NEW RELEASES: THOMAS CLAUSEN – BLUE RAIN; MATANA ROBERTS - COIN COIN CHAPTER THREE – RIVER RUN THEE; THE COOKERS QUINTET – VOL. 2

THOMAS CLAUSEN – BLUE RAIN

An album that's hitting strong on just about every level – not just the well-crafted piano work of Thomas Clausen, but also the full, rich bass of Jesper Lundgaard – who seems to match every moment of Clausen's inspiration, and fill things in with these tones that are completely captivating! Drummer Billy Hart makes a strong contribution too – that new sense of space and swing that we've heard on some of his own great records of late – and the group also gets wonderful tenor from Tomas Franck, who brings an edge that we don't always hear on Clausen's trio dates – a really wonderful addition to the group. Titles include "Leaves", "Blue Rain", "Punk Monk", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Prism", and "Things You Are".  ~ Dusty Groove

MATANA ROBERTS - COIN COIN CHAPTER THREE – RIVER RUN THEE

Maybe the most dense, most complex work we've heard from Matana Roberts to date – a unusual effort that blends together her own instrumental passages with sound samples recorded during a wintertime ramble through the states of Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana! Roberts moves away from her previous group efforts, to hit even more experimental sounds here – which include her own alto saxophone lines, plus work on a Korg Monotron, an early 1900s upright piano, and even a bit of vocalizations too – all taken at a level that's way beyond jazz, and which has elements of found sound mixing with processed instrumental passages, and even some odd snippets of classic American songs. The effort comes off sounding as if an avant jazz album were recorded with an older 4AD aesthetic – with all the dense sonic structures that might imply – and the whole thing's definitely one more reason to keep your eyes focused on Roberts' genius in years to come!  ~ Dusty Groove

THE COOKERS QUINTET – VOL. 2

The Cookers Quintet definitely earn their name this time around – serving up an old school hardbop groove that would have been right at home on 60s Blue Note or Prestige – but which is maybe even more compelling here in a contemporary setting! As before, these guys have a very strong sense of rhythm – similar to some of our favorite artists on the Ricky Tick label – which means an acoustic, live approach to jazz, but one that's also really focused on a soulful groove as well – the sort that's sure to make some of these numbers perfect for the jazz dance underground. There's great vocals on a few cuts too – a number each sung by Johnny O'Neal, Leron Thomas, and Dawn Pemberton – and titles include "Hot For Preacher", "Sheriff", "The New Deal", "The Crumpler", "This Is The Thing", and "Blindside".  ~ Dusty Groove