New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 2nd October 2020
For this week’s Presto Jazz new release round-up I’ve been catching some late September releases from the last week or so. We open with a new ECM recording by saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave, his first on the label as a bandleader, and a two-track EP from Leeds jazz-rockers Wandering Monster. Norwegian pianist and bandleader Espen Eriksen returns to his trio format with his latest album End of Summer, while film producer and drummer Richard Baratta celebrates his love of both music and film with jazz renditions of movie classics. Pianist Alan Broadbent also returns to his trio setting with an album of lesser appreciated tunes from great composers like Coltrane and Bird, and Ukrainian experimental vocalist Ganna Gryniva explores her country’s folk music heritage.
La Traversee sees French saxophonist Matthieu Bordenave’s first ECM release as bandleader, accompanied by pianist Florian Weber and bassist Patrice Moret. The light texture of the trio both puts a spotlight on the three improvisers, as well as allowing the music space and silence. Weber’s accompanying piano lays out some gorgeous grayscale soundscapes, and Bordenave’s sometimes bold, sometimes breathy tone peppers the tunes with colour, while Moret’s additions to the music are often subtle yet crucial.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Always the champions of young, modern jazz sounds, this latest Ubuntu recording from Leeds quintet Wandering Monster features some gritty jazz-rock. A two-part EP, the first half ‘Division’ is an aggressively rhythmic piece, opening with Tom Higham’s off-axis drumming and stabbing melodies, later giving way to a soaring lead melody from tenor saxophonist Ben Powling. The latter half of the EP, ‘Metropolis’, opts for a more groovy rhythm accented with Calvin Travers’ funk guitar, later taking a solo in the more low-key mid section that slowly builds up in intensity. The quintet’s incredibly tight playing, along with unpredictable changes and raw virtuosity, makes for an exciting listen.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Following up Espen Eriksen’s 2018’s highly successful ‘Perfectly Unhappy’ with saxophonist Andy Sheppard, the Norwegian pianist in question returns to his trio format for the first time in five years, penning seven original tunes on his latest record. Eriksen’s tunes are filled with a kind of effortlessly simple melodicism, his lyrical lead melodies doing a lot with a little.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
This recording from drummer and film producer Richard Baratta very much does what it says on the tin; a collection of jazz interpretations of well-known songs featured in films old and new, as well as Broadway musicals. Featuring the likes of the theme from The Godfather, ‘Seasons of Love’ from the musical Rent, ‘If I Only Had a Brain’ from The Wizard of Oz, and even a funk-rock cover of The Beatles’ ‘Come Together’. The Reel Deal also marks Baratta’s debut release with New York-based label Savant Records.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Another release landing on Savant this week, New Zealand-hailing, New York-based pianist Alan Broadbent returns with a follow-up to last year’s New York Notes. Returning on this album are also his two bandmates from the same sessions, bassist Harvie S and drummer Billy Mintz, both of whom Broadbent has a long history of collaboration and friendship. On Trio in Motion, the trio in question takes us through some old standards including the likes of Charlie Parker, John Coltrane and Paul Desmond. Although the tunes may be written by big-name jazzers, Broadbent chooses some of their more under-appreciated repertoire. Some tightly played and expressive music from masters of the old school.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Ganna Gryniva, Berlin-based Ukrainian vocalist, already has a history in performing her style of contemporary jazz mixed with the folk music of Ukraine. From performing as a vocal and drums duo with bandmate Joe Smith as ‘JOGA’, to her solo vocal experimentations as ‘G A N N A’, Gryniva finally lands with her debut studio record on Double Moon records, Dykyi Lys. Steeped in her research on Ukrainian folklore, Dykyi Lys explores a similar cross-section of jazz and her native country’s folk music, even re-contextualising the lyrics of old folk tunes to her own new compositions, a practice of “self-reflection” for the singer.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
