NEW RELEASES: MAGNUS BAKKEN QUARTET – CYCLES FEATURING GEORGE GARZONE; ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS; FEDERICO BONIFAZI – YOU’LL SEE

MAGNUS BAKKEN QUARTET – CYCLES FEATURING GEORGE GARZONE

Brilliant twin saxophones here – the tenor of George Garzone, and tenor and soprano of leader Magnus Bakken – who really grabs our ears with his music on the set! The tunes are all originals penned and arranged by Mangus – and have this beautifully flowing vibe – angular and leaping forward on the upbeat numbers, sinuously moving at mellower points – all given these great shapes and structures by the work of Jorn Oien on piano, Christian Meaas Svendsen on bass, and Jon Audun Baar on drums! We've never heard Bakken as a leader before, but the record really moves us – and it's the kind that you'd overhear, then finding yourself sitting up to take notice to find out who it is. Titles include "Cycles", "The Composer", "Through The Snow", "The Charles", "Titanomachy", and "Straight Forward". ~ Dusty Groove

ANTHONY JOSEPH – CARIBBEAN ROOTS

Anthony Joseph just keeps on getting better and better, and even more interesting with each new record – to a point where the already-hip singer is really blowing our mind with music like this! The songs are longer, richer, and more deeply put together than some of Joseph's earlier work – in a spirit that definitely lives up to the promise of the title, but which also shows a lot of post-colonial diaspora elements, too – the kind of qualities you might expect from Anthony's role in the contemporary Parisian scene! Joseph has an even more majestic quality than before – and stands perfectly at the helm of a diverse group of musicians who provide shifting currents of jazz and percussion in support of his vocal passages – which are both spoken and sung. Titles include "The Kora", "Mano A Mano", "Brother Davis", "Neckbone", "Drum Song", "Our History", "Powerful Peace", "Caribbean Roots", and "Jimmy Upon That Bridge". ~ Dusty Groove

FEDERICO BONIFAZI – YOU’LL SEE

A fantastic record from Italian pianist Federico Bonifazi – one that comes out of time recently spent in New York city, where he developed a fast friendship with bassist John Webber – whose work on the set really sounds tremendous! At some level, the record might be thought of as one of Webber's records with tenorist Eric Alexander – as Alexander makes a wonderful presence here, alongside drummer Jimmy Cobb, who completes the group – but there's also a very special relationship between Webber and Bonifazi, one that has the bassist's strong lines finding a new sense of color and life amidst Federico's great piano lines and original compositions – music that flows beautifully, and seems to give Alexander a different sort of voice as well. That's not to say that the American players aren't every bit as compelling as ever – because they are – just to say that Bonifazi's leadership helps the group flower into something new, and very special. Titles include "Steps House", "Sadness For You", "Suspended In The Air", "Escape", and "The Chicken".  ~ Dusty Groove