NEW MUSIC: MAYER HAWTHORNE – MAN ABOUT YOU; ALEXANDER HAWKINS / EVAN PARKER – LEAPS IN LEICESTER; WALT WEISKOPF – THE WAY YOU SAY IT

MAYER HAWTHORNE – MAN ABOUT YOU

Mayer Hawthorne just keeps on rising and rising with each new record – to a level where he's not just sounding like those 70s influences that have always been a force in his music, but actually manages to fit right in alongside them with a seamless sound and completely confident vibe! The album's a near-perfect reworking of an older AOR vibe – as catchy as Hall & Oates at their best, as cooly compressed as Chris Rainbow working on his own, and a beautiful a mix jazzy grooving and soulful vocals as anything to come from the best LA studios in the 70s! Mayer's tunes are great – extremely catchy without being too commercial – and he's got this blue-eyed way of putting over his vocals without ever sounding too self-conscious – quite a rare quality in this era of so many retro-styled soul singers. Titles include "Book Of Broken Hearts", "Breakfast In Bed", "Fancy Clothes", "Love Like That", "Get You Back", and "The Valley". ~ Dusty Groove

ALEXANDER HAWKINS / EVAN PARKER – LEAPS IN LEICESTER

Some of the most beautiful work we've heard from Evan Parker in a long time – sublime duets on tenor with pianist Alexander Hawkins – on long, improvised tracks that build up with a really sort of special energy between the players! Parker's got a way of being every bit as sharp and experimental as ever, yet blows with a current of soul at times – quite a surprise, and a quality that seems to be unlocked by Hawkins' thoughtful work on piano – in a style that lays out blocks of tones from the keys, which provide a perfect foil for Evan to explore with a raspy reed style. We've loved Parker for year – but it's a really special record like this that makes us sit up and take notice all over again! Titles include "Jump Start", "Capriole", "The Shimmy", and "Gambade".  ~ Dusty Groove

WALT WEISKOPF – THE WAY YOU SAY IT

Tenor, vibes, and organ – a great combination here in the hands of leader Walt Weiskopf, who also wrote most of the tracks on the record! Walt's records have been some of our favorites on the Posi-Tone label in recent years – and here, he works with label heavyweights Behn Gillece on vibes and Brian Charette on Hammond – with drums from Steve Fidyk in a beautifully balanced quartet! Charette's got these long-flowing lines on the Hammond that are both melodically matched and periodically punctuated by Gillece on vibes – with sounds that can brew slowly together, or really take off – as Walt blows these nicely-edged solos throughout! Titles include "Dreamlining", "Separation", "Coffee & Scones", "Envisioned", "Invisible Sun", "Manny Boy", and "The Way You Say It".  ~ Dusty Groove