Ben Lamar Gay might well be one of the most creatively intense artists on the International Anthem label – and that's saying a lot, given all of the groundbreaking talents who've come to record for the company in recent years! And while Ben's previous record was completely mindblowing, this set really pushes things over the top – and has the artist at the helm of a large assemblage of musicians who provide all these different sonic elements to augment the intensity of his vision – as the leader handles cornet, organ, and a host of other instruments – while singing on most cuts, but in a way that's majestic and very much his own – neither soul, nor jazz – at least in familiar ways. The lineup features voices of many others – and instrumentation that includes Tomeka Reid on cello, Matthew Davis on trombone, Johanna Brock on viola, and Rob Frye on flute – mixed with spoken and sung passages from a number of others, including Angel Bat Dawid. Incredibly beautiful throughout – with titles that include "Hood Rich Happy", "I Once Carried A Blossom", "Slightly Before The Dawn", "Be Loving Me Some Of You", "We Gon Win", "S'Phisticated Lady", "In Tongues & Droves", and "Touch Don't Scroll". ~ Dusty Groove
Led by Abu Dhabi-based musician/applied-ethnomusicologist Ghazi Al-Mulaifi, Boom.Diwan is a collaborative jazz ensemble inspired by the cosmopolitan Kuwaiti pearl diving music of the Indian Ocean trade. Commissioned, premiered, and mixed as a virtual performance by The Arts Center at NYU Abu Dhabi for the 2021 Barzakh festival, Minarets is the result of a collaboration between Boom.Diwan and featured pianist Nduduzo Makhathini (Blue Note). A three-movement suite, the record is the outcome of a series of intimate, trusting, and vulnerable conversations between Ghazi Al-Mulaifi and Nduduzo Makathini.
A really great blend of two different sides of the genius Roscoe Mitchell – his ear for composition, and his strong legacy of solo performance too! The "Pieces" in the title of the set might make you think that Roscoe is delivering one of his ensemble creations from more recent years – but the performance on the record is very much a step back to his early work on the late 60s and 70s – those moments when Mitchell was often at his best exploring sonic space on his own – as he does here on a variety of woodwind and percussion instruments, used in varying ways throughout the recording! Titles include "Glide & Run", "Skip", "Hey", "Light Green", "Vast Horizons", "Let's Go There", "Moving Bell", "Click", and "Now The Color Blue". ~ Dusty Groove
The great Louis Hayes has been giving us incredible records for decades – and this recent set still has the drummer very much at the top of his game – working with a soulful conception that few folks can match, and really getting the best out of the wonderful group he's got on the set! The lineup is fantastic – Steve Nelson on vibes, Abraham Burton on tenor, David Hazeltine on piano, and Dezron Douglas on bass – all artists we love in other settings, but who seem to sparkle even more strongly here under the guidance of Hayes! Camille Thurman sings on two cuts – "Where Are You" and "I'm Afraid The Masquerade Is Over" – but the real strength of the album comes from the many instrumental tracks, on titles that include "Crisis", "Arab Arab", "Desert Moonlight", "Creeping Crud", "Roses Poses", and "Oxygen". ~ Dusty Groove
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