Jazz Recommends Jazz June 2020

Review: Before she made a name for herself with a string of killer disco, jazz-funk and fusion records in the late '70s and early '80s, Dee Dee Bridgewater was a rising star on the global jazz underground. This period of her career is best exemplified by 1974 debut album "Afro Blue", a fine vocal jazz album recorded in Tokyo with a backing band made up of husband Cecil (a top trumpeter) and high-quality Japanese session musicians. As this reissue proves, the album has lost none of its allure. There's much to set the pulse racing throughout, from the breezy soul-jazz shuffle of opener "Afro Blue" and the emotive "Blues Medley", to the superb slowed-down jazz cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" and blissful "People Make The World Go Round".

Review: "Pyramid Pieces" is a long overdue retrospective of the golden years of Australia's modern jazz scene in the 1960s and '70s. It could hardly be called a well-known scene - it was barely celebrated in Australia, yet alone elsewhere - but over the course of two decades produced a string of fine releases showcasing fresh interpretations of then contemporary jazz from the USA and Europe, as well as a homegrown style known as 'Eco-Jazz'. Highlights are plentiful, from the magnificent modal movements of Jazz Co/Op's "A La Coltrane" and the effortlessly evocative spirituality of "Exploration of the Sun" by the John Sangster Quartet, to the heady eco-jazz beauty of the Brian Brown Quintet's "Wildflowers" and Peter Gaudion Blues Express's winding instrumental cover of jazz staple "People Make The World Go round".

Review: Two years on from his last outing under the alias, Finnish drummer-producer Teppo Makynen dons the Stance Brothers guise for a typically on-point outing. Both cuts are freshly re-imagined takes on "Resolution Blue", a joint Makynen/Timo Lassy production first featured on the pair's 2018 collaborative album on We Jazz Records. The A-side rendition naturally features killer beats from Makynen, as well as a low-slung, Afro-funk influenced bassline and fluid vibraphone solos. Over on side B, "Where Is Resolution Blue" once again pushes the "vibes" to the fore, though the analogue synth-sporting groove that sits below is altogether smoother, jauntier and seemingly recorded with crushed velvet smoking jackets and smoky lounge clubs in mind. It's the kind of thing that fellow Finn Jimi Tenor once excelled at.

Review: Earlier in the year, drummer Moses Boyd - a man once thought of as jazz's next big thing - finally delivered his debut album, "Dark Matter", and it was a peach. Exodus have decided to re-press it in hour of the Love Record Stores campaign, delivering it on highly limited "split black and white vinyl". Musically, the album's strongest selling point is Boyd's inspired rhythms, which mix his jazz roots with nods to hip-hop, grime, dubstep, dancehall and the kind of polyrhythmic beats made famous by the late, great Tony Allen. Throw in equally adept musical backing - think fuzzy, Fela Kuti style horns, booming basslines, Juju guitar solos, jazz-funk flourishes, dark hip-hop tropes and inspiring vocals - and you have a contemporary jazz-not-jazz set with serious chops.

Review: After spending so much of their career to date releasing on Jazzman, it's interesting to see The Greg Foat Group make their way over to Athens Of The North for this cool and deadly new record. "The Dreaming Jewels" keeps the grooves simmering low down - all the sweeter to sink into. Just lock in on "Eric's Breakdown" and ask yourself if the track needs any more than that sweet conga flex. "The Door Into Summer" is a beautifully mellow jam too, all sultry Rhodes and sax to signal the start of lazy days. There are more tender moments and some breezier affairs, but the vibe remains chilled throughout this wonderful set from an accomplished band.

Review: Acclaimed pianist Greg Foat is a mainstay of the current UK jazz revival thanks to works on Jazzman and Athens of the North. He draws on soul and library music for his inspiration and serves up lush symphonies that are rich in detail, layer and emotion. This new album, which makes use of pedal steel for the first time, goes even more widescreen in its approach and includes powerfully uplifting tracks like "Anticipation" as well as more sensual and slower groovers and languid movers like "Island Life." It is the sound of an artist and composer at the very peak of his powers.

Review: Percussionist Kahil El Zabar and tenor saxophonist David Murray have long been keen collaborators. Since laying down their first joint album in 1989, they've collaborated on countless recordings and live performances, each helping them carve a deeper and more distinactive niche within spiritual jazz. Their latest full-length excursion, "Spirit Jazz", may well be their best collective work to date. Joined by bassist Emma Dayhuff and keys-player Justin Dillard, the pair work their way through a septet of fresh compositions that combine the free-wheeling, intergalactic spirit of spiritual jazz with grooves and arrangements that are far more accessible than those offered up by their contemporaries. It's an alluring combination.

Review: Smoke Stack was Andrew Hill's second album for the legendary Blue Note way back in 1963. The pianist and composer enlisted not one but two bassist for the project, while keys came from the master that was Roy Haynes. Often thought to have a distinct voice in the jazz game, Hill had a compositional skill that was rarely matched. This album proves that with seven tracks that now get a new all analog mastering job from the original master tapes. Angular modernist piano structures, freeform solos and a constantly evolving mix of the two bassists makes this a thrillingly unusual album that was in a class of one then, and still is now.

Review: Tastemaking US jazz label International Anthem serves up this special 7" from Angel Bat Dawid in response to Emma Warren's 2019 book "Make Some Space", which told the story of London DIY music space Total Refreshment Centre. Featuring clarinets, keys and drum machines, both tracks are hugely conversational, with emotional pain and power ebbing and flowing through both originals pieces. A-side "Transition East" overflows with ideas and narrative while "No Space For Us" is more cautious and subdued, but both leave a lasting impact. The track features Angel with Ben LaMar Gay and Brazilian talents Edbrass Brasil, Romulo Alexis, Tadeu Mascarenhas, Nancy Viegas and Germano Estacio.

Review: Percussionist Kahil El Zabar and tenor saxophonist David Murray have long been keen collaborators. Since laying down their first joint album in 1989, they've collaborated on countless recordings and live performances, each helping them carve a deeper and more distinactive niche within spiritual jazz. Their latest full-length excursion, "Spirit Jazz", may well be their best collective work to date. Joined by bassist Emma Dayhuff and keys-player Justin Dillard, the pair work their way through a septet of fresh compositions that combine the free-wheeling, intergalactic spirit of spiritual jazz with grooves and arrangements that are far more accessible than those offered up by their contemporaries. It's an alluring combination.