It’s wonderful to welcome back an old friend of the blog, Hector Javier Ayala, a guitarist hailing from Mexico and living in France. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that this is a very song-focused album, featuring a couple of genuinely Mexican guitar tunes and the beautiful jazz classic, Days Continue Reading
Instrumental
Something to Do on a Sunday – This is Not the Plan
A fine name for a band, given that today is Sunday and I have little to do after liturgy. Something to Do on a Sunday is a post-rock band from Sydney, Australia, and offers a far more mellow and bright sound than others in the genre do. Pleasant listening.
Marco Lucchi – All Day Long
A musician we admire here at the blog, Marco Lucchi, comes to us today with a new work where he uses a Buchla synthesizer, mellotron, and flute to create a very peaceful, almost proggish ambient album.
Dou Wei; Chao Jian (竇唯;朝簡) – 安神符
Instrumentalists Dou Wei and Chao Jian are names I came across last year thanks to my former student Ben, who did me the honor of pointing me to their new album. The record features two long instrumental pieces that sound like ethno-ambient music and like what you would have found Continue Reading
Zao – Kawana
Magma alumni Yochk’o Seffer and François “Faton” Cahen recorded under the name Zao, producing an album that is at once progressive, zeuhl, and heavily influenced by Miles-era jazz fusion. Deep and dark, it also features Didier Lockwood on violin, Gérard Prévost and Bill Gagnon on bass, Jean My Truong and Christian Saint Continue Reading
Ezra Collective – Joy To The World
As Christmas happily approaches, the Ezra Collective has released a rather cool EP of instrumental Christmas tunes in their own inimitable style. Happy Advent to you all.
Various Artists – Easy Tempo Experience Vol.1 – Cinematic Jazz
If this available track by Piero Umiliani is any indication, then Easy Tempo will soon release a scorching new compilation!
Jeff Gburek – Round About Kaponiera
Jeff Gburek has a new release of instrumental guitar work that is simply sublime listening. From his Bandcamp site: “These tracks, were recorded in October, at home, quickly, via mono instrument microphone and with with a Boss reverb pedal in the mixer’s effects loop. The pieces on the album reiterate Continue Reading
Dan Krimm – Second Wind
Many years ago, I had the pleasure of reviewing fretless bassist and fellow Californian Dan Krimm’s album on my old blog, A Miscellany of Tasteful Music. Recently, Dan informed me that he has a new album coming out, and it’s one of the most elegant and relaxing listens I’ve had in a long Continue Reading
Jon Porras – Achlys
Some interesting facts about Achlys, the latest album by guitarist Jon Porras: “Much of Achlys was composed during violet mountain storms. Living in a forested elevation high above sea level, Porras describes listening to trees sway under pressure, their movements generating both deep, low-end resonance and fragile, intricate patterns of Continue Reading