Tuesday, April 14, 2020

New Music Releases: Norah Jones, William Susman & Octet Ensemble, Superposition

Norah Jones – Pick Me Up Off The Floor

On May 8, singer, songwriter & pianist Norah Jones will release Pick Me Up Off The Floor, her 7th studio album which unexpectedly grew out of her acclaimed singles series of the past 2 years, and features collaborators including Brian Blade, Chris Thomas & John Patitucci. The lead single “I’m Alive” featuring Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy is out now.The backbone of this album was formed early in an especially fruitful session with her go-to drummer Brian Blade who appears on six of the album’s 11 tracks. Other musicians who contribute throughout include bassists Christopher Thomas, John Patitucci, Jesse Murphy, and Josh Lattanzi, drummers Nate Smith, Dan Rieser, and Josh Adams, keyboardist Pete Remm, pedal steel guitarist Dan Aid, violinist Mazz Swift, violinist Ayane Kozasa, cellist Paul Wiancko, percussionist Mauro Refosco, background vocalists Ruby Amanfu and Sam Ashworth, and the horn section of trumpeter Dave Guy and tenor saxophonist Leon Michels.


William Susman & Octet Ensemble - Scatter My Ashes

Naxos releases Octet ensemble's album debut Scatter My Ashes on belarca records featuring soprano Mellissa Hughes and pianist Elaine Kwon. Octet’s inaugural album has been recorded over the past few years with renowned engineer John Kilgore and was released by Naxos on the label Belarca. The album features the music of William Susman including two song cycles (with poems by his sister Sue Susman) Scatter My Ashes and Moving into an Empty Space performed by soprano Mellissa Hughes, as well as his Piano Concerto and the ensemble work Camille. Octet takes the instrumentation of the American big band and scales it down to a brass section of saxophone, trumpet, and trombone and a rhythm section of piano, electric piano, double bass and drums plus vocals.

Superposition - Superposition

Superposition is a new explosive group from Helsinki. Led by drummer Olavi Louhivuori, the quartet features Linda Fredriksson (Mopo) and Adele Sauros on saxes and Mikael Saastamoinen (OK:KO) on bass. Louhivuori is known from his solo projects, his band Oddarrang, and his inspired work with the likes of Tomasz Stanko, Ilmiliekki Quartet and Alexi Tuomarila. On their self-titled debut album including 8 original compositions (6 by Louhivuori and one each by Fredriksson and Saastamoinen), Superposition present a powerful statement rich in musical ideas and solid in their execution. Beginning with the fire music of the album opener and first single "Antiplace", the group move into pastoral soundscapes, such as the ending track “March”. There’s a deep and darkly-toned shade in their sound, yet the music bursts with the intensity of this newly formed ensemble. An inspired collection of diverse moods, this first offering from Superposition demands repeated listening, unveiling new surprising details each time.

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