Heady work from this supergroup from the London jazz scene – a moody electric ensemble that was initially put together to explore the music of Miles Davis, but who have a soaring sound that's very much all their own. If you know the work of some of the players in the lineup, you'll instantly recognize that you're in very genre-breaking territory – a world past conventional jazz, served up with contributions from Nubya Garcia (sax) and Shabaka Hutchings (flute), Theon Cross (tuba), Nikolaj Torp Larsen (electronics and melodica), Raven Bush (violin and electronics), Dave Okumu (guitar), Benji B ( turntables and "sonic recycling"), and Tom Skinner (drums) and Dan See (percussion). The set was put together by Martin Terefe, who also plays guitar in the group – and the whole thing really takes off from early 70s Miles electric territory, on titles that include "Raven Flies Low", "Morning Prayers", "Bassics", "Miles Chases New Voodoo In The Church", and "London Brew". ~ Dusty Groove
The electric years of Miles Davis have left a huge legacy in music – one that's referenced again and again, and continually revisited by generations of musicians, both young and old. Here, that legacy gets some especially nice treatment – by a group of artists who include some key collaborators with Miles in years back, plus other musicians too – in a project that even features two unreleased solo performance by Davis himself! Vince Wilburn Jr is the leader of the project, and players are almost far too many to mention here – so we'll just list a few – including Ron Carter, Vernon Reid, Wallace Roney, Bernard Wright, Stanley Clarke, Donald Harrison, Marcus Miller, Jeremy Pelt, John Scofield, and Lenny White – all working in deeply layered territory that definitely pushes the older electric mode forward. Titles include "Over My Shoulder", "Hail To The Real Chief (long version)", "Mellow Kisses", "That You Dare Not To Forget", and "Bitches Are Back". ~ Dusty Groove
Louis Hayes is not just a great drummer, he's also a hell of a leader too – the kind that always seems to know how to pick the right players for a really special sort of sound – and create a vibe that really sets his records apart from the rest. That quality is definitely in place here – as Louis leads a cool quintet with Abraham Burton (tenor), Steve Nelson (vibes), David Hazeltine (piano), and Dezron Douglas (bass) – all leaders and all-stars on their own, but coming together here in a wonderfully cohesive group to express Hayes' vision. Years back, Louis worked with Horace Silver – and at some level, he's got a similar genius of his own in the front of a group – as you'll hear here on titles that include "Is That So", "Mellow D", "Nefertiti", "Ugetsu", "Scarborough Fair", "Exactly Right", and "So Many Stars". ~ Dusty Groove
One of the most unusual albums ever heard on the Moserobie label – and that's saying a lot, given the groundbreaking material the Swedish imprint has given us for almost 20 years! Daniel Bingert heads up a group that's very heavy on reed interplay, on a set of tunes that are Monkish at points, but also have some surprising funky touches – not in a conventional way, but at a level that really keeps things interesting! Moussa Fadera handles some plenty heavy drums, and gets bass accompaniment from Torbjorn Zetterberg – a player we always love, but who shows off a whole new side of his talents here. The reeds soar, cross, and sparkle – work from Per Texas Johansson (tenor and bass clarinet), Jonas Kullhammar (alto), and Charlie Malberg (baritone and piano). The leader Bingert also brings in some moog at times, and Karl Olanderson provides key work on trumpet – on titles that include "Tom Of Norway", "Mobley Phone", "Ulla My Dear", "Soul Nedgangen", "Kennet Lemur", and "Latin Good Times Spela Roll". ~ Dusty Groove
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