Wednesday, August 29, 2012

NEW RELEASES - JOHN ZORN, JACAM MANRICKS, DAM-FUNK

JOHN ZORN - RIMBAUD

A suite of tracks inspired by the poetry of Rimbaud – but carried off with sounds that are light years from his words on paper! The music is some of John Zorn's most hard-hitting in recent years – very different than the lyrical, poetic style you might expect – and done in with a fair bit of noise and electronics at times, mixed alongside acoustic instrumentation with offbeat phrasing and tuning. Titles include "Bateau Ivre", played by the Talea Ensemble with flute, clarinet, vibes, and strings; "A Season In Hell", which features both Zorn and Ikue Mori on electronics; "Illuminations", a loose free jazz piece from the trio of Stephen Gosling on piano, Trevor Dunn on bass, and Kenny Wollesen on drums; and "Conneries", which has insane vocalizations from Mathiew Almaric, plus alto, piano, organ, and guitar from Zorn! ~ Dusty Groove

JACAM MANRICKS / ADAM ROGERS / DAVID WEISS / MATT WILSON / SAM YAHEL – CLOUD NINE

A beautiful set from a tenorist we hardly know at all – but who's playing here in some great company – including Sam Yahel on Hammond, David Weiss on trumpet, and Adam Rogers on guitar! Most tunes are originals, and they're really well written – able to capture a good deal of feeling in a few short lines – letting the players come together with a rich sense of expression at the start, then take off freely with their own spiritual interpretations of the themes. A few moments are nicely exploratory, but the album's definitely got an inherent sense of swing – and tunes include "Alibis & Lullabies", "Serene Pilgrimage", "Loaf", "Luiza", "Cloud Nine", and "Ystava Sa Lapsien". ~ Dusty Groove

DAM-FUNK – I DON’T WANNA BE A STAR!

Neo-classic boogie funk genius Dam-Funk returns with a stellar 12-inch EP on Stones Throw – channeling his inner Prince a bit on the title track – and straight up covering Prince for the following track! "I Don't Wanna Be A Star!" is as infectious as anything we've heard from Dam-Funk to date – and it's here as a 12" Mix, that's presumably a bit different that the version on the forthcoming Invite The Light LP. "17 Days" is a cover of the Prince tune – and it's a faithful one, but it hones in the rubbery bass funk at the core. The solid instro funk jam "Fadin'" and the equally strong electro-styled "New Knock" fill out the flip. ~ Dusty Groove

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