Anthony Hamilton's got a very classic look on the cover – and he definitely turns in a classic set here – the kind of righteous, well-crafted soul record that really takes us back to the golden age of the 70s! And yet, the music's not retro at all – it's very contemporary in both soul and spirit, just maybe a maturation of everything that Anthony's been giving us over the years – really knocked out of the park here, with a sense of confidence and power that we never would have guessed at the start of Hamilton's career – and trust us, we sure liked those records a lot! The set features guest appearances from Rick Ross and Lil Jon – and titles include "White Hennessy", "Coming Home", "You Made A Fool Of Me", "Mama Don't Cry", "Safe", "Mercy", "Threw It All Away", "I'm Ready", "Superstar", "I Thought We Were In Love", and "Love Is The New Black". ~ Dusty Groove
The Blue Note debut of Latin Jazz pianist Arturo O'Farrill – and a set that may well be some of his most ambitious material to date! Arturo's often got an ear towards wider levels of expression than standard jazz or Latin – but here, he really steps out strongly on two extended suites – both done to accompany the movements of a dance troupe, who are features in shimmering images next to O'Farrill on the cover! The music is very different than any sort of traditional Latin dance modes – as Arturo seems to draw on a wide array of historical impulses to mix with Afro-Cuban elements at the core – really keeping things moving forward, but also complex and sophisticated too – with solo passages on tenor, trombone, soprano sax, and trumpet. The set features two long suites – "Despedida" and "Dreaming In Lions" – both of which take inspiration from writers, Jorge Luis Borges and Ernest Hemingway, respectively. ~ Dusty Groove
Pianist Matthew Shipp and bassist William Parker are long-running musical partners that you're likely to know well – and here, they join under the leadership of drummer Francisco Mela, a player who's more than able to keep up pace with the improvising giants! Case in point is the album's first long track, "Light Of Mind" – a number that's awash in the kind of dynamic piano work that Matthew Shipp first hurled at the world in his early years, taken at a clip that also has Parker moving faster than usual – a quality that's balanced out nicely by the following shorter track, "Dark Light" – which has William up a bit more in the mix, and working a sense of spare magic that's wonderful! All three players brew together in a very heady way on the long "Infinite Consciousness", which concludes the record – a performance that has us wondering if the three have more to give us in the near future. ~ Dusty Groove
No comments:
Post a Comment