Tuesday, September 12, 2017

NEW RELEASES: TONY ALLEN – THE SOURCE; THE REMPIS PERCUSSION QUARTET - COCHONNERIE; ZAID NASSER - THE STROLLER

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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