THOMAS
CLAUSEN – BLUE RAIN
An album
that's hitting strong on just about every level – not just the well-crafted
piano work of Thomas Clausen, but also the full, rich bass of Jesper Lundgaard
– who seems to match every moment of Clausen's inspiration, and fill things in
with these tones that are completely captivating! Drummer Billy Hart makes a
strong contribution too – that new sense of space and swing that we've heard on
some of his own great records of late – and the group also gets wonderful tenor
from Tomas Franck, who brings an edge that we don't always hear on Clausen's
trio dates – a really wonderful addition to the group. Titles include
"Leaves", "Blue Rain", "Punk Monk", "Prelude
To A Kiss", "Prism", and "Things You Are". ~ Dusty Groove
MATANA
ROBERTS - COIN COIN CHAPTER THREE – RIVER RUN THEE
Maybe the
most dense, most complex work we've heard from Matana Roberts to date – a
unusual effort that blends together her own instrumental passages with sound
samples recorded during a wintertime ramble through the states of Mississippi,
Tennessee, and Louisiana! Roberts moves away from her previous group efforts,
to hit even more experimental sounds here – which include her own alto
saxophone lines, plus work on a Korg Monotron, an early 1900s upright piano,
and even a bit of vocalizations too – all taken at a level that's way beyond
jazz, and which has elements of found sound mixing with processed instrumental
passages, and even some odd snippets of classic American songs. The effort
comes off sounding as if an avant jazz album were recorded with an older 4AD
aesthetic – with all the dense sonic structures that might imply – and the
whole thing's definitely one more reason to keep your eyes focused on Roberts'
genius in years to come! ~ Dusty Groove
THE
COOKERS QUINTET – VOL. 2
The
Cookers Quintet definitely earn their name this time around – serving up an old
school hardbop groove that would have been right at home on 60s Blue Note or
Prestige – but which is maybe even more compelling here in a contemporary
setting! As before, these guys have a very strong sense of rhythm – similar to some
of our favorite artists on the Ricky Tick label – which means an acoustic, live
approach to jazz, but one that's also really focused on a soulful groove as
well – the sort that's sure to make some of these numbers perfect for the jazz
dance underground. There's great vocals on a few cuts too – a number each sung
by Johnny O'Neal, Leron Thomas, and Dawn Pemberton – and titles include
"Hot For Preacher", "Sheriff", "The New Deal",
"The Crumpler", "This Is The Thing", and
"Blindside". ~ Dusty Groove
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