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Posts Tagged Jazz

Archive

January 18, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Yussef Dayes Trio: Welcome To The Hills

Yussef Dayes Trio Welcome To The Hills Cashmere Thoughts Take a look at that cover – the drum-kit on fire! – it’s either evocation of playing with such heat as to near fear for your life or a symbol of burning it all to the ground, either way it’s about leaving it all on the […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Black Focus, Cashmere Thoughts, Chris Stacey, Jazz, Kamaal Williams, Live, Pino Palladino, Rocco Palladino, Trio, Welcome To The Hills, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Yussef Dayes Trio, Yussef Dayes Trio: Welcome To The Hills, Yussef Kamaal, Yussuf Dayes ·

Archive

December 7, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

GRG67: Happy Place

GRG67 Happy Place Rattle It can be very hard to keep up with Auckland-based label, Rattle. And I try! But there are albums that slip through the cracks, one such is this, the second (to my ears at least) from Auckland quartet GRG67. Get Happy is a vast improvement on the debut too. That was […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Auckland, GRG67, GRG67: Happy Place, Happy Place, Jazz, MIchael Howell, Mostyn Cole, Quartet, Rattle, Roger Manins, Tristan Deck, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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December 4, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Jeff Cosgrove / John Medeski / Jeff Lederer: History Gets Ahead Of The Story

Jeff Cosgrove / John Medeski / Jeff Lederer History Gets Ahead Of The Story Grizzley Music The bass player William Parker has been a towering presence on the improvising side of modern jazz – here he is celebrated as composer by drummer Jeff Cosgrove, leading a bass-less trio (John Medeski on organ, Jeff Lederer flue […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Drums, Flute, History Gets Ahead Of The Story, Jazz, Jeff Cosgrove, Jeff Cosgrove / John Medeski / Jeff Lederer, Jeff Cosgrove / John Medeski / Jeff Lederer: History Gets Ahead Of The Story, Jeff Lederer, John Medeski, Organ, Saxophone, Trio, William Parker, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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December 2, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Dinner Party: Dinner Party – Dessert

Dinner Party Dinner Party: Dessert Sounds of Crenshaw / EMPIRE In the middle of this year (the American summer) a supergroup rather quietly snuck into place. All of its members had worked together in various combinations or at least mixed in the same musical circles – but it’s a stacked deck: Kamasi Washington, Terrace Martin, […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 9th Wonder, Album Review, Alt. Versions, Bilal, Dessert, Dinner Party, Dinner Party: Dessert, Dinner Party: Dinner Party - Dessert, Edit, EP, Herbie Hancock, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Kamasi Washington, Mini-Album, Phoelix, R'n'B, Remix, Robert Glasper, Snoop Dogg, Sounds of Crenshaw / EMPIRE, Supergroup, Tank and The Bangas, Tarriona 'Tank' Ball, Terrace Martin, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 30, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Will Vinson / Gilad Hekselman / Antonio Sanchez: Trio Grande

Will Vinson / Gilad Hekselman / Antonio Sanchez Trio Grande Whirlwind Recordings Here’s the debut studio recording from a brand new jazz-supergroup. All three members arrived in New York some 15-20 years ago and have come to embody so much about the soul and heart of that city’s vibrant jazz scene. All three are bandleaders […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Antonio Sanchez, Drums, Gilad Hekselman, Guitar, Jazz, Saxophone, Trio, Trio Grande, Will Vinson, Will Vinson / Gilad Hekselman / Antonio Sanchez, Will Vinson / Gilad Hekselman / Antonio Sanchez: Trio Grande, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 25, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Poem: Billie Holiday Created Modern Jazz Singing And Also Loved Drugs, Drinking And Fucking

The official story is that Billie Holiday lived a sad life. She was abused and grew up to abuse alcohol and drugs as part of her escape. She peaked, then crumbled, then died broke and losing her voice and all well before the age of 50. But Billie used every interview to point out she’d […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged Abuse, Billie Holiday Created Modern Jazz Singing And Also Loved Drugs, Billie Holiday Created Modern Jazz Singing And Also Loved Drugs Drinking And Fucking, Drinking, Drinking And Fucking, Drugs, Fucking, Jazz, Poem, Poem: Billie Holiday Created Modern Jazz Singing And Also Loved Drugs, Poem: Billie Holiday Created Modern Jazz Singing And Also Loved Drugs Drinking And Fucking, Trauma ·

