MALIJA – THE
DAY I HAD EVERYTHING
London based
trio MALIJA releases 'The Day I Had Everything' featuring the new all-star trio
featuring Mark Lockheart (saxophones, bass clarinet), Liam Noble (double bass)
and Jasper Høiby (piano) on November 27, 2015. brings together a collective
empathy and co-leadership with all members sharing the production and writing
roles. These names will need no introduction to Edition fans, having played
together on Mark Lockheart’s quintet album ‘In Deep’ in 2009, but with their
individual international profiles and explosive musical personalities
integrated in a trio, there’s no hiding from the fact that this is the band to
watch.
TEEMU
AKERBLOM QUARTET
An excellent
contemporary combo from Finland – but one who are right at home on the
Jazzaggression label, which mostly issues rare gems from years past! The sound
here is plenty classic – and recalls that great 70s moment on the European
scene when the best groups were aware of 60s advances like free or modal jazz,
but could also swing as well – often bringing all elements to play in a single
tune, but finding a way to make their most creative work still hold very
strongly to a larger tradition in jazz! The group here is a quartet, but one
with a slightly shifting lineup – the core trio of Teemu Akerblom on bass,
Mikko Arlin on drums, and Max Zenger on saxes and flute – plus a changing
fourth player from track to track – either Ville Vannemaa or Jarno Tikka on
tenor, or Verneri Pohjola on trumpet. The lack of any piano really enforces the
importance of the bass to the rhythms – and Akerblom's a player with a strong
sense of modal energy, which often sets things up beautifully for the reed and
trumpet solos to really soar and do their thing – shifting in intensity from
track to track, partly because of that rotating fourth player! All tracks are
original, and very fresh – and titles include "Blues For Martin",
"Dark Corners", "Gilman's Point", "October 22",
and "Harmaata Nakyvissa". CD features two bonus tracks not on LP. ~ Dusty
Groove
BRIAN ELLIS –
IN THE DARK
Really sweet
keyboards from Brian Ellis – a man who's been giving us a surprising amount of
music in the past year or so, often in many different flavors! This time
around, Brian's got a strong 80s groove – and uses his keyboards in the lead
with kind of a post-Herbie Hancock approach to fusion – one that's very
comfortable with mostly all electric elements in the instrumentation, but which
also still has a really great old school sense of space and timing! By that, we
mean that Brian's never too over the top, and always makes these tracks groove
in a style that's mighty soulful – maybe somewhere in the territory of Bobby
Lyle or Rodney Franklin, but even more electric overall. Titles include
"Flipped", "In The Dark", "Banana Seat",
"Boogie Box", "Moonlight Shadows", and "One
Twenty". ~ Dusty Groove
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