New Music Releases: Jason Palmer, Rich Perry, Dayme Arocena

Jason Palmer - Sweet Love: Jason Palmer Plays Anita Baker

Jason Palmer strikes an Anita Baker pose on the cover, and takes on her music as well – but all in a jazz-based style that's completely his own, and which follows up strongly on his tribute albums to Janell Monae and Minnie Riperton! The group is nice and lean – a quartet with Domi Degalle on piano, Max Ridley on bass, and Lee Fish on drums – and Palmer gets plenty of space to voice his own interpretations of tunes from the Baker songbook – numbers that have surprising depth when taken out into territory like this, especially on all the very long readings, most of which push towards the ten minute mark without losing any energy or imagination at all. Titles include "Sweet Love", "No One In The World", "Angel", "Same Ole Love", "Fairy Tales", and "Caught Up In The Rapture". ~ Dusty Groove

Rich Perry - Other Matters

Rich Perry has a great way of shaping his sounds here – sometimes rhythmically, sometimes more spatially – but all with a very distinct approach to his work on the tenor! The group is open and as fluid as the leader – Gary Versace on piano, Jay Anderson on bass, and John Riley on drums – all great players, but clearly driven with a sensitivity to the needs of the leader's tone, which is great – as Perry really commands a lot of attention, but without ever hitting us over the head. Part of the strength of the set is the material – all original compositions by Rich, which really suit his approach – titles that include "Other Matters", "Transparency", "Sono", "Neta", "Written Image", and "Mndfl".  ~ Dusty Groove

Dayme Arocena - Sonocardiogram

The best we've heard so far from Dayme Arocena – a Cuban singer who's got a great way of reaching out from Havana with a sound that can circle the globe! The music here has a blend of jazz, soul, and Cuban roots – but all delivered together in a style that's completely unique and without cliche – really showing a maturity in Dayme's vocals since the previous record, and in her overall conception of a song! Instrumentation is by her core quartet, recorded live and openly, in a really unfettered way that instantly matches the spirit of Dayme's vocals too. The whole thing is tremendous – a record that lives up to the truest promise of the Brownswood label – with titles that include "Nangareo", "Porque Tu No Estas", "Yemaya", "Plegaria A La Lupe", "Homenaje", "Para El Amor Cantar", and "As Feridas". ~ Dusty Groove