Joe McPhee / Graham Lambkin / Charlie McPhee / Oliver Lambkin
- Live In The Batcave
The legendary Joe McPhee is back in his home turf of upstate
New York – working in a mode that really goes back to his heritage in the avant
scene – and at a level that's something of a family affair for all the members
of the group! The music is a collaboration between Joe and his brother Charlie
McPhee – and label owner/preservationist Graham Lambkin and his son Olivier
Lambkin – recorded on the spot in Charlie's "Batcave", with a freewheeling
sonic approach that takes us back to some of the earliest days of Joe's music.
Instrumentation includes lots of odd reed moments – the notes don't list any
specific details – but there's also vocalizations, offbeat percussion, and lots
of elements from found objects and found sonic sources too – a real
improvisatory party, in the best way possible. Titles include "High Above
The Batcave", "IO Stand Accused", "Eulogy To The
Paddock", and "Cable Flow".
~ Dusty Groove
Javier Santiago - Phoenix B-Sides
We loved the Phoenix album by keyboardist Javier Santiago –
and although this set bills itself as if it's a relation to that record, it's
more of a completely different effort – but one that's equally fantastic as
well! Santiago is a tremendous up-and-coming talent – a hell of a pianist, and
also great on Fender Rhodes – working in that sense of rhythm that's been
unlocked in the 21st Century by a few key figures in jazz – and which a new
generation of players like Javier is taking in some wonderful directions of
their own! The core group features really inventive rhythms from Corey Fanville
on drums and Zach Brown on bass – and the work features an guest performances
on a few tracks each from Dayna Stephens on tenor and soprano, Nir Felder on
guitar, and Ben Flacks on soprano and tenor. Titles include "Change Is The
Only Constant", "For Unity", "Cedar Avenue", "A
Second Chance", "Aries' Peace", "A Day In The Life Of A
Tree", "Beautiful Love", and "King Klave's
Return". ~ Dusty Groove
Yazz Ahmed - Polyhymnia
A spacious second set from British/Bahraini trumpeter Yazz
Ahmed – a record that features dedications to feminist inspirations on every
single track – but which has a soaring, righteous quality that marks Ahmed as
an inspirational force of her own! The songs are long, and the music is rich in
textural elements – strong trumpet solos from the leader, but also a globe's
worth of contributions from other members of the contemporary London scene in
which Ahmed's been making waves for the past few years – with a level of
expression that maybe matches some of our favorite recent jazz releases on the
Brownswood label! If you know the charms of the London scene in recent years,
you'll have plenty to love here – and will find yourself adding Yazz to a list of
artists to keep your ears on. And if you don't, this album's a great place to
begin your musical discovery – on titles that include "Ruby Bridges",
"Barbara", "Lahan Al-Mansour", "One Girl Among
Many", and "Deeds Not Words". ~ Dusty Groove
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