Dave Summer penned an article on the state of Russian jazz today, and one of the featured releases was a compilation of artists featured on the Rainy Days record label. This is a great way to explore these innovators, including saxophonists Azat Bayazitov and Andrew Krasilnikov, bassist Makar Novikov, drummer Continue Reading
Jazz
Selen Gülün – TRE
I’ve been looking forward to hearing Selen Gülün’s latest release, and to say I’m not disappointed would be an understatement. I had spent the day listening to John Cage after lunching with my priest, and then this record came on. The first track, Ah, Tu Dici!, blended into Cage’s Three Continue Reading
Daniel Casimir – Safe (Part I) (feat. Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia, Al MacSween & James Copus)
Bassist Daniel Casimir is a young lion of London’s jazz scene. This is a one-off composition in preparation for a full album coming out later this year on Jazz re:freshed, and it features some of the best instrumentalists active today. Observe the names on this track. Each is leaving a Continue Reading
Rafał Mazur & Satoko Fujii, Guillermo Gregorio, Natsuki Tamura, Artur Majewski, Ramon Lopez – The Great Tone has no Sound
Though I cannot say I know much about Fundacja Słuchaj’s background, I can say that their releases tend to be excellent, releasing some of the bigger names in improvisational music. This collection is no different. The personnel on this four-disc set is pretty phenomenal: Rafał Mazur plays bass, Satoko Fujii Continue Reading
[Announcement] Florian Arbenz / Tineke Postma – Free online gig at Porgy & Bess in Vienna
![[Announcement] Florian Arbenz / Tineke Postma – Free online gig at Porgy & Bess in Vienna](https://musicyouneedtohear.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/maxresdefault-768x432.jpg)
We have an online gig announcement from a friend of the blog, Swiss percussionist and drummer Florian Arbenz: Hi – I hope you’re well! Whilst most musicians are still not quite back touring, we do keep playing and I’m excited to let you know that I’m broadcasting live (and FREE) Continue Reading
Hozan Yamamoto 銀界 – Silver World (1971) (Full Album)
Though long out-of-print, this album screams for a proper reissue. The album combines a fine jazz quartet with Yamamoto’s sublime shakuhachi playing. The personnel on this album were: Bass – Gary Peacock Drums – Hiroshi Murakami Piano – Masabumi Kikuchi Shakuhachi [Bamboo-Flute] – Hōzan Yamamoto
Chick Corea – Return to Forever
A legend has passed. Return To Forever was my gateway drug to 70s jazz fusion, opening the door to discovering the band bearing the same name, Miles Davis at the peak of his powers (at least for my taste), the majesty of Weather Report, and delving back into Chick Corea’s Continue Reading
Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra – Letters From Afar
This release by Ah-Q Jazz Arkestra is a joint Chinese-American project. The back story is rather interesting. From the Bandcamp website: In early 2020, we found ourselves separated and stuck at home. Even though four of us were in Beijing, COVID19 control measures prevented us from meeting face to face. Continue Reading
David Darling – Prayer For Compassion
Cellist David Darling passed away on January 8, leaving an incredible body of work for ECM Records and other labels. Any of his ECM albums is a worthy listen, but I choose this one not only for the music, but the hopeful title which stands in stark contrast to the Continue Reading
Martin Chilton – Michel Petrucciani Overcame Enormous Odds To Become A World-Renowned Pianist
Martin Chilton at udiscovermusic.com writes on the difficult life and masterful playing of pianist Michel Petrucciani. A worthy read, which you can access here.