Gyedu-Blay Ambolley - 11th Street Sekondi
A killer contemporary set from Gyedu Blay Ambolley – one of
the Afro Funk heroes of the 70s, still sounding fantastic after all these
years! The album was all recorded at Ambolley's Simigiwa Studios in Ghana – and
arrangements, instrumentation, and production are all in a very classic mode –
with the leader on tenor and vocals, stretching out with this nicely raspy
quality that's a great evolution in his sound – as if he's found a way to put
even more feeling and experience into the sound that he gives us! The rest of
the lineup features keyboards, trumpet, tenor, alto, guitar, and plenty of
percussion – on titles that include "Black Woman", "I No Dey
Talk I Do De Lie", "Ignorance", "Little Small Girl",
"Sunkwa", "Who Go Pay", "Brokos", and "Who
Made Your Body Like Dat". ~ Dusty Groove
KVL (Quin Kirchner / Daniel Van Duerm / Matthew Lux) - KVL
Volume 1
The debut album from a very hip trio – one that features
Quin Kirchner on drums and percussion, Daniel Van Duerm on organ and electric
piano, and Matt Lux on bass – plus all three members on some sort of
electronics! The tunes are instrumental and experimental, but almost always
have some sort of structure and rhythmic energy – a quality that maybe nods
more towards the work that Lux has done on other sides of the Chicago scene
over the years – as he's been one of the most diverse, adaptable, and collaborative
bassists we can think of! There's some really great sounds running throughout –
a record that's maybe post-jazz, post-rock, and post-improv – with titles that
include "North Branch", "Bladewalker", and
"Peaceable" – the last of which features guest trumpet from Jaimie
Branch. ~ Dusty Groove
Nick Mazzarella Trio - Counterbalance
Alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella has really been setting the
Chicago scene on fire of late – and that legacy certainly stands strong within
the first few minutes of this recently-recorded live set – a searing trio date
that has Mazzarella working at the height of his powers! Nick can spin out
flurries of notes one minute, then hit spacious, thoughtful passages the next –
energy that's really balanced out by the amazing work of Frank Rosaly on drums,
and the strong placement of Anton Hatwich's sounds on the bass – served up at a
level that's bold enough to match the fast-thinking creativity of both Rosaly
and Nick. Titles include "The Puzzle", "Counterbalance",
"Headway"," Innermost", "About Looking", and
"Phonetic". ~ Dusty Groove
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