Tuesday, January 13, 2015

NEW RELEASES: LUCKY BROWN - MYSTERY ROAD; MIKKO INNANEN / WILLIAM PARKER / ANDREW CYRILLE – SONG FOR A NEW DECADE; CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA – IMAGINARY CITIES

LUCKY BROWN – MYSTERY ROAD

Mystery Road pays homage to the great unknown musicians throughout america who, with their self-produced singles, became local and regional hits just around the time that megacorporations began saturating the market and the radio with something that was less like music, and more like a product. They, with profit as their goal, turned the radio into a marketplace, and turned music lovers into consumers. In only a few generations, the violent severance of our ties to the traditions of our ancestors represents a loss of cultural heritage and has thrust us into uncharted waters - a Mystery Road. For the last 7 years, Lucky Brown has been working with a label in Germany called Tramp. Tramp Records specializes in uncovering some of this great lost music, finding and interviewing the last living founders, and licensing the music in reprints of the 45s or for full-length compilations of never-before-heard studio material. Every other 45 released is an existing band that works within that framework. We are proud to say that Lucky Brown has a reputation worldwide for being one of the roughest. Today, Lucky Brown, in this follow up to his first Tramp album: "Lucky Brown's Space Dream," is realizing another dream - [releasing an album in the form of a series of singles - each with it's own unique artwork, independent bands and writing and recording sessions.] {a 2 LP set} entitled Mystery Road. The different band names are not intended to mislead, different people play together in each different group. Sometimes Lucky comes in with an idea, other times the group invents the music on the spot to suit the mood. All of this, coupled with Lucky's experimental and vernacular approach toward sound recording and you start to catch the vibe of Mystery Road.

MIKKO INNANEN / WILLIAM PARKER / ANDREW CYRILLE – SONG FOR A NEW DECADE

Finnish reedman Mikko Innanen works here with American jazz giants William Parker on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums – but in setting that definitely has Mikko holding his own! Innanen plays alto, baritone, and other reed instruments – often with a style that's surprisingly soulful, and very spiritual – stepping out over the work of Cyrille and Parker with a quality that almost takes us back to the New York loft jazz years of the 70s! Parker really adds a lot of depth to the record on the first CD – then steps out to allow for interplay between Cyrille and Innanen on the second CD, which is the longer "Songs For This Decade" suite. Other titles include "The End Is A Beginning", "See You At 103", "Blue In Nublu", "Small & Big Steps", and "A Morning A Day A Night". ~ Dusty Groove

CHRIS POTTER UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA – IMAGINARY CITIES

Beautiful sounds from reedman Chris Potter – working here with an expanded string lineup, although one that's more of a string quartet added to the core combo – and maybe not the full orchestra you'd guess from the cover! Still, those subtle strings really add a lot to the record – creating this sonic balance that's really sublime, even before Potter comes into the mix on either tenor, soprano, or bass clarinet, depending on the track – and the quartet often shades in the tunes with a gentle introduction, before more familiar Potter associates come in and deepen the sound – including Craig Taborn on piano, Steve Nelson on vibes and marimba, and Adam Rogers on guitar. Titles include "Firefly", "Sky", "Shadow Self", "Lament", and the extended "Imaginary Cities" suite.  ~ Dusty Groove

 

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