Taiwanese band Leisure Time 閒暇 produce a music that sits in that hazy area between real and fake jazz. I think the quote the band used by the legendary Donald Fagen of Steely Dan sums up their sound best: “There was sort of cheap music, tv music, movie music. By cheap I mean, not really in a disparaging way but it’s written to support something else. […] And so, I both like real jazz and fake jazz, and also, fake fake jazz.” Real of fake, it’s pleasant listening.
Of all the scenes I’ve always felt was neglected in prog, it was the Canterbury scene. That sub-genre which gave us Soft Machine, Caravan, National Health, Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers is of course big with specialist fans, but as the years have passed, it seems fewer and fewer listeners are hearing that wonderful sound. Thankfully, there is Amoeba Split, a Canterbury-inspired band who hail from my ancient paternal homeland of Galicia in Northern Spain. The band mix jazz fusion and progressive rock expertly, and the sound is so authentic that I had to remember the release date of this…
We received news from friends and from Far Out Records‘ press release that legendary drummer and a founding member of jazz-rock icons Azymuth, Ivan “Mamão” Conti, passed away yesterday at 76. He had been prolific over the past few years, and his passing comes as quite a shock. In honor of his passing, we bring you Azymuth at their finest. Rest in peace, Mamão.
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 some works that would feel comfortably familiar to fans of Frank Zappa. It’s a weird, but rewarding, disc, and it’s such a treat to see that Zeitlin finally relented to its release.
Brian Auger is the father of Acid Jazz and really needs no introduction, but his Bandcamp site provides a fine one anyway for those of you readers who haven’t had the pleasure of being introduced to the man: “Soul Bank Music announces a back catalogue deal with legendary musician and jazz keyboard master Brian Auger – with the release of a career spanning compilation ‘Auger Incorporated’. Lauded and loved by artists as diverse as Mose Allison to The Brand New Heavies, his tracks have been sampled by Mos Def, Common, Air and Kid Loco, his original compositions covered by Sarah…
No reviews today as my girlfriend and I will be walking around the Buda area in Budapest, but I’d like to introduce you to Adam Baruch, an exceptionally gifted writer who I have been following for many years. He has a gift for writing eloquently about jazz and rock, is a director of the Singer Jazz Festival, and on this post, he writes about the legendary jazz-rock/brass-rock band If. He is worth following, and if you like what you read, consider joining his Facebook group.
Our friends at áMARXE Records out of Galicia in Spain have released a really heavy album influenced by Canterbury Music, Zappa and jazz-rock in general. There are so many twists and turns in Beat Love Oracle‘s album that it’s one I’d have trouble finding words to describe, so it is best to listen to the music directly and be amazed.
What a jazz-funk gem this is! From the Henryk Debich Bandcamp site: Despite the ongoing pandemic, the past year was very successful for the celebration of Henryk Debich’s 100th birthday anniversary. The master’s albums: Zbliżenie [Astigmatic Records] and Horyzonty [GAD Records] turned out to be a huge success, bringing great reviews and attracting huge interest. The continuation of the publishing series devoted to archival recordings was a bull’s eye. Jazz Funk from the communist time is still in demand. Astigmatic Records presented the works of Henryk Debich and the Lodz PRiTV Orchestra in the form of a seven-inch single “Monika…
Mexico’s new music scene is criminally underrated, which is a shame considering the immense talent hidden there. Yes, of course, we love boleros, the folk songs out of Veracruz and Yucatan, and the insanely good psychedelic music of the 1960s and 1970s, the Rock-In-Opposition of bands like Nazca, Decibel and Banda Elástica, all worthy listening. Let us introduce you to a new group called Muva. They evoke a cinematic aesthetic which combines atmospheres of many national cultures (think Scotland, Mali and Israel) surrounded by elements of rock, electronic, classical, tribal music and jazz improvisations. It’s not quite any genre, but…
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, an album of this magnitude is worth the wait, trust me. November 21st will come quickly, judging by how fast 2021 has blown by. For those of you who know something about Brazilian jazz, especially of the fusion variety, Alex Malheiros is not going to need any introduction. For those…