Fusion is the order of the day for this week’s new releases, starting off with 25-year-old Jakob Manz alongside a lineup of ACT all-stars to produce Supernova. We have guitar-forward Scottish folk-jazz from Matt Carmichael and his band on Held in the Dark. Additionally, Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble have released their second album and this one is as striking, both musically and conceptually, as ever. The group born from regular performances as the house band at Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham, Sharp Little Bones, have teamed up with saxophonist Tony Kofi to produce an album brimming with electrifying fusion. Ida Sand adds hints of folk and Americana to her usual blend of soul-jazz in I Will Be Right There and Sarah Tandy has her first release in 7 years with Delicious Capricious. Finally, we have a remaster of Jackie Mclean’s 1959 album Swing, Swang, Swingin’ in addition to an often-overlooked album from British Jazz master Alan Skidmore, Once Upon a Time.
Supernova
Jakob Manz
Supernova captures on record what can only be described as the pinnacle of Jakob Manz’s time as Artist-in-Residence at Frankfurt’s Alte Oper. The concert was performed in front of a sold-out crowd and featured not only Manz’s stellar eight-piece band, but several special guests including: Kinga Glyk, Michael Wollny, and Nils Landgren. They combine to create a wonderful piece of fusion that evolves and excites throughout the record. At only 25, Manz may be young, but he never sounds out of place at the forefront of this record, he has great presence on stage and it’s clear even without being there that the crowd thoroughly enjoyed the show.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Held in the Dark
Matt Carmichael
Another entry to the ever-growing list of excellent jazz records coming out of Scotland, Held in the Dark sees Matt Carmichael join forces with a number of familiar names from the scene including corto.alto’s James Mackay and Mercury Prize shortlisted pianist Fergus McCreadie. This record is a more guitar forward sound and really harnesses Carmichael’s folk influences. The use of both acoustic and electric guitar, often simultaneously, works really well too, especially when paired with Carmichael and McCreadie to create an almost mystical soundscape.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 44.1 kHz, 24 bit)
Love is the Whole Thing
Matt Wilson's Good Trouble
Love Is The Whole Thing marks Matt Wilson’s second recording with his group Good Trouble and features a mixture of original compositions with tunes penned by beloved songwriters within jazz and beyond. A group whose name derives from civil rights activist John Lewis’s call to create "good trouble", it’s no surprise that this album makes a statement. Unity is the glue of the record, and this group clearly have a lot of experience playing together, the result of which is a record that is both thought provoking and inspiring.
Available format: CD
Step Up! Get Down!
Sharp Little Bones
Step Up! Get Down! is the second album from the trio that make up the house band of Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham. For this recording they are joined by well known member of the British jazz scene, tenor saxophonist Tony Kofi. The result of this collaboration is a gritty, Head Hunters-inspired album that’s brimming with groove and soul. Bassist Simon Paterson’s compositions are brought to life by the group with Paul Deats’s keyboard sounds and drums from Andrew "Woody" Wood completing the line-up alongside Kofi.
Available format: CD
I Will Be Right There
Ida Sand
There is no questioning Ida Sand’s position within jazz, however I Will Be Right There is an album that goes way beyond just this context. Her usual blend of soul-jazz is certainly present but joined by moments of folk and Americana to create a delightfully diverse and very listenable album. In addition to Sand’s distinct musical sensibilities, the album is tied together by the skill of musicians on display; a fine selection that includes the Esbjörn Svensson Trio’s Dan Berglund on bass.
Available formats: CD, Download & Streaming (up to 48 kHz, 24 bit)
Delicious Capricious
Sarah Tandy
Sarah Tandy originally trained as a classical pianist but made her debut as a Jazz artist in 2019 with Infection In The Sentence. This release resulted in her being nominated for Jazz FM Breakthrough Act of the Year and going on to receive the Parliamentary Jazz Award for Best Instrumentalist. A hiatus from touring in 2020 gave Tandy the opportunity to study electronic music and music production, the culmination of which can be heard on this record. An album that takes jazz and blends it with psychedelic funk, hip hop, deep groove, grime, trip hop, and soul, to create a record that feels very current.
Available format: Vinyl Record
Swing, Swang, Swingin’ (Classic Vinyl)
Jackie McLean
Swing, Swang, Swingin’ from 1960 is Jackie McLean’s second release under the Blue Note label after New Soil in 1959. Largely made up of standards, the programme acts as a springboard for a series of passionate improvisations that show McLean for what he was at this time: an accomplished altoist entering the prime of their career. Joined again by Walter Bishop Jr on piano, this album also features Jimmy Garrison on bass, and long-time collaborator Art Taylor on drums. this Blue Note Classic Vinyl Edition is stereo, all-analogue, mastered by Kevin Gray from the original master tapes, and pressed on 180g vinyl.
Available format: Vinyl Record
Once Upon A Time (British Jazz Explosion)
The Alan Skidmore Quintet
Tenor saxophonist Alan Skidmore assembled an impressive group, that included ECM stalwarts John Taylor and Kenny Wheeler, for an appearance at the 1969 Montreux Jazz Festival. Such was the success of this performance that the group was bought into the studio to cut an album, which would go on to become Once Upon A Time. A sometimes-overlooked part of the British Jazz scene, Skidmore and co are on fine form on this recording and it is certainly one worth revisiting. This new edition was mastered at Abbey Road using high-definition 24bit/192kHz audio files, copied directly from the original stereo analogue master tapes.
Available format: Vinyl Record
