Though the recording leaves much to be desired, this private press recording of Ethiopian pianist Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru is so gorgeously played that the music moves. Augmented by a few extra tracks not found on the original pressing, Mississippi Records does wonders in bringing these tapes to life. Her Continue Reading
Piano
Alessandra Celletti – Stop Femicides
Femicide, like most other –cides, is a pernicious evil, and women suffer atrociously in parts of the world, but despite the provocative title, this album is more of a celebration of some rather amazing songs influenced by ladies, interpreted by our dear friend Alessandra Celletti. Some of the covers were Continue Reading
Akira Kosemura – Rudy
No, nothing to do with yours truly, thankfully. My own biopic would be classified under surrealism/horror, I’m afraid. Instead, what you have here is what looks like an independent film about a girl who lives in Coventry, England. Should you click on the link, you’ll find more information on the Continue Reading
Passepartout Duo – Argot
My, this is a lovely release. Passepartout Duo manage to balance modern classical music with a minimal post-rock sound without the “rock” part. It’s exquisite listening, especially for those who like minimalist music. Think of Arvo Pärt collaborating with Sigur Rós, and this might give you an idea of what Continue Reading
Tigran Hamasyan – StandArt
It’s not exactly Christmas music (today is when our Armenian brothers in the faith celebrate theirs, and we celebrate ours tomorrow), but any opportunity to hear the music of the excellent Armenian-American pianist Tigran Hamasyan is a happy event. May you all enjoy your holy day!
Selen Gülün – Years
On this tenth album by Turkish pianist (and frequent visitor to Japan) Selen Gülün, she remains in fine form. She’s no stranger to our blog, and it’s been far too long since we had the pleasure of hearing modern jazz done right. From her Bandcamp site: “Selen Gülün’s tenth album, Continue Reading
Ryuichi Sakamoto – Coda LP (Black) + 2p insert and OBI strip
On October 11, 2024, a masterpiece will be released by our friends by Wewantsounds. We never doubt the impeccable quality of their releases, but as I am now the owner of a Rega turntable, I have more and more reason to eschew CDs and build up the vinyl collection. From Continue Reading
Ilia Belorukov & Marina Džukljev – Everything Changes, Nothing Disappears
Ilia Belorukov is a multi-instrumentalist who hails from Russia, but since the Russia-Ukraine conflict, he has been a resident of Novi Sad Serbia and will probably be for awhile. He is making wonderful use of his time by collaborating with local talent. Marina Džukljev is a pianst and first-rate improvisor, Continue Reading
Luiz Santos – Sapphire Fire
https://luizsantos.com/album/2834683/sapphire-fire I normally try to share albums on major platforms, but my friend Luiz Santos has self-released a rather fine jazz album on his website, and I thought it would be good to share it with friends. It’s piano-based, a bit dark, and a comfortable listen worth your time and Continue Reading
Fumio Itabashi – Watarase
Our friends over at Wewantsounds have released a post-bop gem by pianist Fumio Itabashi which will be available in April 5th, 2024. From their Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to reissue Fumio Itabashi’s sought-after album “Watarase” hailed as one of the great Japanese jazz albums and featuring Itabashi on piano Continue Reading