NEW RELEASES - ANTONELLA VITALE - SONGS IN MY HEART; BLUE NOTE BOOK - UNCOMPROMISING EXPRESSION; WILL BLADES - FIELD NOTES

ANTONELLA VITALE - SONGS IN MY HEART

The first we've ever heard from singer Antonella Vitale – a deep-voiced singer with a really great small combo sort of vibe – and an ability to sing equally well in English and Italian! Most of the music here is in English – as the tunes are older jazz standards – but there's a few Italian numbers that are especially nice, and which feature writing by Vitale herself, which is a very nice surprise! Backing is mostly by a trio, but a really lively one – with sublime work on acoustic bass from Francesco Puglisi, who really gives the music a soulful finish – and players include Andrea Beneventano on piano and Alessandro Marzi on drums – plus guest accordion from Antonella Salis on a few tracks. Titles include "Blue In Green", "Take The A Train", "Canoeiro", "Eu E O Vento", "But Beautiful", "Preludio", and "The Shadow Of Your Smile". ~ Dusty Groove

BLUE NOTE BOOK: UNCOMPROMISING EXPRESSION 

November will see the worldwide release of Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression, the first official illustrated history of Blue Note Records, authored by Richard Havers and including forewords by Wayne Shorter, Robert Glasper, and Blue Note President Don Was. Commemorating our 75th anniversary, the beautiful 400-page hardcover book celebrates over seven decades of extraordinary music, and Blue Note's ongoing commitment to "Uncompromising Expression," the tenet set forth by founder Alfred Lion, a German immigrant who came to America to pursue his dreams and his love of music. Tracing the evolution of jazz from the boogie woogie and hot jazz of the 1930s, through bebop, hard-bop, the avant-garde and fusion, to the eclectic mix Blue Note releases today, the book also narrates a complex social history from the persecution of Jews in Nazi Germany to the developments in music and technology in the late 20th century. Featuring classic album artwork, unseen contact sheets, rare ephemera from the Blue Note Archives, commentary from some of the biggest names in jazz today, and feature reviews of seventy-five key albums, this is the definitive book on the legendary label. Blue Note: Uncompromising Expression is available for pre-order now. ~ Blue Note Records

WILL BLADES - FIELD NOTES

Keyboardist Wil Blades always gets our attention – but here he somehow sounds even better than before – working in a sweet funky trio with a deeply soulful feel, and maybe some of the funkiest guitar we've ever heard from the great Jeff Parker! Parker's probably best known for some of his more experimental work – which ranges beyond just standard jazz – but he also spent some time coming up with Hammond combos, so sounds great here working alongsid Wil's tightly creative work on the B3, as well as some clavinet at a few points too! Drummer Simon Lott has a tight, break-sensitive sound to his work – which makes even the mellow moments nice and funky – which only seems to set Parker on fire more than ever. Titles include "Chrome", "Addis", "Parks N Wreck", "Miller's Time", "Red Lanterns Are Blue", and "I Get The Blues When It Rains".~ Dusty Groove