Kirk Whalum – Humanité
Grammy® Award Winner and Global Recording Artist Kirk Whalum
just released his new album Humanité on Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group.
Humanité is unlike any album Kirk has ever made – the sonic synergistic result
of encounters made and relationships formed onstage and off with top emerging
artists and Top 5 recording artists from around the world. The album was
produced by Kirk and his longtime friend and producer, the British jazz
trumpeter and session musician James McMillan. Over a period of three months in
2018, Kirk and James recorded the soul-drenched, emotional and highly melodic
tracks in locations ranging from studios in Jakarta, Tokyo, Paris, Nairobi,
Johannesburg, to hotel rooms, office buildings and even Kirk’s living room in
his hometown, Memphis, Tenn. Collaborators on the album include Japan's jazz
pianist Keiko Matsui; the young bass phenomenon Barry Likumahuwa, gifted
singer/songwriter Grace Sahertian and global pop star singer/actor Afgan, all
hailing from Indonesia; soulful singer/jazz guitarist Andréa Lisa from New
Zealand; superstar vocalist/guitarist Zahara from South Africa; Kasiva Mutwa of
Nairobi; bassist supreme Marcus Miller, and Liane Carroll, long considered by
cognoscenti to be the UK’s premier female jazz voice.
Tertio – La minge ligne (The Thin Line)
“La mince ligne” (The Thin Line) is the second effort of
Montreal’s based jazz-rock quintet Tertio. As much loyal to its jazz-jock
roots, the band expands its musical territories, sometimes in the modern jazz
idioma, and even in a country-folk composition, without losing its own musical
identity and lyricism. This second album confirms Tertio as one of Canada’s
most promising band, by featuring the abilities of its wonderful musicians,
composer and improvisers. On this release, the group returns with a more elaborate work in which we find
the sound characteristic of the group, but yet venturing into new musical
flights. The album was mixed by Simon l'Esperance and
mastered by Richard Addison of Trillium sound. The album was officially
released under the MCM Records label on October 18, 2019.
Jukka Eskola Soul Trio — Steamy
An excellent group, and one with a really great concept – a
fresh take on a format that was big in the 60s soul jazz scene, but spun out in
a very unique way – both in terms of instrumentation, and in terms of the
groove! Trumpeter Jukka Eskola heads the trio, which also features Hammond from
Mikko Heleva and drums from Toppo Makynen – a mode that was more famously used
in tenor/organ combos, like the match of Don Patterson and Sonny Stitt on
Prestige Records – but which has never been found in this format before! The
trumpet turns out to be a great sound in the frontline, and is given some
changed-up rhythms here to work with – not straight soul jazz or funk, and
instead a mixture of complicated elements that move the tunes throughout a
great range of grooves and colors – really showing all the wonderful sounds
that Jukka's been capable of giving us over the years. Titles include
"Stick Of A Branch", "Jongo Street", "Tiny B",
"Old Stories", "Smash", "Five On Three", and
"Steamy". ~ Dusty Groove
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