Spaceship jazz. These guys have coined a perfect term for themselves. We have free jazz, dark jazz, all sorts of jazz, but this release by France’s Massive Suits Quartet has to be one of the most enjoyable ones of 2019.
There are touches of that ur-spaceship jazz cat Sun Ra, a wee bit of percussive hip-hop beats far off in the distance, and a vibe that would not feel too out of place in a cocktail lounge.
MSQ have left a very good impression.
Avant-garde bebop seems to be the most fitting way to describe this release featuring saxophonist Akira Sakata & Chikamorachi (drummer Chris Corsano and bassist Darrin Grey) along with pianist Masahiko Satoh. No less than Jim O’Rourke gushes over the the musicianship of this improvisers, but this isn’t a racket-filled noise blast. The musicianship is astounding, free, and engaging, something a lot of improvisers can’t seem to make happen unless they’re truly something special. It seems that Sakata has been making music since the 1960s, so I have a bit of exploring to do on his previous work.
Metamodal | Sokratis Sinopoulos Quartet to stream in hi-fi, or to download in True CD Quality on Qobuz.com
Casablanca, Morocco isn’t the first place I would think of as being a global melting pot, but that is because I didn’t ever have a chance to deeply explore the city. It turns out that there is a tremendous amount of influence, not only of local culture, but that of West Africa, Asia, and even elements of music from the United States like jazz, blues and hip-hop. Enter saib., a guitarist who manages to flow easily from genre to genre, making this album sound like a combination of North African groove, a touch of bossa nova and mellow jazz, underpinned by a meaty loops.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmbqOXv38T0
The jazz pianist and composer Jacques Loussier passed away yesterday. It was he who really managed to blend the works of Johann Sebastian Bach and jazz fluidly and managed to make a career out of it. May he rest in peace.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmE8HXbOVWI
Norwegian saxophonist and composer Jan Garbarek never disappoints, but adding Mumbai-born master percussionist Trilok Gurtu makes his sound that much richer.
I have to admit to being thunderstruck by the work of Dimitar Bodurov, a Bulgarian pianist, composer and producer based in Amsterdam. Doing a quick run last evening over at Bandcamp in their jazz improvisation tag, I came across Bodurov’s work, both solo and in this magnificent ECM-feeling trio setup, and it hooked me in from the first blare of the trumpet. Rosen Zahariev-Roko steals the show in this release, playing magnificently, and both he and Bodurov are ably underpinned by the percussion work of Dimitar Semov.
Opto Music is going to be a label to watch for in the future.
Black Pearl deserves high praise for releasing this retrospective series on some of the wildest funk, psychedelic, beat and jazz records to come out of Turkey. The names aren’t famous, but damn it, they should be.
From Black Pearl’s Bandcamp site:
A wide selection of rare Turkish funk, jazz, beat and psychedelic music from the 1970s.
This is the 3rd issue of the groundbreaking Bosporus Bridges compilation series, started in 2005 with Vol. 1 and continued in 2011 with Vol. 2.
Why did it take so long for the release of Vol. 3? Because deep digging, deep selecting and our wish to serve you Turkish pop music of the highest order, simply takes its time. And it is worth doing so. According to the aspiration of the Bosporus Bridges series you will get extraordinary music, opening your mind and remapping your knowledge of Turkish music.
As Turkish pop music is a hybrid of Western and Eastern elements, it’s not just funk, jazz, beat and psychedelic music but each time a specific Turkish approach to a hybrid pop music. This incorporates Turkish language, instruments, melodies etc., all mixed with electric instruments, drums and sound effects of Western pop music.
Exclusively on vinyl we feature 3 tracks, that will be not available digitally of Figen Han with “Pisi Pisi”, Dönüşüm with “Taek-Won-Do” and Burhan Tonguç with “Du-Bi-Ba”.
Enjoy deep Turkish funk by Seyyal Taner, Süheyl Denizci, Cengiz Coskuner and Erkut Taçkın, Turkish jazz by the Burhan Tonguç Ritm Grubu and Figen Han, Turkish beat by Lili Ivanova, Ajda Pekkan and Fatoş Balkır, Turkish psychedelic by Semra Sine, Serter Bağcan and Harout Pamboukjian, and Turkish-Asian rock by Dönüşüm & Halit Kakınç.
High-Quality LP vinyl pressing with restored and remastered audio material of the original records. Comes in a wonderful, authentic and special seventies old-fashioned cover.
I feel bad saying it, but I had thought that Ken “Mr. Coffee” Nordine had passed away some time ago, but it seems he passed away today at the age of 98. His albums Word Jazz and Colors are hip masterpieces.
Alemayehu Eshete has been considered the golden voice of Ethiopia for nearly sixty years. Thanks to Germany’s Philophon Records, we will be hearing more of his music. This is a old track which was re-done with Philophon’s house band, maintaining the spirit of the original but updating the sound quite a bit.
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