New Music Releases: Gregory Porter, Steve Fidyk, Throttle Elevator Music

Gregory Porter – All Rise

A heck of a step forward for Gregory Porter – and we're stunned to say that, because he's already had so many great steps forward in his career! Gregory's already been a hell of a singer for years – we've loved him since the very first note he ever recorded – but with a record like this, he continues to rise into the stratosphere of a rare few singers who can transcend both their roots and their genres – with the kind of trans-generational music that will have folks listening to this set for decades – and around the world, in so many different ways! The All Rise in the title is very fitting – as this is definitely a set to lift up the world – with titles that include "Mr Holland", "Concorde", "Dad Gone Thing", "Revival", "Merchants Of Paradise", "Long List Of Troubles", "Everything You Touch Is Gold", "Merry Go Round", "Thank You", and "Phoenix". ~ Dusty Groove

Steve Fidyk - Battle Lines

Drummer Steve Fidyk does a great job here – driving on a group that bristles with energy, and which also showcases a large number of original tunes by Steve himself! We first heard Fidyk as a leader on some of his dates for the Posi-Tone label – and there's definitely a bit of that spirit here, maybe because labelmate Joe Magnarelli does such a great job in the group on trumpet and flugelhorn – alongside Xavier Perez on tenor, Peter Zak on piano, and Michael Karn on bass. Yet there's also a different quality going on than those earlier records – maybe more of a sense of urgency, and a slight current of darkness – on tracks that include "Battle Lines", "Loophole", "Lullabye For Lori & John", "Churn", "Bootlickers Blues", and "Bebop Operations".~ Dusty Groove

Throttle Elevator Music - Emergency Exit

Throttle Elevator Music have done a great job of evolving their sound over the years – working with core contributions from Matt Montgomery on bass and piano, Erik Jekabson on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Gregory Howe on guitar, bass, Hammond, and keyboards – all rounded out nicely by the tenor contributions of Kamasi Washington! Washington sounds great here – stretching out at some key moments – but the sound is definitely that of the group, with Kamasi acting as a strong sideman, rather than forcing his own sound on the set – in a batch of shorter tracks that all nicely demonstrate a sense of economy from all players. Titles include "Art Of The Warrior", "Marching Instructions", "Sublime In The Base", "Third Reflection", "Second Breather", and "Another Moth Drawn To City Light". ~ Dusty Groove