The first full length set we've heard from drummer Jeremy Cunningham – and a set that's bound to set him on a fantastic legacy of recordings for years to come! The album is both very personal and politically powerful – put together by Cunningham in response to the loss of his brother during a home invasion – and delivered with a mix of modes, instruments, and collaborational effort that's very much in the best spirit of the inventive recordings on the International Anthem label! Cunningham doesn't just drum – he's also the leader of a larger, shifting lineup of musicians – also playing electric piano and percussion, working with a unique "drum choir" that also includes Makaya McCraven, Mike Reed, and Mikel Patrick Avery – and opening things up for the guitar of Jeff Parker, bass of Matt Ulery, saxes and keyboards of Josh Johnson, and bass and keyboards of Paul Bryan. And if that's not enough, the record also features contributions from Ben LaMar Gay on vocals, Jaimie Branch on trumpet, and Tomeka Reid on cello – all very sympathetic partners to Jeremy's mix of instrumentation, production elements, and other unique details. Titles include "1985", "Return These Tides", "The Weather Up There", "It's Nothing", "Elegy", "Sleep", "The Breaks", and "All I Know". ~ Dusty Groove
A tremendous achievement in jazz from Daniel Bingert – the kind of record that would be in everyone's collection, had it been issued back in 1959 – but a set that's every bit as essential all these decades later! Binger's the composer, and has kind of a postwar modern sensibility about his music – that mix of core elements and individual voices that made Mingus so great when he was at his best – except Daniel's also got more of an ear for modal rhythms, of the sort that remind us a bit of the inspirations on the European scene during the Saba/MPS generation, taken forward with some of the fresher, completely visionary ideas that we've always loved from the Moserobie label! The group's a sextet with some key Moserobie members in the line up – Jonas Kullhammar on alto, Karl Olandersson on trumpet, Per Texas Johansson on tenor, Charlie Malmberg on piano, Moussa Fadera on drums, and the mighty Torbjorn Zetterberg on bass – whose energy alone is enough to guide the album. Titles include "City Sirens", "Cinco De Mayo", "Henry & Bernard", "Notredame", "Lost Keys", "Gil Bill", and "Kaya Boca". ~ Dusty Groove.
Torbjorn Zetterberg has always been a hell of a bassist – but in recent years, he really seems to be exploding as a greater jazz visionary – working with a group like this in a range of explosive new ideas we never would have expected just a few years ago! The music is often incredibly dense – Zetterberg's bass in the lineup, but also part of a rich array of sounds from Susana Santos Silva on trumpet, Mats Aleklint on trombone, Jonas Kullhammar on tenor and alto, Alberto Pinto on clarinet and baritone, Jon Falt on drums, Alexander Zethson on Hammond and Fender Rhodes, and Lars Skoglund on drums – mostly players that have worked together often over the years, and who beautifully interpret the stunning arrangements and compositions by Zetterberg. There's definitely plenty of outside moments on the record, but as with much Moserobie material, things also swing at times too – a balance between freedom and structure that matches the balance between group and individual on the album. Titles include "Drommusik", "Meningen Med Vad", "Oraklet I Finnaker", "Plingplongpiano", and "Nytt Hopp Over Atlanten". ~ Dusty Groove
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