WILL BERNARD
– OUT AND ABOUT
A mighty
impressive set from guitarist Will Bernard – our hands down favorite of his
work as a leader to to date – and an all originals session with a remarkable
stylistic range! Our ears perked up from the opening seconds, thanks to the
elegant take on jazz funk of the opener "Happy Belated" – which has
this perfect balance of insistent groove and spontaneous energy – facets that
hold true throughout! As stated, there's a stylistic breadth here that keeps
the vibe fresh from track-to-track – it's not all funk-steeped – with some
laidback and melodic moments, along with faster, more energetic material. Each
player has ample space to shine, including the excellent Brian Charette on
organ, John Ellis on sax, Ben Allison on bass, and Allison Miller on drums.
Titles include "Not Too Fancy", "Next Guest",
"Habenera", "Homeward Bound", "Suggested
Reading", "Full Sweep", "Out And About", "Redwood
(Business Casual)", "Homebody" and "Pan Seared". ~
Dusty Groove
GOLDEN DAWN
ARKESTRA – STARGAZER
The Golden
Dawn Arkestra really take things over the top with this expanded full length
set – a record that really lets us see what the group can do when given a lot
of room to work with! All the elements you'd expect from the group's name are
firmly in place here – the heady spiritual currents that "golden
dawn" might evoke, and the collaborative energy that comes from an "arkestra"
– which almost seems like some sort of mystical pact forged by the group than a
larger sort of compositional enterprise. The tunes here work cosmic currents
through a range of jazz-based instrumentation, but also open up to funkier
elements too – some keyboards and basslines that help forge the journey to the
stars – on titles that include "Space Waves", "Shabuki",
"Osaka", "Disko", "All Is Light", and "Sama
Chaka". ~ Dusty Groove
UNITED
VIBRATIONS – MYTH OF THE GOLDEN RATIO
A nice one
from the appropriately named United Vibrations – a London group that draws from
a diverse well of global influences and brings it all to a great, unified
groove overall! Stylistically, they work with strains Afrobeat in the rhythm
and percussion, spiritual jazz in the moodier, more spacious moments, and an
all around cosmic sound that confounds easy categorization – often with
consciously soulful lyricism. Ambitious, distinctive stuff on Ubiquity Records
– among the more far-reaching and diverse new music we've heard on the
legendary label in years! Includes "Sophia", "Scion",
"Grow", the 3-part suite "Far Far Away", "I Am
We", "Twister", "Cave" and "Golden". ~ Dusty
Groove
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