I haven’t had a chance to review anything from Indonesia in some time, so it gives me pleasure to introduce you to a band called the Batavia Collective. Their sound is a great balance of jazz, fusion and electronica. One track only, but it’s a solid one.
Fusion
Grupo Um – Starting Point
This release is an absolute mindblower of an album, documenting the debut of Grupo Um, one of Brazil’s most adventurous fusion bands. From their Bandcamp site: “Starting Point was to mark the inception of one of Brazil’s most daring instrumental groups. Their debut now sits in the lofty echelon of Continue Reading
Mariana Ingold – Cara A Cara
Uruguayan vocalist and musician Mariana Ingold has a storied reputation for her albums of children’s songs, environmental work and collaborations with the indigenous communities of her native country, but in 1986, she started recording some rather fine pop music as well. She mixed candombe music with synthesizers to make a Continue Reading
Denny Zeitlin with George Marsh & Mel Graves – The Name Of This Terrain
American pianist and psychiatrist Denny Zeitlin has a body of work that is second to none, including winning several jazz awards and scoring films like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but this album was hidden away at Zeitlin’s insistence, which is a shame, as it blends avant-jazz, funk, rock and Continue Reading
Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo – Só Não Toca Quem Não quer (1987) – Remastered
Brazil’s finest living export (to my ears, anyway) has been quite active over the past few years, but it’s nice to see some forgotten releases getting some exposure. The personnel on this album plays some wonderfully, uniquely Brazilian fusion. Hermeto Pascoal: Bandola, Piano, Teclados (Keyboard), Flugelhorn, Harmonium, Flauta Baixo (Bass Continue Reading
Alex Malheiros – Tempos Futuros
The London-based record label Far Out Recordings is killing me a little these days! I was honored to receive tracks from Alex Malheiros’ new album, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be picking it up on disc, but I loathe having to wait too long such treasures to come out. Still, Continue Reading
Matthew Halsall – Salute to the Sun – Live at Hallé St. Peter’s
There’s not much to say about Matthew Halsall that hasn’t been thoroughly discussed over the past decade. He deserves the accolades, of course, but this live album is quite a treat. This is really going to appeal to fusion fans, especially Bitches Brew and Live-Evil-era Miles Davis, as well as Continue Reading
Wilfried Hanrath – The Sweet Scent of Dreams
This album has to be one of the more intriguing releases I’ve heard this month. Wilfried Hanrath is a composer based in Wuppertal, Germany (home, if I remember correctly, to free jazz legend Peter Brötzmann as well), and grew up surrounded by some of the most radical music imaginable: Krautrock, Continue Reading
[Video] Julia Hülsmann Quartet – This Is Not America | ECM Records
![[Video] Julia Hülsmann Quartet – This Is Not America | ECM Records](https://musicyouneedtohear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg)
Julia Hülsmann is a pianist from Bonn, Germany who has recorded quite a few stellar albums for the legendary record label ECM. This particular song is a fine rendition of This Is Not America, originally performed by David Bowie and Pat Metheny as part of the soundtrack to the film Continue Reading
JIM – Falling That You Know
Considering how bad Top 40 music is, I never listen to the radio unless I’m subjected to such torture when I visit a mall or other public place of business. Because I was doing some late night work related to China, I figured I would take a look at a Continue Reading