Archive

November 19, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 14

George Russell Sextet, Stratusphunk (1960) When both Ant Donaldson and Riki Gooch – two of New Zealand’s best drummers and musical minds – tell you about the composer George Russell you listen. And when they mention his great albums with his sextet and larger ensembles you hunt them down. And when you find one of them […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 1960, Ant Donaldson, George Russell, George Russell Sextet, Hallensteins, Jazz, LP, Record, Riki Gooch, Stratusphunk, The Vinyl Countdown, The Vinyl Countdown # 14, Vinyl ·

Archive

November 16, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Dave Brubeck: Lullabies

Dave Brubeck Lullabies Verve This is Dave Brubeck’s final album – released just now, but recorded a decade ago. It’s a set of charming-enough lullabies, the real weight of them can be measured by the wait I guess – and the timing now of release; early next month it is the jazz legend’s centenary so […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 100, Album Review, Centenary, Covers, Dave Brubeck, Dave Brubeck: Lullabies, Instrumental, Jazz, Lullabies, Lullaby, Originals, Piano, posthumous, Solo, Standards, Verve, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 15, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Fred Hersch: Songs From Home

Fred Hersch Songs From Home Palmetto Records Covid records. There’ll be many more to come. What to do when you can’t play a show – when you can’t get together with the full band, when you can’t do your job but need to try to make some money; more than that need to connect – […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Covers, Covid-19, Fred Hersch, Fred Hersch: Songs From Home, Instrumental, Jazz, Palmetto Records, Piano, Solo, Songs From Home, Standards, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

Archive

November 13, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Enrico Pieranunzi: Frame

Enrico Pieranunzi Frame Cam Jazz When I last caught up with Enrico Pieranunzi’s playing it was in trio form, a live gig that captured one of drum-legend Paul Motian’s final performances behind the kit. It was a devastatingly good set – one I revisit, but beyond that I’ve forgotten to check in on Peiranunzi, an […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Art, Cam Jazz, Enrico Pieranunzi, Enrico Pieranunzi: Frame, Frame, Hopper, Jazz, Klimt, Matisse, Mondrian, Painting, Piano, Picasso, Pollock, Solo, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 13, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Rick Simpson: Everything All Of The Time – Kid A Revisited

Rick Simpson Everything All Of The Time: Kid A Revisited Whirlwind Recordings British jazz pianist Rick Simpson here reworks Radiohead’s Kid A for jazz – specifically for an acoustic quintet. He’s more than ably assisted by Will Glaser (drums), James Allsop (baritone saxophone), Tori Freestone (tenor sax) and Dave Whitford (bass). They take the album, […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged $20, 20 Years, 20th Anniversary, Album Review, Dave Whitford, Everything All Of The Time, Everything All Of The Time: Kid A Revisited, James Allsop, Jazz, Kid A, Kid A Revisited, Radiohead, Rick Simpson, Rick Simpson: Everything All Of The Time - Kid A Revisited, Tori Freestone, Will Glaser, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 10, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 40 – Frank Zappa, “Jazz From Hell”

Frank Zappa, Jazz From Hell, 1986 Almost a trick question really – looking for the crap Frank Zappa albums that are good. His music lives in the vacuum of its cult endorsements. Ask the wives and girlfriends. Ask the bemused best friends of certain music nerds. Ask yourself. Is there an enjoyably Frank Zappa album? […]
Posted in Blog, Miscellany · Tagged “Jazz From Hell”, 1986, 80s, Black Codes (From The Underground), Crap Albums, Frank Zappa, FZ, Instrumental, Jan Hammer, Jazz, Jean Michel Jarre, Miami Vice, Shit Albums, Shit That's Good, Shit That's Good - Crap Albums I Love, Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums, Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 40, Shit That’s Good! Crap Albums I Love # 40 – Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Synclavier, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Zappa ·
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