MONDAY
MICHIRU – BRASILIFIED NIGHTS
Monday
Michiru returns to one of our favorite modes from her early years –
collaborative grooves cut with some of the best talents of the underground –
all of whom breathe incredible new life into her Brasilified album! We loved
that record to death – and so did most of you – but the work here is almost
even better – as it brings Monday's soulful vocals back to the sort of grooves
that first won her fame on the international scene – as the jazz and Brazilian
elements of the core record are still held intact, but the rhythms are
wonderfully varied, and move seamlessly into a clubby vibe too – thanks to work
by Little Louie Vega, Yukihiro Fukutomi, Steal Vibe, Black Edition, Zero DB,
and others! Yet there's also a surprisingly unified feel to the record too – no
jumps in spirit and sound from track to track – and we attribute that not just
to the work of the remixers, but also to their respect of Michiru's music too.
Titles include "Brasilified (Yukihiro Fukutomi rmx)", "Bossamore
(Zero DB rmx)", "Zanzibar (Louie Vega EOL mix)", "New
Morning (Black Edition rmx)", "Sunrise (Steal Vybe's journey into the
sun rmx)", and "Celebrate (Blk Mrks main room navigation
mix)". ~ Dusty Groove
MOSTLY
OTHER PEOPLE DO THE KILLING - BLUE
One of
the greatest records we've heard so far from this ultra-hip ensemble – the
group's own version of the classic Miles Davis album Kind Of Blue – played in
track by track sequence, but with a lot of the group's own flavors on the
solos! The tracks are all long and wonderful – and done in a style that's quite
faithful to the original, but as a way of showing these guys' continuing
commitment to working jazz roots into their freely expressive music – a path
that's taken them through a run of music from Ornette Coleman to trad jazz,
before landing them here at Miles Davis! Peter Evans handles trumpet – quite a
heady role, but done well – and Jon Irabagon blows both the alto and tenor sax
parts, alongside Ron Stabinsky on piano, Moppa Elliott on bass, and Kevin Shea
on drums. Titles include – of course – "So What", "Freddie
Freeloader", "All Blues", "Blue In Green", and
"Flamenco Sketches". ~ Dusty
Groove
AKI
TAKASE / ALEXANDER SCHLIPPENBACH - SO LONG, ERIC! HOMAGE TO ERIC DOLPHY
Twin
pianos come together wonderfully here in a tribute to the late Eric Dolphy – as
Alexander Von Schlippenbach and Aki Takase play together on the instrument, and
lead a larger ensemble that includes Karl Berger on vibes, Axel Dorner on
trumpet, Nils Wogram on trombone, Tobias Delius on tenor, and Han Bennink on
drums! The tunes are all classic Dolphy compositions – and are given very
inventive reworkings here by the larger group – with shifting focus between
group horn passages, solo lines, and very bold piano work – all with an
angular, exploratory style that Eric would have loved. Titles include "Hat
& Beard", "Out To Lunch", "Serene", "Miss
Ann", "Les", and "Something Sweet Something Tender". ~ Dusty Groove
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