New Music Releases: Gyedu-Blay Ambolley, KVL (Quin Kirchner / Daniel Van Duerm / Matthew Lux), Nick Mazzarella Trio

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