out February 7, 2020 via Acoustical Concepts
Trumpeter John Vanore & Pianist Ron Thomas to Release Long-Lost Duo Recordings as Primary Colors, the long time lost session originally recorded in the middle of the eighties.
15
Jan
[ January the 22nd release on MoonJune Rec: The Nikolov-Ivanovic Undectet feat. Magic Malik – Frame & Curiosity ]
release date: January 22, 2019
“Groundbreaking…subtle touches of colour and texture in his charts reminiscent of Gil Evans and Maria Schneider. Like them, Nikolov is inspired by the stirring sororities of French horn, tuba, and accordion. But he blends Balkan metrical and tonal elements into his mix, and they introduce their own exotic aura. This project should claim a place among the most creative current large jazz ensembles in Europe.” – JAZZ TIMES (USA)
“…a pan-European group of improvising musicians in 10 rhythmically complex, harmonically evocative compositions, all impeccably arranged. In these, they might reference Balkan tunes, rock, hip-hop, classical music or traditional jazz – without settling on any one thing.” – DOWNBEAT (USA)
“Beautifully balanced pieces and adventurous arrangements bring this richly varied music that brings the listener to a highly elevated state.” – JAZZFLITS (Netherlands)
04
Jan
[ January the 24th release from Hubro – Stein Urheim – Downhill Uplift ]
Release: 24.01.2020
For his sixth Hubro album, the Norwegian composer, bandleader and virtuoso guitarist Stein Urheim presents a new set of compositions for a specially formed group featuring three of his favourite musicians: bassist Ole Morten Vagan and percussionists/multi-instrumentalists Hans Hulbækmo and Kåre Opheim. Characterised by a relaxed, loose-limbed pulse rippling with cross-rhythms, and an epic, widescreen feel that can suggest the open vistas of the American west, the seven tracks function together as a kind of informal suite. Their strongly defined melodies and carefully layered textures evoke a luminously-coloured acoustic world where bucolic, country-rock tinged soundscapes meet world-jazz improvisations and a little of what might be termed pop-Americana.
03
Jan
[ January the 20th release on Freedom Road Records: John Bailey – Can You Imagine?]
release date: 20.01.2020
“…[a] fun and intriguing concept album…a musical tribute to the late Diz [that] invites listeners to imagine what might have happened if lessons about empathy and human decency had been embraced…. joyful and upbeat…” – Tom Henry, Toledo Blade
“Simply the best post bop album since the days of King Dizzy…. Bailey can soar like Dizzy did and blow lyrical too along with a band that totally follows the party line and is just about as close to what Dizzy would have if he were alive today.” – Lance Liddle, bebop spoken here
“John Bailey is a great improviser. Since we met as teenagers I’ve been taken with how natural a musician he is and how deeply his roots go into the tradition of jazz music. He’s a joy to listen to!” – Donny McCaslin, saxophonist
“Bailey’s playing is full of passion and fire, and he brings that energy to several musical styles.” – Jerome Wilson, All About Jazz
02
Jan
[ January the 17th release via Ridgeway Records: Dillon Vado – Blissonance ]
Release date: 17th January 2020
Oakland drummer/vibraphonist Dillon Vado didn’t necessarily set out to make a bold statement. As a young bandleader and composer, he wanted to forge a distinctive group sound with some of the most vividly inventive improvisers on the Bay Area scene. He achieved exactly that with his quintet Never Weather, but what makes Blissonance such an impressive debut album is the music’s combination of emotional and musical intelligence. The album is slated for release on January 17, 2020 on bassist Jeff Denson’s Ridgeway Records.
29
Dec
[ 2020 January of 10th release via Skirl Records: Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio ]
release date: 10th of January 2020
Teaming Grdina with the limitless pianist Matt Mitchell and the playfully experimental drummer Jim Black, Gordon Grdina’s Nomad Trio refuses to set down stylistic roots throughout its debut album Nomad. Album Release Tour January 5-17, 2020 with stops in Seattle, LA, San Francisco, Vancouver, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Ann Arbor, Chicago and NYC’
“The prevailing ambience is one of dark mystery, but the ruggedness of Grdina’s tone makes for a palette of rich contrast.” – David R. Adler, JazzTimes (review of Think Like the Waves)
“[Gordon Grdina is] a player of unbridled musical ingenuity.” – Raul da Gama, World Music Report
07
Dec
[ 2019 December of 13th release via Libra Records: Satoko Fujii & Tatsuya Yoshida – Baikamo ]
release date: December the 13th
“ Relentlessly inventive, energetic and definitely recommended.” ― Eric Hill, Exclaim!
“ These two seemingly disparate musicians seem to have formed a comfortable musical bond.” ― Robert Iannapollo, Signal to Noise
“ The music that comes out of the space between rock and contemporary classical music.” ― Masayuki Baba, Musee
Fifteen years after their last recording together, pianist-composer Satoko Fujii and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida reignite the burning intensity of their Toh-Kichi duet project on Baikamo (December 13, 2019 via Libra). Merging art-rock muscle with free jazz and contemporary classical abstractions, Fujii and Yoshida make music that is both gleefully playful and in-your-face energetic.
15
Nov
[ November the 29th release from Traumton: Paul Hankinson – Dear Emily ]
release date: 29 of November 2019
“Dear Emily” or Playing Between the Lines
Pianist Paul Hankinson’s acclaimed first album, “Echoes of a Winter Journey”, was inspired by the work of another artist. In the same vein, his newly released second album, “Dear Emily”, is the result of a profound work of artistic correspondence, a reference, a reflection. It’s an appraisal of a long-cherished, inspirational and yet silent space – the life and works of the American poet Emily Dickinson.
12
Nov
[ December the 13th release from Not-Applicable Recs: Leverton FOX – Megascopz Mixtapes & I am Zebra LP ]
release date: December 15th
Welcome to the ” Magascopz ” multiverse ..,
For their latest release, Leverton Fox, the trio of Alex Bonney, Tim Giles and Isambard Khroustaliov offer up an intriguing take on what John Cage termed ‘happenings’ filtered through the ‘everything in every order all the time’ maximalism of our bitwise age.
07
Nov
[ November the 15th release from Hubro – Lumen Drones – Umbra ]
release date: 15th November 2019
The appearance of the second album by Lumen Drones, ‘Umbra’, carries the status of a major event. Coming fully five years after the group’s startling, self-titled debut recording – released, in late 2015, on ECM Records – the long-awaited follow-up marks a significant leap forward. No less experimental than its predecessor, and certainly no less ‘electric’, yet in many ways a deeper and more profound expression of the trio’s interests, ‘Umbra’ is probably some sort of masterpiece.