TONY ALLEN – THE SOURCE
One of the coolest records in years from the legendary Tony
Allen – and that's saying a lot, given that his legacy includes famous work as
a drummer with Fela Kuti, and a much more recent run of very experimental
recordings! This set has Tony soaring out on Blue Note – and working with more
of the jazz currents you'd expect from the label – while still, in the Allen
legacy, really going for something fresh and unique – as spontaneously creative
as it is outright funky! There's definitely some Afro Funk rhythms on the
album, but there's also a fuller brace of horns, dedicated to painting sound in
rich colors and tones – alongside riffing guitar, organ and keyboard lines, and
Tony's own mighty drums – which keep things moving in a straight ahead way,
while also filling in the rhythms with wonderfully complicated bits too. The
album's as rich and beautiful as you might hope – with titles that include
"Cool Cats", "On Fire", "Wolf Eats Wolf",
"Life Is Beautiful", "Ewajo", "Moody Boy",
"Bad Roads", and "Woro Dance". ~ Dusty Groove
THE REMPIS PERCUSSION QUARTET - COCHONNERIE
The quartet's not all percussion – just drummers Tim Daisy
and Frank Rosaly, but both turning out work on the kit that could rival an army
of percussionists – working alongside sublime bass plotting from Ingebrigt
Haker Flaten, and a range of sharp-edged sounds from leader Dave Rempis – who
blows alto, tenor, and baritone equally well! The album's far more than the
usual improv outing – possibly because the drums do hold onto a core of the
sound – while still allowing Rempis those fantastically-shaped lines that we've
come to admire more and more over the years, played with increasing sonic
sensitivity that almost puts him in the territory of Ken Vandermark and Mats
Gustafsson. Flaten's always a welcome talent – and his contributions here are
more subtle than the drums, but crucial to the soul of the record – which
contains three long tracks, titled "Straggler", "Green &
Black", and "Enzymes". ~ Dusty Groove
ZAID NASSER - THE STROLLER
You might recognize the last name of alto saxophonist Zaid
Nasser, as his father was Jamil Nasser – the wonderful bassist who made some
incredible music with Ahmad Jamal in the 60s and 70s! And while Zaid certainly
lives up to the family legacy, his sound here is very nicely different – a
sharp-toned alto approach, and one that can come across in these effortless
flurries of notes that are really beautiful – sounds that are pointed, but also
set out in constellation in a very thoughtful way – as Zaid works alongside
Pasquale Grasso on guitar, Ari Roland on bass, and Keith Balla on drums. The
deftness of Nasser's playing is very striking, and almost reminds us of Lou
Donaldson on his early 60s sides for Blue Note, in the pre-funk years. Not
surprisingly, he takes on two Donaldson tunes – "Sputnik" and
"The Stroller" – alongside original compositions "Redd's
Tune" and "Junior's Soul" – plus a great version of "Naked
City", and the tunes "SOS", "Kaqavik", and "Never
Let Me Go". ~ Dusty
Groove
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