New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 28th January 2021
For this week’s new release highlights, we start with an electrifying (pun intended) interpretation of John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme in the form of A Love Supreme Electric, a project that translates the saxophonist and composer’s music to a sound almost akin to psychedelic rock. Scottish pianist and composer Fergus McCreadie’s sophomore album, Cairn, also makes an appearance with some refreshing contemporary jazz inspired by his homeland’s natural landscapes, while Danish vocalist Janne Mark presents us with an intimate set of songs written for a small ensemble. And we also have a reissue of guitarist Ron Affif’s Vierd Blues featuring a collection of Miles Davis interpretations.
Celebrating the experimental qualities of John Coltrane’s spiritual period, A Love Supreme Electric’s interpretation of A Love Supreme & Meditations is an explosive mixture of free jazz and fusion; Mike Watt's (of 80s hardcore legends Minutemen) steady electric bass granting an almost psychedelic quality that’s all too fitting, while saxophonist Vinny Golia stays true to Coltrane’s original passages in many ways while adding his own inflections. The sound of the Hammond organ conjures up psychedelic bands of the 60s and 70s, and it’s perhaps not a stretch to imagine this being played during that period when you hear guitarist Henry Kaiser’s wah-wah soloing over the top.
Available Format: 2 CDs
ACT artist Janne Mark’s latest recording, comprised of a mixture of originals and traditional pieces, is an intimately performed collection that showcases a vocalist and composer with a careful ear for melody. The sound of her right-hand man Arve Henriksen’s breathy trumpet, his style inspired by Japanese shakuhachi players, takes centre stage where Mark herself isn’t singing, while a small trio of bass, violin and mellotron carve out some mesmerising drone soundscapes.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
A recent reissue on Pablo Records of guitarist Ron Affif’s 1994 album Vierd Blues, in which the bop guitarist covers a handful of Miles Davis tunes for some great straight-ahead jazz. Though the quintet are playing Miles throughout, there’s no trumpet to be found; Affif leads his ensemble on the electric guitar, with second guitarist Ron Anthony joining him for a couple of tracks. There are a few classics from Kind of Blue that make an appearance; ‘So What’, ‘All Blues’ and ‘Blue in Green’, all still as refreshing to hear in their new interpretations. Capping the album off is an Affif original, ‘Blazing/Farewell’, a little more upbeat than the Miles selections on the record, but makes for a nice change of pace at the end. The reissued record is available as both MP3 and CD-quality FLAC digital downloads.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
