D’ANGELO AND THE VANGUARD – BLACK MESSIAH
D'Angelo
comes back after many years awol from the studio – and the result is a stunning
new step in his music! We've loved the man from day one – and some folks could
well say that he really helped reinvigorate soul back in the 90s – and all his
time away from the studio has definitely been formative, as he comes back here
with a righteous power that really blows away all his previous work! D'Angelo
still loves the slow beat and mellow approach to funk – but he's also picked up
a lot more fuzz and freak, too – righteous energy that more than lives up to
the Black Messiah promised by the title, as do the lyrics. Instrumentation
includes work by Questlove on drums, Roy Hargrove on trumpet, and Jesse Johnson
on guitar – and the grooves have these tripping, slow-percolating elements that
really give the lyrics a great sort of crackle. More than worth the wait – as
you'll hear on titles that include "Back To The Future (parts 1 &
2)", "Sugah Daddy", "Really Love", "1000 Deaths",
"Ain't That Easy", "Betray My Heart", "The Door",
and "Till It's Done (Tutu)". ~
Dusty Groove
MARCUS
PRINTUP - LOST
Marcus
Printup just keeps on getting better and better – a hell of a trumpet player,
and a great writer too – as you'll hear in this set of sparkling original
compositions, dedicated to his late father! Marcus is hardly lost at all – as
the album's got this strong sense of direction – tunes that snap out and really
go places right from the start, in the manner of some of the best old Blue Note
tunes from the 50s and 60s – given a slightly more contemporary approach in
Printup's phrasing, and the way his trumpet mixes with the tenor of Shantawn
Kendrick, piano of Helen Sung, bass of Ben Williams, and drums of Ulysses
Owens. Tracks are all nice and long, and very expressive – and titles include
"G Wiz", "Hopscotch", "Black Bossa",
"Homey's Idea", and "To The Mountain Top". ~ Dusty Groove
NATE
WOOLEY / DAVE REMPIS / PASCAL NIGGENKEMPER / CHRIS CORSANO – FROM WOLVES TO WHALES
A tremendous
expression of tones and colors from trumpeter Nate Wooley and saxophonist Dave
Rempis – working here together on some long tracks that spin out with really
careful, individual textures – in these extended cycles that have both players
winning us all over again with their creativity! The group also features bass
from Pascal Niggenkemper and drums from Chris Corsano – but much of the main
appeal comes from the interaction of the two horns, or the solo passages which
can be extremely expressive – on long titles that include "Swingin
Apoplexy", "Count Me Out", "Slake", and "Serpents
Tooth". ~ Dusty Groove
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