New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-up - 11th August, 2023
Straight from the West Coast comes this sweltering ride through the wilderness from LA-based collective High Pulp. Inspired by the many makeshift journeys the group have undertaken across the Mojave while on tour, Days In The Desert reveals the band to be credible sonic crusaders as they intriguingly craft their psychedelia-tinged soundscapes along with a plethora of richly talented guests such as James Brandon Lewis, Brandee Younger and Jeff Parker. The music itself is largely united by several disparate genres, with flavours of alternative-rock and electronica coming together under the experimental jazz umbrella.
Available Format: CD
The second release from this Manchester-based multi-generational outfit follows their multi-acclaimed eponymous debut, which received much praise from Gilles Peterson – the DJ who helped champion their breakthrough when he handpicked them for his own label, Brownswood Recordings, back in 2021. The group’s sophomore release is an equally funked-up affair, dripping honey from its gentle neo-soul grooves as it works its mid-tempo magic. If you like what you hear, the Gang will be opening for guitarist Cory Wong around the UK this October.
Available Format: CD
Having assembled a top-notch seventeen-piece troupe featuring the cream of the North American scene, Vancouverian trumpeter Hersog leads his band for a second time as they deliver an expansive reworking of tunes from the folk tradition. Where his previous album, Night Devoid of Stars, introspectively looked within, Open Spaces marks an audaciously innovative perspective (as the title suggests), seeking to push the boundaries of traditional large jazz ensemble orchestration. His soloists, who include the imaginative guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, help seal the deal in this competent marriage of emotive direction and focus.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The self-taught Genoese bassist is one of his nation’s finest and most experienced jazz artists working today, and this album comes as a testament to his strong ability to express his adventurous musical spirit. Featuring his own octet paired with string quartet, this recording finds Rolff and co. in a sultry mood as they advance on a delight foray into summertime. Presenting an original setlist of evocative numbers with underlying Latin tinges throughout, this modern-sounding release takes the form of an audible postcard all the way from the Italian Riviera.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC
For his latest album, the vibes player reunites his frequent quartet of fellow Houstonian collaborators, revealing himself to be an artist fully capable of incorporating his personality into the music he performs in the process. The group’s language is mostly post-bop in tone – calling to mind the sophisticated late-sixties work of Bobby Hutcherson – but remains unafraid to divulge a more emotional side in the themes it explores. Baker’s own expressive playing is impressively rich in scope for a prodigious musician still in his twenties.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
The punches come in thick and fast for this chordless trio, as they scrupulously grapple between passages of strong melodic content and free improvisation. Recorded way back when in October of 2019, Divisions is four-part suite which traces the line between order and chaos, doing so with remarkable intricacy and feel. With the comradery that grounds the group made clear via their intrinsic sense of communication, this recording is a delightfully emancipated invitation to the listener, overall.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Barney Whittaker
