Tuesday, July 16, 2019

New Releases: Matt Brewer - Ganymede; Edu Lobo, Romero Lubambo, & Mauro Senise - Quase Memoria; Gabriele Mitelli & Rob Mazurek - Star Splitter


Matt Brewer - Ganymede

An album of brooding intensity from bassist Matt Brewer – a trio date that takes very special advantage of the tenor saxophone voice of Mark Shim! Shim's very much at home here – blowing these long, complex solos that have that sort of deep burning quality of his early work as a leader – free, but not in a free jazz sort of way – really covering a lot of space, in ways that are almost circular at times – as if he's slowly trying to plot out a new universe in jazz! Drummer Damon Reid matches the intensity of Shim in a great way – so much so that we're almost tempted to say that Brewer is the quietest partner on the date – save for the fact that his deep tones on bass have this low rumble that really sets the tone for the moodiness of the tenor. Titles include "Triton", "Ganymede", "Don't Wake The Violent Baby", "Afro Centric", "IO", "Psalm", and "Willisee". ~ Dusty Groove

Edu Lobo, Romero Lubambo, & Mauro Senise - Quase Memoria

A beautiful meeting these thoughtful Brazilian creative talents – in a mode that provide a perfect backdrop for the vocals of the great Edu Lobo! Lobo's been a sophisticated force from the 60s bossa years onwards – and in recent years, he's gotten even more subtle and personal in his approach – in a way that really comes through here, with his well-phrased original lyrics set up in light instrumental settings that feature the guitar of Romero Lubambo and flute and saxes of Mauro Senise – with occasional guest work from Cristovao Bastos on piano, Kiko Horta on accordion, and Anat Cohen on clarinet. The tunes have all the charms of Lobo's lofty work from the 70s, but in a very different way – and titles include "Rosinha", "Labia", "As Mesmas Historias", "Terro Do Nunca", "Peregrina", "Senhora Do Rio", and "Quase Memoria". ~ Dusty Groove

Gabriele Mitelli & Rob Mazurek - Star Splitter 

Some of the darkest sounds in years from the great Rob Mazurek – a musician who's matched perfectly on every front by Gabriele Mitelli – who does everything that Rob does on the record, and also throws in a bit of soprano sax as well! The music is all improvised, and in that very deep blend of electronic and acoustic elements that Mazurek has explored over the years – with textures so intense, it's often difficult to figure out what's coming from where – as Rob blows piccolo trumpet, Mitelli blows cornet, and both artists served up a wealth of sounds on electronics, voice, and other objects too. Titles include "Venus", "Mercury", "Mars", and "Uranus". ~ Dusty Groove


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