Tuesday, April 21, 2015

NEW RELEASES: MAVIS STAPLES – YOUR GOOD FORTUNE; GREAT REVIVERS – HAVE A DRINK WITH GREAT REVIVERS; CYRUS CHESTNUT – A MILLION COLORS IN YOUR MIND

MAVIS STAPLES – YOUR GOOD FORTUNE (EP)

Just a four-track set from soul legend Mavis Staples – but a record that's got more than enough feeling to beat most full length albums on the market! The four tracks here were all produced by Son Little – and have this unusual approach that mixes acoustic roots with some slight contemporary touches – very light drum program passages from Little, mixed with more spontaneous instrumentation on guitar, organ, and slide guitar – plus a bit of backing vocals from a small group who almost bring in an old sort of Staple Singers vibe! The whole thing's still very much in keeping with the classic vibe of other Mavis projects in recent years – and titles include "Your Good Fortune", "Fight", "See That My Grave Is Kept Clean", and "Wish I Had Answered".  ~ Dusty Groove

GREAT REVIVERS – HAVE A DRINK WITH GREAT REVIVERS

We'd love to have a drink with The Great Revivers – as it would finally give us a chance to tell them how much we really love their music! This strong full length debut from the Russian funk combo really pushes past their initial wave of singles – showing the group to not only be as rock-solid as any funk group on this side of the former east/west divide – but also one that has a very mature, thoughtful approach to their instrumentation – super-skilled, and often with these jazzy inflections that remind us of New Mastersounds at their best! The lineup is nice and lean – just guitar, organ, percussion, bass, and drums – with no horns or vocals at all, just a lot of wonderful interplay between the keyboard and electric strings. Titles include "The Return Of Green Snake", "Dandelion Wine", "Sand & Breeze", "Rhino's Walk", "Midnight Run To Liquor Store", and "At The Dipsotheque".  ~ Dusty Groove

CYRUS CHESTNUT – A MILLION COLORS IN YOUR MIND

The title's a great one, as pianist Cyrus Chestnut explodes with a flurry of colors right from the very first note – that wonderful sense of richness in tone that made Chestnut a musician to watch right from the start, but which was sometimes dimmed in his projects for larger labels at the height of his fame. Thankfully, Cyrus has gotten even more open and powerful in recent years – working in a wonderfully unfettered setting like this, with superb support from bassist David Williams and drummer Victor Lewis – both extremely creative musicians, but in a really understated way. The trio comes together in the right mix of rhythm and lyricism that you'd find in the best Cedar Walton trio dates – no surprise, given Williams' long work with Walton – and titles include "Brotherhood Of Man", "From A Tip", "Gloria's Step", "Hello", "A Time For Love", and "Yemenja".  ~ Dusty Groove


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