Jazzwise Editor's Choice selections this month include young artists Matt Ridley and Michael Mayo, as well as the latest album by jazz fusion veteran John McLaughlin. Recommended Reissues/Archive picks included yet more unearthed music from Bill Evans - live recordings made during Dutch dates - as well as devotional music from Alice Coltrane and an expanded edition of Charles Mingus's classic Carnegie Hall performance.
Editor's Choices
Purest Form
James Francies
"What stands out the most on Purest Form is the beguiling beauty of some of the textures, particularly ballads such as ‘Melting’ and ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, where Francies has chosen exactly the kind of disturbingly vaporous synth sounds to resonate with a voice as singular as that of Bilal."
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
The Antidote
Matt Ridley
"[The Antidote] brings to light the bassist-composer’s earliest rock influences while not undermining his lyrical, memorable folk-y themes or sophisticated jazz sensibilities."
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 96 kHz, 24 bit)
Recommended Reissues/Archive
Kirtan: Turiya Sings
Alice Coltrane
"In the past few years, the full extent of Alice Coltrane’s talents has been coming into sharper focus, and this set of super-rare (previously available only as a series of cassettes distributed by Alice herself) music makes the picture crystal clear. She was a unique individual and a distinctive artist. Her journey from jazz pianist with a strong grounding in gospel to disciple of spiritual leader Swami Satchidananda and exponent of Hindu devotional song led her to create music of breathtaking beauty, shaped as she was by this life journey that is anything but conventional."
Available format: Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Duke Ellington Plays Mary Poppins + Afro Bossa
Duke Ellington
"Afro Bossa and Mary Poppins, together with The Symphonic Ellington, were easily the best albums of the Duke’s brief sojourn with Frank Sinatra’s Reprise label."
Available format: CD
"The six tracks from November have previously been issued with less good sound on labels like Affinity, and all of this material shows Morell settling in well and Gomez going from strength to strength, not only when backing Bill but in some incredible melodic solos. Certainly a winner."
Available format: 2 CDs
Mingus at Carnegie Hall
Charles Mingus
"The second half of the concert has three ex-Mingus sidemen returning for a jam session on two Ellington standards (‘Perdido’ and ‘C Jam Blues’), which was released on LP at the time. All great fun, especially the contributions of Roland Kirk, but the meat of the set is the unreleased first half featuring the then-regular front line of Adams and Bluiett with the addition of Faddis, who worked with Mingus in 1972 but had already moved into the NYC freelance scene."
Available format: 2 CDs
