New Release Round-up,
Jazz New Release Round-Up - 5th April 2024
Welcome back, dear listener! This week's offering kicks off with some electric R&B in a late-career move from Nina Simone and a reissue of her out-of-print album Nina's Back. Next up, saxophonist Jon Lloyd explores the cooler sonorities of European jazz on Earth Songs, whilst Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland strikes up the band once more in the name of Norwegian excellence on Gjenskinn. On Big George, New York supergroup All For One recruit the timeless talent of George Coleman, the tenor titan now long in the tooth but still firing on all cylinders. Finally, pianist Lynne Arriale returns for a passionate exaltation of our shared potential with Being Human.
Recorded at a crossroad in the musician's life, this synth-laden album revealed that the soul priestess' fire had anything but dwindled over the course of the lengthy semi-retirement she had recently endured. An incredibly personal record, we witness a fresh side of the legendary inconsolable diva as she revisits familiar favourites with trademark candour in addition to plenty of funky and upbeat numbers, each stuffed with voguish flare. An under-appreciated gem, ripe for reappraisal.
Available Format: Vinyl Record
Jon Lloyd is a master saxman who ought to be praised. Having adapted himself to a wide variety of styles over the course of his understated career, he arrives at a harmonious sound world of embalming tranquillity. Though simplistic and minimal, his quartet’s palette is rich, emboldened by a sense of having stripped back in favour of a more ‘bare bones’ approach (à la ECM and other labels of that ilk). You won’t go away feeling underserved, but you will be left wanting for seconds. As each delicately rendered track rolls into the next, their music-making remains effortless, always flowing but never getting ahead of itself – thanks in no small part to the delicately subdued drumwork of Alex Goodyear. Simply magical.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Perhaps the finest custodian of his homeland's traditional Hardanger fiddle, this Norwegian string player impressed us royally alongside harmoniumist Sigbjørn Apeland with their previous album Glimmer, released last year to great acclaim. Now, the pair are back and, with the help of the leader's eponymous band, the ensemble embarks on its first fully-realised project in seven years. It's truly wonderful to hear Økland trade blows with saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nystrøm, straddling the distance between free-form improvisation and folk in the expert way he has come to be known. Earthy, dynamic and mysterious.
Available Formats: CD, MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
A veritable who’s-who of the contemporary New York scene, this affable recording displays some of the best musicianship the Big Apple currently has to offer. Coming as something of an all-star lineup since the dawning of their almost three-decade career, this historic group avoid opting for a nostalgic glimpse of the past, seeking instead to honour the giants who still walk among us. NEA Jazz Master honouree George Coleman is their guest, and at the age of 89, he sits in for a third of the album’s track listing. Apart from one another they really cook, but together, they’re on fire!
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
A truly artistic performer built on the technicality of her feel for her instrument, pianist Lynne Arriale is known as a contemporary laureate of the keys. For her latest release, she wholeheartedly embraces the variety of modern life in all its ups and downs. Throughout the album, she makes examples of present-day heroes in the form of numerous titular dedicatees, including peace advocate Mattie Stepanek and climate activist Greta Thunberg. Much like how her trio strive towards their passionately-distilled creative goals, so too are we encouraged to work towards our mutual task of being the best versions of ourselves that we can be.
Available Formats: MP3, FLAC, Hi-Res FLAC
Barney Whittaker
