• Music

    Kiyoshi Yamaya, Toshiko Yonekawa, Kifu Mitsuhashi – Wamono Groove: Shakuhachi & Koto Jazz Funk ’76

    Traditional Japanese instruments meet rare groove??  Yes, please! From Wamono’s Bandcamp site: Following the already classic Wamono A to Z trilogy, we are delighted to present an exceptional collection of jazz funk / rare groove tunes recorded in the mid-seventies at the Nippon Columbia studios by three giants of Japanese music: arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa and shakuhachi master Kifu Mitsuhashi. The album is slated for release on January 28, 2022.

  • Music

    Evgeny Ponomarev Quartet – Clockwise

    I can’t say for sure if Evgeny Ponomarev’s 2021 release, Clockwise, counts as spiritual jazz, but it is holding it’s own as one of the best jazz releases of the year.  Ponomarev plays piano, and is solidly supported by a large cast, incuding: Andrey Polovko — tenor saxophone (1-6), soprano saxophone (2) Grigory Voskoboynik — double bass Peter Mikheev — drums (1-6), percussion (1,4) Pavel Ilushin — guitar (4) Peter Vostokov — cornet (2) Anton Gimazetdinov — trombone, tuba (2)

  • Podcast

    La Montaña Rusa 44.2021. Especial Pat Martino

    blockquote class=”wp-embedded-content”>La Montaña Rusa 44.2021. Especial Pat Martino. Today is a rest day for me, so I spent it listening to my friends at Spain’s greatest jazz podcasts, La Montaña Rusa.  The program is dedicated to guitarist Pat Martino, who passed away recently. The tracklist: El Hombre (06:00). El Hombre, 1967. Prestige Records. Cisco (04:32). El Hombre, 1967. Prestige Records. Mr. PC (08:18) Gene Ludwig & Pat Martino Trio. Young Guns, 1968. HighNote Records. Baiyina (11:59). Baiyina (The Clear Evidence), 1968. Prestige Records. East (12:44). East!, 1968. Prestige Records. Desperado (08:00). Desperado, 1970. Prestige Records. What Are You Doing The…

  • Music

    Zhang Si’an (Djang San 张思安) – Hutong Jazz – 胡同爵士

    Jean-Sébastien Héry is a French ex-pat musician living in China.  He has a very impressive body of work covering over 50 albums of music ranging from electro music to rock performed on traditional Chinese instruments like the zhonguran and pipa.  His work is singular, as there doesn’t seem to be anyone, either inside or outside of China, combining these elements together. His latest album covers ten evergreen recordings, including Herbie Hancock’s masterpiece, Cantaloupe Island, and My Favorite Things, made into a classic by the film The Sound of Music starring Julie Andrews.  The album is charming all the way through.

  • Music

    Muva – Yum Cháak

    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…

  • Music

    Rosie Turton – Expansions and Transformations: Part I & II

    Rosie Turton came to my attention a while ago with her EP Rosie’s 5ive, which served as a stellar introduction to her work, but this latest album shows how incredibly expressive a trombone-led band can be.  So many players in London’s Nu-Jazz scene are leaving a mark that there will probably come a day when bands like Rosie’s and others operating today will be referenced in the same way fusion bands of the 1970s are. Truly expansive, a full sound, and utterly engaging.  What a fine sophomore release.

  • Music

    Various Artists – Pyramid Pieces 2

    This is a comp we won’t have to wait too terribly long for.  The Roundtable is a record label out of Melbourne, Australia which documents some phenomenal jazz from down under.  Apparently, the first installment of Pyramid Pieces was a tour-de-force of Australian spiritual jazz, and the comp sold briskly, introducing the world to Jazz Co/Op, the Brian Brown Quintet, the Alan Lee Quartet and others.  In this installment, new names such as Allan Zavod (whose track is the only one available to sample currently), The Charlie Munro, Out To Lunch and several others.  My limited exposure to Aussie jazz…

  • Music

    Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen – The Bass in the Background

    Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen was a phenomenal jazz bassist originally out of Roskilde, Denmark.  He was good enough to be drafted by Count Basie’s touring band but had to reject it due to age restrictions. Imagine working with pianists like Kenny Drew, Tete Montoliu, Lee Konitz, Dexter Gordon, Palle Mikkelborg, Svend Asmussen and Stéphane Grappelli among a host of jazz luminaries.  This collection highlights his work with some of these leading lights, and he makes the bass bop madly.  A stellar collection by Storyville Records.

  • Music

    Bester Quartet – Piazzolla Angels

    Poland’s For-Tune Records have been consistently releasing high-quality jazz and improv music for some time now, but their latest has a special place for me. This collection, with the exception of Por Una Cabeza (composed by Carlos Gardel) was composed by the inimitable Ástor Piazzólla and arranged Bester Quartet leader and accordionist Jarosław Bester.  It’s remarkable to hear how fluidly tangos by the masters can be translated so well into jazz and improvisational music.

  • Music

    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, 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…