Tuesday, January 13, 2015

NEW RELEASES: JEAN CARNE - GIVE IT UP; MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - SPACE / TIME - REDEMPTION; TILL BRONNER - THE MOVIE ALBUM

JEAN CARNE – GIVE IT UP

The great Jean Carne, still very much at the top of her game – and going strong at a level that none of her contemporaries from the old days could ever hope to match! Carne's an artist that we've loved for decades, and one who's continued to keep the soul and sophistication in her music, no matter what the setting – evolving over the years, yet never selling out or going for any sort of easy roads ahead. Instead, she's stayed very much her own person – a marvelous talent that shines strongly here in the company of producer Butch Ingram – who brings just the right mix of old school and contemporary styles to bear on the record, at a level that's similar to some of his other excellent Society Hill productions in recent years. Carne's jazz roots are still strong – as you'll hear especially on the album's version of Wayne Shorter's "Infant Eyes" – and guests include Don Ward and David Simmons, on other titles that include "She's All Alone", "Give It Up", "Everybody Knows", "Life Keeps Going On", "Come Home To Me", and "One Night Stand".  ~ Dusty Groove

MILFORD GRAVES / BILL LASWELL - SPACE / TIME - REDEMPTION

Bill Laswell returns to his roots – working here in a setting that's loose, open, and relatively improvised – as Bill's electric bass carves out these wonderfully spacious, tuneful lines alongside the drums and percussion of Milford Graves! Given all of Laswell's higher-concept and heavily-processed work over the years, we sometimes forget that at his core, he can still be a sensitive jazz musician – especially when working in the right setting, which definitely seems to be the case here. The tracks are long, but never meandering – and Bill's basswork not only grounds the record and gives it structure, but also seems to really set Graves free to open up in nicely complex ways. Titles include "Another Space", "Sonny Sharrock", "Eternal Signs", "Another Time", and "Autopossession".  ~ Dusty Groove

TILL BRONNER – THE MOVIE ALBUM


A beautiful setting for trumpeter Till Bronner – a set that has the German musician stepping out on a host of famous film themes, with backing from a larger orchestra that creates a wonderful backdrop for his solos! The style's very different than some of Bronner's more groove-oriented sets, and is a great reminder that he's also got an ear for deeper sounds and more expansive modes – yet still in a way that holds onto all of the soul in his horn. Chuck Loeb put the set together with Till, and also helped with the arrangements – as did Chris Walden, Nan Schwartz, and Jeff Lorber. The album features some guest appearances – including Everett Harp on tenor, Gregory Porter on vocals, Chuck Loeb on guitar, Arturo Sandoval on trumpet, Lizzy Cuesta on vocals, Joy Denalane on vocals, and Rick Braun on flugelhorn. Titles include "Moon River", "Forbidden Colours", "Run To You", "Love Theme From Cinema Paradiso", "Il Postino", "Mulholland Falls", "Happy", and "The Godfather Waltz". Japanese CD features the bonus "Deborah's Theme". (Limited Japanese SHM-CD edition.)  ~ Dusty Groove


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