Natural splendour, real musics, wines, wordpower
Here are two albums you should hear.
They offer no tediously-roosterish displays of “technique”.
Neither are they lamely “hip”, or tepidly “smooth”.
Both are uncommonly beautiful.
Crucial to their success is something rarely mentioned by reviewers of “jazz” releases: real friendships, sustained over many years.
One Comment…wordlessly, but you can hear how acutely conscious he is of Woodstock‘s lyric.
Comments closedFor many years Fred Hersch has been an inspired interpreter of two of the greatest songbooks – Thelonious Monk’s and Tom (Antonio Carlos) Jobim’s. On his new album Fred does right by both. He also covers someone whose songbook I long have loathed…
Comments closedWe have just lost one of the most consistently rewarding guitarists.
Musically speaking, many “guitar heroes” do not age well; John Abercrombie (December 16, 1944 – August 22, 2017) made some of his finest music after his 65th birthday.
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This “iconic” ballad began life as Music from Beyond the Moon – a 1947 flop. Retitled in 1952, it became famous in 1953, thanks to Frank Sinatra. The “iconic” version was sung in 1963 by Johnny Hartman on John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman. However, the loveliest version is an instrumental duet, recorded in 1989. One man – not ‘Trane, not Hartman – was common to both recordings.
Comments closed…can prove profoundly disillusioning. It can also be wonderful, as it was yesterday. If you are reading this in or near Melbourne, before the night of Thursday June 8, you ought seize your first (almost certainly, only) opportunity to experience the Carla Bley Trio on Australian soil.
One CommentThe king of Prince covers – on disc, at least – was recorded in February 2007 by a Polish instrumental trio.
You are unlikely to hear a more beautiful interpretation of Diamonds and Pearls.
Comments closedFor nearly three decades Chris Abrahams and Lloyd Swanton have been two thirds of The Necks.
That singular Australian trio is renowned worldwide, but its members do many other good, highly diverse musical things.
Chris Abrahams’ Climb and Lloyd Swanton’s Ambon are wonderful, in very different ways. Climb is all piano, solo. Ambon involves a shifting cast of thirteen…and a true story both dreadful and inspirational.
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Together for the first time as a trio on disc, Danish drummer Morten Lund, Swedish bassist Lars Danielsson & Norwegian saxophonist Marius Neset (l-r, above, photographed by Stephen Freiheit) have delivered a wonderful, exuberant album. Norwegian drummer Per Oddvar Johansen’s trio is utterly different, somewhat darker.
2 CommentsIn recent years many improvising pianists have made highly capable, not very memorable, quite-solo albums. This unforgettable pair are not much alike, but share key virtues.
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