Wednesday, October 02, 2019

New Music Releases: Nate Wooley & Ken Vandermark; Estrada Orchestra; Ethan Iverson


Nate Wooley & Ken Vandermark - Deeply Discounted II

Two fantastic side-long improvisations – but we hardly would have expected anything less, given that the proceedings feature Nate Wooley on trumpet, and Ken Vandermark on tenor and soprano clarinet! The latter sounds really wonderful in Ken's hands – full of these unusual sharp sounds that are matched beautifully by Nate's always-creative work on trumpet – as the pair move together effortlessly through sonic space, and create with a spontaneous intensity that must have been something to watch in person! Oddly, the music was captured in the studio, though – not on stage – but has the energy of some of the best live improvised performances that either musician has given us – on long tracks "Deeply Discounted II" and "Sequences Of Snow (For Michael Snow)". ~ Dusty Groove

Estrada Orchestra - Zucker Tanzclub

Excellent long-form funky work from Estrada Orchestra – a group with plenty of jazz-styled instrumentation over the top, and some monstrous funky drums at the core! The group record here with producer Misha Panfilov, who you'll know from other great material on funky 45s – but the style here is longer and more stretched out – psychedelic jazz, with lots of fuzz on the guitar, keyboards, and even funky flute – working together as one rumbling mass with a heck of a lot of sonic power! Titles include the side-long "Zucker Tanzclub", plus "Hold My Plasticine Hands Tight" and "Fish Sticks Rhapsody". ~ Dusty Groove


Ethan Iverson - Common Practice

Some of the darkest sounds we've heard from trumpeter Tom Harrell in years – really fitting the spirit of this quartet led by pianist Ethan Iverson, as they slowly step their way through a mix of standards and original tunes in a live set recorded at the Village Vanguard! Tom's developed a fantastic range over the years – and here, he finds this really special sonic space to resonate with Iverson's choices on the piano – still very much his own man, especially on the solos, but also a key cornerstone in a group that also features Ben Street on bass and Eric McPherson on drums. The approach is maybe most striking on the mellowest numbers, which really resonate with shadowy depths – and titles include "All The Things You Are", "I Can't Get Started", "The Man I Love", "Philadelphia Creamer", and "Jed From Teaneck". ~ Dusty Groove


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