Damn great work from Inobe – a singer who's waited more than a few years before giving us this sweet little record, but who's definitely used all that time to really deepen her game! Inobe's got a vocal range here that's really wonderful – very old school in its sense of richness, at a level that takes us back to older female soul from the 70s – yet set here to some fresh arrangements that really have a great sense of personality – complex, yet simple – using bits of acoustic guitar, vocal overdubs, and a few elegant elements to bring a range to the songs that really makes the album sparkle. And speaking of "Sparkle", some of the best cuts have a laidback electric vibe that almost reminds us of the mellow Aretha Franklin work from the early 70s – those great album tracks that we often love more than the singles. Titles include "Take A Drive", "One More Day", "Bah Dah Dah", "Lovin You", "Find Me", "Change", and "Who You Are". ~ Dusty Groove
JUKKA ESKOLA - ORQUESTA BOSSA
A killer set from Finnish trumpet genius Jukka Eskola – a
bossa-styled outing with a sweet 60s groove – but one that's quite different
from his earlier hardbop recordings! The "orquesta" in the group is mostly just
a string quartet – but they shade in spaces wonderfully between the tightly
rhythmic lines, and the bold solos from Jukka's own trumpet, and the sax and
flute of Petri Puolitaival – a player we don't know at all, but who proves to be
a very wonderful partner for Eskola on the set! All the vintage trappings of
Jukka's recordings for Ricky Tick are still in place – but the flavor here is
nicely different, and real proof that Eskola's one of the most creative players
in the contemporary Scandia scene. Titles include "Chester Le Street", "From The
Hot Afternoon", "Wien", "Bolly Beat", "Tensions", "Ricky Tick", and "Martha's
Moment". ~ Dusty Groove
LINDA OH - SUN PICTURES
Beautiful sounds from bassist Linda Oh – a very vivid set
that definitely lives up to the pictures promised in the title! Oh's got this
way of painting in sound that we really love – sometimes in a straighter jazz
formation, sometimes with a more lyrical, open brush that really makes for magic
in the music – an approach that few others could handle this way without falling
into older cliches or overly-sentimental passages – but which Linda makes come
across with the same sort of edge as her music with others. The group maintains
the right sort of feel to realize Oh's vision – with Ben Wendel on trumpet,
James Muller on guitar, and Ted Poor on drums – all very versatile players,
especially Muller – whose tones really do a lot for the record. Titles include
"Blue Over Gold", "Footfall", "Polyphonic HMI", "Shutterspeed Dreams", and "10
Minutes Till Closing". ~ Dusty Groove
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