Monday, March 21, 2022

New Music: Kaina; Laurent Bardianne & Tigre D'Eau Douce; Tom Sochas; The Good Ones

Kaina - It Was A Home

A really fantastic debut from Chicago soul singer Kaina Castillo – an artist who may well become huge in years to come, given the strength of this initial album! There's a really special vibe going on here – as Kaina's not afraid to put herself or her feelings on the line, but also not in a way that's ever too overwrought – almost as if she's sharing them with us on a personal level, but wrapped up in these seductive soul vocals that have a much more subtle sort of power. All the material is original, but there's one track on here that's an older Syreeta classic – and that relationship may well be a good way to describe the uniqueness of Kaina too. The whole album was written and done in collaboration with Sen Morimoto, who provides some equally understated backings that really fit the vocals – on titles that include "It Was A Home", "Good Feeling", "Sweetness", "Come Back As A Flower", "Golden Mirror", "Casita", "Anybody Can Be In Love", and "Ultraviolet". ~ Dusty Groove

Laurent Bardianne & Tigre D'Eau Douce - Hymne Au Soleil

A beautiful hymn to the sun from saxophonist Laurent Bardianne – an artist who's not afraid to play with the rhythms a bit, while still offering up some jazz-based material at the core! Bardianne plays tenor in a quintet that also has lots of great Hammond organ from Arnaud Roulin – and both artists add in a bit of electronics too – but the most striking aspect of the record might be the rhythms, which are served up in blend of bass from Sylvain Daniel, drums from Philippe Gleizes, and percussion from Roger Raspail – all players with a real global sensibility, who push the music past standard jazz, with a very free-flowing vibe. The whole thing's very much in the best cross-cultural mode that we love from the French Heavenly Sweetness label – and titles include "La Vie La Vie La Vie", "Adieu My Lord", "Destination Danger", "Verte Gronouille", "Sarang", and "Kenya Sunrise".  ~ Dusty Groove

Tom Sochas - Lament 

Following early support for his first single ‘Prologue’, which has been championed by Gilles Peterson, Marshmello (NTS) and Twisted Soul amongst others, Tom is ready to unveil a new track from ‘The Sorcerer’. Tom says about the song: "In a way 'Lament' was a an experiment in trying to blend a angsty broken beat-esque motif with a more traditional swing ballad. The swing was a way of introducing some softness to the otherwise cold and mechanical main theme. Certain personalities tend to recoil inwards and block everything out in times of trouble and others feel the need to express outwards, we tried to represent both." Building on the success of a solo EP released in early 2021, Franco-American jazz pianist Tom Sochas, previously known for his work with London staple Phoenician Blinds, is back with his debut album 'The Sorcerer', on Khumbu Records. The album, set to be released on April 15th 2022 introduces Tom’s new trio with greek bassist Thodoris Ziarkas and british drummer Olly Sarkar. The record is very much an ode to story-telling, to ancient myths and tales, something we tend to return to when in need of guidance. Though rooted in age-old folklore, ‘The Sorcerer’ presents itself as a present-day reimagining of a classic character. In a world of much uncertainty it takes no effort to envisage the various reasons why humanity must be held accountable. As the story unfolds, it becomes apparent that the wall between folkloric sorcery and our palpable predicament is in fact a rather transparent veil.

The Good Ones - Rwanda .​.​. You See Ghosts, I See Sky

The Good Ones announce their fourth album, Rwanda…you see ghosts, I see sky. As with The Good Ones' past three releases, Grammy-winning music producer and author, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Zomba Prison Project, Ramblin; Jack Elliott), and his wife, Italian Rwandan photographer, and filmmaker, Marilena Umuhoza Delli, recorded The Good Ones' album live and without overdubs on the primary songwriter Adrien Kazigiras' farm the same farm Adrien was born on, the same land where he hid and survived the 1994 genocide. This album delves more deeply into The Good Ones’ members' personal stories than ever before with songs detailing the history of Rwanda's genocides, the experience of losing family members to the genocide, and the struggles Janvier has faced gaining assistance for his son with special needs. But more than anything the group always has and still does specialize in straight-up love songs.


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