NEW RELEASES - FINK & THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA, STAHL'S TRIO, ROSCOE MITCHELL / TONY MARSH / JOHN EDWARDS

FINK & THE ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW ORCHESTRA - RCO: LIVE IN CONCERT

Some of the coolest, most complex work we've ever heard from Fink – a set that takes the trio way past their usual Ninja Tune territory – thanks to the addition of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra! The core trio serve up spare instrumentation that's dramatically augmented by the RCO – not in ways that are the usual orchestral style, but sort of shaded in with fuller colors and tones – creating a moody feel that definitely makes the record the group's most expressive so far! The vocals are especially nice in this setting – especially when the orchestra is offering some strikingly avant counterpoint – and the whole thing comes packaged in an amazing book-like package, with lots of notes and photos on the project. Titles include "Berlin Sunrise", "The Infernal Machine", "Wheels", "This Is The Thing", and "Sort Of Revolution". ~ Dusty Groove.

STAHL'S TRIO - JAG SKULLE BARA GA UT

Amazing vibes from Mattias Stahl and his trio – easily one of the most inventive players on his instrument in recent years – ringing out here with a sense of tone and timing that's simply superb! There's a modern edge to all these tracks that takes us back to Teddy Charles' vibes experiments of the 50s – and maybe a bit to early Walt Dickerson, too – and like the latter, Stahl has key rhythm players that really help him shape the sounds on the set – Joe Williamson on bass and Christopher Cantillo on drums – both of whom add a strong pulse that lets the vibes really take off on their own. Titles include a version of Sun Ra's "Satellites Are Spinning" – plus the tracks "Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby", "Formaldehyde", "The Siamese Twin", "I Was Only Going Out", and "The Mooche".~ Dusty Groove

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ROSCOE MITCHELL / TONY MARSH / JOHN EDWARDS - IMPROVISATIONS

Beautifully-blown work from Roscoe Mitchell – some of the loosest sides we've heard from him in years – and some of the most striking, too! The tracks are all long improvisations done with drummer Tony Marsh and bassist John Edwards – but they've got a really respectful approach that has Mitchell's reed lines very much out front in the mix – this bold sax and flute voice that's holding incredibly strong after all these years – freed from some of the more academic modes that have kept Roscoe a bit muted on other recordings, with the rich, organic quality we loved so much in his earliest years with the AACM. 2LP set spins at 45rpm, for really great fidelity – and vinyl is nice and heavy! ~ Dusty Groove