New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 28th August 2020
This week’s round-up sees us delving into some Latin jazz by brass-led octet TRYPL, headed by Trevor Mires, Ryan Quigley and Paul Booth on Ubuntu records. We’ve also got an EP of Charlie Parker tunes arranged for solo jazz guitar by Pasquale Grasso. We see MONK’estra bandleader John Beasley taking his band through some of his own tunes, and some yoga-inspired contemporary big band music by Kornél Fekete-Kovács and Modern Art Orchestra. Rounding it off are some whimsical miniatures by Swedish quintet Oddjob, and a three-hour jazz epic by Markus Stockhausen, son of the controversial composer himself.
A short and sweet EP of Charlie Parker tunes arranged for solo jazz guitar, Pasquale Grasso does the legendary saxophonists’ pieces a great justice with his virtuosic playing and excellently formed arrangements. Grasso chooses some of Parker’s most popular tunes - such as ‘Yardbird Suite’ and ‘How High the Moon’ - no doubt favourites of his and many others. Perhaps a little sparse for some, the deliberate choice of purely solo guitar - much like a solo piano - whittles the tunes down to their core components, reminding us why Bird’s tunes were so compelling in the first place, and continue to be.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
After two successful recordings leading the MONK’estra, reinterpreting the tunes of pianist and composer Thelonious Monk as the name suggests, bandleader John Beasley has turned his attention to some of his own pieces for his third recording on Mack Avenue. Beasley leads the band and contributes piano to this recording, and besides his own works he throws in a handful more Monk tunes, as well as Charlie Parker’s ‘Donna Lee’ and Duke Ellington’s ‘Come Sunday’. A treat for those who miss the sound of a brass big band, not so commonplace in jazz scenes today.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Foundations - Yamas and Niyamas is a collaboration between Hungarian contemporary big band Modern Art Orchestra and Hungarian trumpeter and composer Kornél Fekete-Kovács. Inspired by the yoga philosophy - the ‘Yamas’ and ‘Niyamas’ in question - the music is as meditative as it is energetic. The MAO really make the best use of their twenty-five-piece lineup, while the pieces themselves employ both highly structured compositions and improvisatory segments guided by Fekete-Kovács.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Here’s something lighthearted from Swedish quintet Oddjob; Jazzoo, a selection of miniatures inspired by the animal kingdom. Each piece takes a key part of the creature, interpreting it in musical form; opening track ‘The Kangaroo’, for instance, is a suitably bouncy piece with jew’s harp mimicking the animal’s hopping. ‘The Woodpecker and the Sparrow’ features a call-and-response of woody percussion, the airy flute and piano mimics the elegant fluttering of ‘The Butterfly’, and ‘The Gorilla’ features a bombastic brassy groove. The pieces seldom stretch past two minutes each, and as a result these highly idiomatic pieces never overstay their welcome.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Rounding off this week’s new releases is the latest from German trumpeter Markus Stockhausen, the three-hour epic Wild Life. Stockhausen (yes, son of Karlheinz Stockhausen) himself is something of a musical chameleon; his sound a blending of jazz, classical and experimental realms. Mixed by his brother, sound designer Simon Stockhausen, Wild Life features breathy ambient pieces and experiments in sound and space. It’s a hefty jazz epic, if you’ve got the time to sink into it.
Available Formats: 3 CDs, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
