NEW RELEASES: BOB DYLAN – SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT; OLA KVERNBERG - THE MECHANICAL FAIR; KENNY WHEELER – SONGS FOR QUINTET

BOB DYLAN – SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT

Dylan cherry-picks the Sinatra songbook – with much better results than you might expect – stripping the 50s and 60s gloss that made perfect sense when interpreted by Ol' Blue Eyes, and bringing to light the more intimate charms that the songs carry at their core. Bob's voice is actually in pretty strong form here – laying off on the raspy growl of his more ornery later material, and portraying the material here with simple, honest clarity. As is always the case on later Dylan records, his seasoned road band also serve as his studio players – and it's an especially strong showcase for pedal steel player Donny Herron – with Dylan veterans Tony Garnier, Charlie Sexton and others in fine form, too. A few tracks have horns and larger-than-usual arrangements for Dylan, but it's a pretty laidback charmer overall. Includes "I'm A Fool To Want You", "The Night We Called It A Day", "Full Moon And Empty Arms", "Theat Lucky Old Sun", "Where Are You?", "Some Enchanted Evening" and more.  ~ Dusty Groove

OLA KVERNBERG - THE MECHANICAL FAIR

Nothing mechanical here, as the sound is rich and warm – the most so we've ever heard from Ola Kvernberg, who plays a host of compelling instruments here – including viola, prepared piano, cello, atuoharp, and theremin! The record has a fair bit of additional strings – used sparely, almost in the manner of a string quartet – alongside the core sounds from Kvernberg's group, whoch also features lots of acoustic lines on a variety of guitars, set to some light rhythms, both acoustic and programmed. Yet the core vibe of the record really comes from the strings – both violin and guitar – which often set out the rhythms as well – with these shades of tone and color that are really beautiful – deeply introspective without ever being too sentimental. Titles include "Mechanical Fair", "Alarums & Excursions", "Jaja", "Harlot's House", and "Metamechanics". ~ Dusty Groove

KENNY WHEELER – SONGS FOR QUINTET

An album that sits strongly in the long legacy of great recordings Kenny Wheeler has done for ECM – a set of quintet recordings that feature the leader's sublime flugelhorn lines in the company of a very well-matched group! The tunes are airy and open, but never too loose or meandering – and Wheeler's subtle sound has this great way of directing the energy – and getting equally great performances from Stan Sulzman on tenor, John Parricelli on guitar, Chris Laurence on bass, and Martin France on drums. The guitar has an especially great quality – these chromatic elements that serve to really unite the other individual sounds – and all songs are originals by Wheeler, with titles that include "Jigsaw", "Seventy Six", "The Long Waiting", "Canter No 1", "Sly Eyes", and "Nonetheless".  ~ Dusty Groove