Carlton Jumel Smith is back on Timmion Records, doing what he does best: grooving, testifying and romancing his way into your heart. His last album for the label '1634 Lexington Avenue' left many contemporary soul fans in awe - some in tears of joy - and they will be pleased to know that he has something new cooking in 2022. Carlton and Cold Diamond & Mink bring out a new trilogy of tracks that will be first available as a digital EP and soon after on three separate vinyl records flipped with instrumental versions. ‘Devoted To You’ packs everything you could want from a mid-tempo jam. A steady tambourine beat rides a mellow groove, leaving Carlton all the pockets he needs to fill with his ever-funky but delicate delivery. ‘Heaven In My Arms’ is a melodic beat ballad of the highest order, which should sweep fans of lowrider soul off their wheels, while ‘Loveliness Of You’ has sunday soul written all over it. 'Devoted To You' will be available as a digital EP - the songs will then be released on 3 different 7" singles.
Grupo Baquedanu’s’ "Toma Cinco" is a hidden pearl in the recording history of Venezuela. “Take Five”, the groundbreaking jazz classic by Dave Brubeck is covered by one of the best saxophonists in the country's history, Santiago Baquedano (1931-2008), along with his group, Baquedanu's. Baquedano established himself as one of the finest sax players in Venezuela during the 50s and 60s when he worked with local band-leaders like Pablo Armitano, Willie Pérez, Willy Gamboa and Luis Alfonso Larrain. As his reputation grew he began playing wider, touring Latin America as well as travelling through Spain, the Middle East, the US and Puerto Rico. The name of musicians he has accompanied is vast but includes Frank Sinatra, Charles Aznavour, Xavier Cugat, Tom Jones and Paul Anka. In the mid-70s he decided to return to Venezuela with the intent of creating his own music, and find his own flavour. Thus, he formed Grupo Baquedanu’s in 1977 and released his version of “Take Five”. Noticeably, he changes the signature 5/4 of the original into 4/4, allowing for a looser adaptation that passes through Latin rock, funk, disco and psych, the perfect recipe for a sophisticated Venezuelan audience who, crucially, also wanted to dance. “Toma Cinco” is the second single from Color de Trópico Vol. 3, the latest instalment of El Palmas Music’ illuminating journey into Venezuela’s musical gems of the 60s and 70s.
Following the critically acclaimed album Moving Cities, recorded and produced with Makaya McCraven, Antoine Berjeaut - a stalmart of the European jazz scene - returns with Chromesthesia. Crafted together with some of the most innovative musicians of the French jazz circuit, this exciting new album will be out June 3rd through French-Japanese record label MENACE.Chromesthesia (or sound-to-color synesthesia) is a type of synesthesia in which sound involuntarily evokes an experience of color, shape, and movement. Antoine Berjeaut seeks synesthetic resonances between sound and colors, guided by the intuition that he can write music while using concepts and processes inherent to graphic art; playing with contrasts and nuances the way he plays with scales and keys, and tracing melodic lines in a constantly moving world, both graphic and sonic. “I see songwriting and composition as an ephemeral musical gesture, something like a sonic calligraphy which I hope to be as fluid as possible” Berjeaut explains.Echoing the compositions, London-based Lory Louves’ original paintings invoke a graphic and spatial dimension to music, through his “internal eye”. For the album’s opener “PPDQ”, Berjeaut goes for a cinematic immersion, with a spiritual jazz feel. Recorded in one take with Enzo Carniel (keyboards), Arnaud Dolmen (drums) and Csaba Palotai (guitar) - at the heart of the pandemic when the French government didn’t allow gathering of more than 4 people (“PPDQ” stands for “Pas plus de quatre”; “No more than four in english) - it features a prominent and enveloping flugelhorn solo, sidechained Rhodes synth lines, organic and nuanced drumming, a floating guitar and cutting-edge arrangement. Aptly named “Life in Ocre” (which refers to the colors of brass instruments and horns) is a solar tune which combines field recordings, Prophet synth sequences, a Lo-fi aesthetic and subtle beat music. Third single “Meeting Point” is as conquering as progressive and showcases the band’s wonderful interplay, with the addition of Gauthier Toux on synths. It encapsulates the ambition of Chromesthesia, Antoine Berjeaut’s very personal take on 21st century jazz - urban, poetic and technological - and one of the most forward-thinking and effortless records of the year.
In this musical meeting, a unique expression is created in harmony by three dynamic and creatively creative musicians. Christina Dahl Trio consists of three artists, each one with great personality, who together create an original universe of compositional music and improvisation. The trio is not afraid of experimenting with the musical expression and to seek out the nooks and crannies of the musical landscape. The music has a spectrum of sound facets and expresses itself from the simple lyrical to the more complex layers of musical lines and pulse. The trio thrives in its span and adventurous stories are told and put to life in this musical tone univers that is intuitively conveyed and ranges from deep, inner peace to chaos and wildness - clear, beautiful moments to smoldering, intense and whimsical colors of foggy tone language. The music is composed by Christina Dahl and is created from inner pictures and storylines. The music is portrayed by the trio in a mutual, organic, musical image that reflects the eternal dynamics and changeability of the human and life.
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