New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 16th April 2021
For the latest instalment of the Presto Jazz New Release Round-Up, our first pick comes from veteran free-improv saxophonist Evan Parker, performing with his quartet on All Knavery and Collusion, recorded last year following one of his regular sets at the Vortex in London. Acclaimed pianist and Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste offers something different with the soul-infused We Are, while another longtime jazzman Joachim Kühn plays us through some of his old favourite tunes for solo piano. Bassist Avishai Cohen’s latest recording is Two Roses, an ambitious production recorded with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, while oudist Nazih Borisch traces his instrument of choice’s roots while also embracing other traditional styles. Finally, guitarist Pasquale Grasso picks some of his favourite ballads, arranged for solo electric guitar.
A pivotal player in the European free-improv scene, Evan Parker’s intriguing style is matched only by his prolificness. The sessions for All Knavery and Collusion took place a day after a gig at the Vortex in London, a spot Parker frequents, with the album itself recorded in a cosy studio nestled in the Kentish countryside close to Parker’s home. The quartet you hear on the record is the very same lineup that played the Vortex the night before; drummer and percussionist Paul Lytton, bassist John Edwards and pianist Alexander Hawkins. With the mastering process of the record coinciding with the UK’s first national lockdown, the record partly takes inspiration from Daniel Dafoe’s ‘Journal of the Plague Year’, with a couple of nods seen in the track titles. Given it’s Evan Parker, you likely know what you’re in for; ‘one of the greatest post-Coltrane saxophonists’ as the reviews put it, indeed.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC
Jon Batiste may mean something different to many people, depending on who you ask; to many he’s the bandleader and musical director of the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, or perhaps the sideman for everyone Stevie Wonder to Ed Sheeran, as well as a frontman of his own instrumental jazz groups to those who enjoyed 2018’s Hollywood Africans or 2019’s Anatomy of Angels. On We Are, Batiste finds himself in a whole-new setting as he leads a record of soul-infused Black pop music, alongside collaborators Trombone Shorty, Mavis Staples, Quincy Jones and many others.
Available Format: CD
German-born, Ibiza-based jazz piano veteran Joachim Kühn’s latest recording features a personally curated, and diverse, selection of tunes arranged by Kühn for solo piano. Tracks include everything from Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, to ‘Blue Velvet’ and the second movement of Beethoven’s 7th Symphony, as well as the title track - an original by Kühn. The appearance of Weather Report’s ‘A Remark You Made’ has particular significance to Kühn; the tune’s composer, Joe Zawinul, was a juror at the 1966 Gulda jazz competition that a young Kühn competed in.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
An ambitious work from Israeli double bassist Avishai Cohen, Two Roses has him playing with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra - conducted by Alexander Hanson - alongside his trio bandmates, pianist Elchin Shirinov and drummer Mark Guiliana. As well as incorporating this classical instrumentation into his jazz sound, Cohen also slips in some worldly rhythms by way of his love for Afro-Carribean music, while the tune ‘Arab Medley’ melds several traditional songs, switching between Cohen and his trio and the full-blown orchestra. ‘Orchestral jazz’ often has the danger of sounding a little unnecessary, but Cohen, his trio, and the 92-piece symphony orchestra make it work - and tastefully so.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Syrian oud player Nazih Borisch’s recording - born from a residency at the Centre Des Musiciens Du Monde in Montreal - has the oudist playing in a trio alongside bassist Roberto Occhipinti and percussionist Joseph Khoury. Naturally inspired by his Syrian origins and the deep history of this traditional instrument - Roots of Strings features entirely Borisch originals that demonstrate both its power as a solo instrument and in an ensemble. There’s a certain Buena Vista Social Club-vibe to tracks like ‘Take Off’, perhaps the shaking and shuffling percussion, while Borisch’s dynamic solo pieces even incorporate influences from solo flamenco players.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Guitarist Pasquale Grasso has quite the streak going; after numerous albums of classic jazz standards arranged for solo electric guitar - including albums dedicated to both Bud Powell and Charlie Parker - and there’s no prizes for guessing what’s on this one. Grasso’s classy bebop guitar tone - plus his fluid chops - serve the tunes well, with picks including Gershwin, Cole Porter and Jermone Kern just to name a few.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Joshua Lee - Jazz Content
