Lilly Hiatt
Walking Proof
New West Records
Lilly Hiatt has been quietly gathering steam across four records to date – this is her finest though – and the real announcement: She’s arrived. She’s here. She’s a great singer and terrific songwriter and here’s the absolute (walking) proof. Read More
David S. Ware New Quartet
Théâtre Garonne, 2008
Aum Fidelity
David S. Ware lost his battle with kidney failure in 2012 – it was a blood infection that got him following on from his 2009 transplant. He played in pain and without many people knowing for the last two decades of his career. Including here in 2008, pre transplant, with what was his new quartet – a short-lived group that featured drummer Warren Smith in place of the previous Susie Ibarra and guitarist Joe Morris taking over from the piano chair that Matthew Shipp had held for well over a decade. Longtime collaborator William Parker was still the bass anchor for this group. Read More
Daniel Lopatin
Uncut Gems – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Warp Records
A strange adrenalin pushes the movie Uncut Gems – but then its anti-hero Howard Ratner (Adam Sandler) is compelled by a very strange adrenalin: For him it’s less about winning than it is not completely losing. In his gambler’s mind if he doesn’t lose completely then he lives to play again. To be in the game at all is his form of winning even if he’s robbing from Peter to payback Peter before Paul shoots first. Read More
Huey Lewis And The News
Hot Off The Press (Live 1987)
Shockwaves
Another day, another old radio-station live broadcast bootlegged out to the world anew in a ‘semi authorised’ fashion. I’m loving finding these things on every second doorstep down Music Avenue right now. Read More
Marquis Hill
Love Tape
Black Unlimited Music Group
Marquis Hill burst onto the scene about a decade ago as part of the new New Thing out of Chicago – a trumpeter that knows his way around a party banger, a late-night soul-chill and all aspects in-between across both jazz and R’n’B.
Here – with a sort of between-albums mixtape – Hill is on flugelhorn with a crew of great players in support (Josh Johnson on alto sax, Marcus Gilmore on drums, Junius Paul on electric bass and Mike King across piano, keys and Fender Rhodes).
The premise for this brief set of tunes is to build instrumental tracks in support of inspirational quotes and interview extracts from famous women talking about self-love and care (the voices include Abbey Lincoln, Phylicia Rashad and Eartha Kitt) and there are some beautiful moments where the music is just a warm bath in and of itself (To You I Promise) regardless of the words that might have inspired the creation. But we get to hear those moments too of course.
The album opens with the words of a man – Roy Hargrove, the late, great trumpeter was clearly a huge influence on Hill. And on Roy’s Intro we have Hargrove in John Coltrane mode stating, “The whole reason why I play is for God. I’m in service”. Here, Hill is in service to his love of Hargrove, his love of music, his dedication to craft and his commitment a late-night meditation on hip-hop, soul, R’n’B and jazz.
There’s something spiritually uplifting about this mini-album (9 songs, 29 minutes) and the calm charm of some of the melodies (Won’t You Celebrate With Me) is the perfect tonic. This is the jazz album that non-jazzers can dig. It’s the R’n’B album for people that ordinarily get bored with slow-jamz. It’s subtly quite dazzling. A wee gem that is perfect for right now.
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Robert Plant
Digging Deep (Ltd Ed. 7” Box Set)
Es Paranza
I’ve loved Robert Plant’s Digging Deep podcast. In (usually) 15-20 minute episodes Plant is guided through his back-catalogue one song at a time, could be a Zeppelin track, is usually a solo one but that’s the surprise. One week it’s one of the lesser known tracks from the middling years when he was finding his way post-Zep, next week it’s something like Battle of Evermore or Achilles Last Stand. Read More
Roger Kellaway
The Many Open Minds of Roger Kellaway
IPO Recordings
The archive of rare/lost/archival jazz recordings is staggering. Here’s a gig Roger Kellaway recorded just under a decade ago – and left it. It’s a stunner. He’s at the keys working his magic – with shit-hot bassist Dan Lutz and killer guitarist Bruce Forman completing the drummer-less piano trio. All three are just in fine form here – the interplay is never less than dazzling. This is a set of well known standards and jump straight to second track, a 10-minute workout across Have You Met Miss Jones, to hear Lutz, Forman and Kellaway all soloing, all ‘talking’ to one another – without ever talking across each other.
So finally this was released – late, late last year in time to honour Kellaway’s 80th birthday.
The arranger, composer, producer and player is still issuing new works too of course – I loved the third volume of “New Standards” which was released a couple of years back (featuring another crack trio). But to hear this now – recorded when he was 70 – is to absolutely hear a top-of-the-game run across so many great tunes. He instantly makes any piece his own, but at the same time you’re not concerned with his personality dominating the playing in any way, but he keeps finding new ways in – as here on his rendition of Take Five. It helps to hear it removed from its drumming I guess, that marked 5/4 pulse is such a defining characteristic of the Brubeck recording of the Paul Desmond song. But here Kellaway takes it for a stroll – his fingers dancing in a very Oscar Peterson way.
