintet Nevi’s (meaning ‘variety’) latest record continues to hone their fusion of jazz, classical and world music. With most of their members based in Turkey, the title is a tribute to the group’s home base for the record. The quintet play through some incredibly dynamic compositions; from the more rhythmically-based tunes like ‘Africa’ and ‘Entering the Bar’ to the introspective ‘Hollywood’. Drummer Aaleksandr Bozhenko’s contributions on this record make for some of the most exciting moments on the album, his busy style really carrying a lot of the tunes that extra mile, while trumpeter Tolga Bilgin does a lot of the work melodically. Istanbul Edition sees compositional credits from all members, making for some appropriate ‘variety’ amongst this cohesive set of tunes.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The Sleeper Wakes is the latest from British jazz guitarist, composer and bandleader Ant Law. With his third full-length record - and second with label Edition Records - he’s joined by usual collaborators alto saxophonist (and bass clarinetist) Michael Chillingworth, pianist Ivo Neame, bassist Tom Farmer and drummer James Maddren, with new additions Tim Garland on tenor saxophone and Adam Kovacs providing additional percussion. Where his previous album, 2018’s Life I Know, could be dark and obscure, The Sleeper Wakes sees Law exploring dreamy harmonies and catchy rhythms. We see this right the first track ‘The Sleeper Sleeps’, setting the tone with some plucked guitar harmonics and rustling percussion. As much as Law obviously leads many of the tunes, he gives his collaborators ample room to breathe and carve out their own space within his compositions; Law rarely plays 'over' his band, and lets the tunes speak for themselves.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The rather aptly named ‘Collage Project’ bring together an interesting palette of sounds; the trio, consisting of double bassist Aidan Plank, classical guitarist Daniel Lippel and electric guitarist Dan Bruce, are joined by three guest collaborators on Off Brand; trombonist Chris Anderson, saxophonist Noa Even and drummer Nathan Douds. Formed in the late 1990s, the American trio bonded over their love for music outside of both stylistic and compositional boundaries, with their latest record a combination of contemporary free jazz with an openness to any outside influences of their collaborators. Some of the compositions feel noticeably more ‘composed’ or ‘free’ than others, with some alternating between comparatively structured passages before falling into open territory, not always returning from where they came, though even some of the more ‘composed’ tracks can still carry that same unpredictability. The combination of nylon-string classical guitar and distorted electric guitar makes for some interesting unison melodies and playing-off moments, and an interesting texture on the closer ‘Quartet for Bela’ that sees the trio playing unison lines of the two guitars and double bass. Much like the pages of a scrapbook, ‘Collage Project’ do as they please, no space for second-guessing.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
On RoundAgain, eminent saxophonist Joshua Redman brings back the lineup from his 1994 record MoodSwing; pianist Brad Mehldau, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Brian Blade. All three of his collaborators would soon mature into accomplished players in their own right along with Redman in the twenty-five years that ensued between MoodSwing and RoundAgain (at the time of recording). It feels all too fitting that this time round, Redman welcomes songwriting contributions from his sidemen; while MoodSwing was written by the saxophonist himself, only three tunes on RoundAgain are his own, with two penned by Mehldau, and one each from McBride and Blade. You definitely hear each of the player’s voices in their tunes, be it Mehldau’s dense chordal playing on his tune ‘Moe Honk’, the funky bass swing on McBride’s ‘Floppy Diss’, or the shuffling percussive ambience on Blade’s ‘Your Part to Play’. And, of course, sax players will no doubt appreciate Joshua Redman’s well-honed virtuosic chops, par for the course when listening to anything Redman.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