The same is true of the nearly quarter-hour version of Ellington’s Take The ‘A’ Train presented here. From gentle balladry to integrations of stride and boogie stylings, a bit of bop from Forman’s guitar (nice shades of Charlie Christian) and then to Night and Day and Caravan to finish. This is just a clinic. A must have. A must hear. Dynamite performances. And a whole new way of hearing old classics that is all at once respectful and innovative. It’s those new spaces that Kellaway carves out where you hear the joyous runs of a man who simply loves to play the piano. And he’s so well served by his backing musicians here. They know when to splash colours from their palettes and when to just sit back and roll out the background textures.
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The Monkees
The Mike & Micky Show Live
Rhino Records
The late-career comeback of The Monkees has been a nice surprise. Like The Beatles and The Who they’re now down to just two and Mike Nesmith made it very clear during the recent tour (and in the years previous) that he could wander from the stage at any moment, including often during the set. It’s highly likely that one day he’ll just forget to return mid-show, mid-song even. Read More
Muthspiel/Colley/Blade
Angular Blues
ECM
A half decade back, Austrian guitarist and composer Wolfgang Muthspiel released his debut trio album as a leader for the ECM label. A beautiful record, it was the start of what is now a solid connection with master drummer (and one of the busiest men in music, seemingly) Brian Blade. The trio records usually included Larry Grenadier on bass – another safe pair of hands – but for this most recent trio album it’s a new bassist on board, Scott Colley. He’s every bit as experienced as Grenadier with over a half-dozen albums under his own name as a leader and winning collaborations with the likes of Jim Hall, Andrew Hill, Gary Burton and then pushing it out there further with Nels Cline. He’s also well connected to Blade through their piano-led explorations in the trio Steel House – well worth checking out. Read More
Madison McFerrin
You + I (ep)
MadFerrin Music / Madison McFerrin
Madison McFerrin – yes! Daughter of Bobby – is back with a new EP and a new level of sophistication to her music. Where the earlier EPs showcased her great skills as a multi-level/multi-layering vocalist (apples/trees) here she eases back on the a capella relentlessness and settles into some ‘song’ production and ‘straight’ singing. (To be clear, I loved a lot of what she already did with a tune – but sometimes it crept along into gymnastics, here we’re actually feeling some songs). Read More
Kandace Springs
The Women Who Raised Me
Blue Note Records / Capitol Records, LLC
Kandace Springs here pays tribute to the female voices that “raised” her; the influences. It’s an immaculate set of choices – some big, big songs (Strange Fruit) and big shoes to try to fill (from Nina Simone to Diana Krall and to several points in-between) but Springs brings her own class, her fantastic backing unit (Scott Colley on bass, drummer Clarence Penn and guitarist Steve Cardenas) and her own ideas around how classic jazz balladry (What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life) can mix and mingle with modern R’n’B (Ex Factor).
In fact her version of Lauryn Hill is one of the absolute highlights here.
It’s also an album that features some stunning guest stars – from Christian McBride’s opening slot carrying Devil May Care with his bass through two sublime spots from trumpeter Avishai Cohen (Pearls, I Can’t Make You Love Me) to a killer sax solo from David Sanborn on a very nice rendition of I Put A Spell On You
Springs’ voice is magnificent throughout – relishing the opportunity to pay back, to give props. She’s also in great touch at the piano (Gentle Rain, Solitude).
Angel Eyes sees her duetting with Norah Jones, one of her contemporary heroes. Jones’ start in music was one of the guiding lights for Springs. Now they’re labelmates and their pianos and voices cast lilting, lovely shadows for one another on this perfect treatment of one of the great standards.
The ensemble playing is fine – and but for a few guest-star solos this is all about the songs rather than showcasing instrumental spotlight-hogging. It’s all about conveying the music. For the closer, Springs accompanies herself on the Fender Rhodes for Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit. The song is a tower and many inferior versions exist – tiny dwellings hopefully aiming to mean something. Kandace Springs manages something new – but utterly respectful – here with her version of a sadly still relevant, tortured and torturing torch ballad.
This album is the work of a big music fan. It’s also the work of an emerging star. Her best effort to date and hopefully a lot of people get to know her better through this.
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Maria Bamford
Weakness Is The Brand
Comedy Dynamics, A Nacelle Company
The latest Maria Bamford comedy special is available on VOD services as well as an audiobook file or a CD/Mp3 – she was canned from Netflix after her last special and the two seasons of Lady Dynamite didn’t quite do the numbers – but this is easily her best comedy special to date. She’s an absolute tour-de-force and in flying fine form here. I always prefer the Bamford specials in audio formats, or at least return to them for audio after watching, because her voice work is so – so – good and the quick-change aspect between her accents and voices really seems to ‘pop’ when listening only. It’s as if you can see it coming with some of the facial gestures to concentrate on – little clues. Read More