New Releases from Naylor, Funnell, Stryker, Eaton and More
World of Jazz 717
A mixed bag of new releases features a variety of line-ups and includes some newly discovered live music from Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner, Jack DeJohnette, and Henry Grimes. In this playlist there is jazz in the conventional sense alongside some fascinating new approaches to the music.
SHOW AUDIO
PLAYLIST
Show Intro 00:00
Patrick Naylor "Big J" from Organza feat. David Beebee and Eric Ford (Beeboss Records) 00:29
Jim Funnell's Word Out "Tree Of Light" from New Dream (FunnellJazz) 05:31
Roy McGrath, Hana Fujisaki, Kitt Lyles, Gustavo Cortiñas "Matsuri" from Entre Amigos (Self Released) 12:00
Dave Stryker "Taxi Driver (Main Theme)" from Stryker with Strings Goes to the Movies (Strikezone Records) 17:00
Brian Eaton "Where The Rivers Meet The Plains" from Trail of Contrition (Eatin' Records) 23:10
McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Henry Grimes & Jack DeJohnette "We'll Be Together Again" from Forces of Nature : Live at Slugs' (Blue Note) 35:34
Daniele Esposito "Questo buio feroce" from Per Altri Motivi (Hypnote) 49:42
Gastón de la Cruz Quartet "El Sendero" from El Sendero de Los Seres Imaginarios (Self Released) 55:22
Orquesta Inorgánica "No Hay Razon Para Temer" from Viaje hacia lo inesperado (Numeral) 1:03:06
Almufaraka "Theophobia" from Master of Disorder (Circum-Disc & Tour de Bras) 1:15:23
Brûlez les meubles "Conscience du Tragique" from Folio #5 (Circum-Disc & Tour de Bras) 1:19:39
Chris Mosley "Banks" from Tribunal (Self Released) 1:26:45
Marina Albero "Blau Blueset" from A Nomad Of Sound (Self Released) 1:34:40
Maria Grand, Camila Nebbia, Marta Sánchez, Kanoa Mendenhall,Iago Fernández "Introduction, WIld Marks + Anger" from Altered Visions (Lilaila Records) 1:45:21
SHOW NOTES
Patrick Naylor - Patrick has performed extensively as a guitarist and bandleader from Ronnie Scott's to Glastonbury. He's released 3 albums of original compositions and also plays in The Gypsy Dreamers, Julian Costello 4tet and Viper's Dream. He also composes and plays for film and TV including the feature film "Things to do before you're 30" and many prime time TV shows and adverts. This new release features David Beebee on Hammond Organ and Eric Ford on Drums.
Jim Funnell's Word Out - Masterfully blending piano and keys into the jazz tradition, and inviting Japanese neo-classical/West-African percussionist and life partner Akiko Hori alongside his trio, Funnell leaves plenty to enjoy for the hardened bop-enthusiast, while steering clear of any cliches. New Dream is a 360* full-scale exploration of the pianist, composer, and bandleader’s ideals, from works alongside his friends and wife to solo piece Nicaea, and even violin on the endlessly melodic Asteroid B612.
Roy McGrath, Hana Fujisaki, Kitt Lyles, Gustavo Cortiñas - this Chicago based band draws on a decade of working together to deliver a mix of tradition and innovation.
Dave Stryker - Inspired by their 2023 Emmy-winning PBS special Wes Montgomery at 100: A 100th Birthday Tribute Concert, guitarist Dave Stryker and arranger and conductor Brent Wallarab decided to explore their mutual love of movies by recording 11 classic movie themes with a 30-piece studio orchestra. Each musician brought an impressive jazz pedigree to the collaboration. Stryker’s core band is Xavier Davis - Piano & Fender Rhodes, Jeremy Allen - Acoustic & Electric Bass, and McClenty Hunter - Drums
Brian Eaton - Portland-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and composer Brian Eaton is set to release his sixth studio album, Trail of Contrition, on December 27 via Eatin’ Records. This dynamic jazz fusion project stands at the crossroads of diverse American musical traditions, blending jazz, country, bluegrass, folk, rock, rhythm and blues, gospel, and Americana into an adventurous, genre-bending sonic journey.
McCoy Tyner, Joe Henderson, Henry Grimes & Jack DeJohnette - a never-before-issued live recording of these jazz legends at the hallowed lost NYC jazz shrine, Slugs' Saloon, in 1966. The release was produced for release by Zev Feldman and Jack and Lydia DeJohnette. Tyner and Henderson had been forging a strong musical bond on Blue Note through the mid-60s with Tyner appearing on Henderson’s 1963 debut Page One as well as his 1964 albums In ‘N Out and Inner Urge, while Henderson would appear on Tyner’s own Blue Note debut The Real McCoy in 1967. The Slugs set list included two Henderson compositions that were originally recorded on his Blue Note albums: a blistering half-hour exploration of “In ‘N Out” and a joyous romp through “Isotope”.
Daniele Esposito - Daniele Esposito (born 1976 in Naples, Italy) began playing electric bass at the age of 13 and switched to double bass at the age of 17. He studied the instrument with Aldo Vigorito, Furio di Castri and Gary Peacock, and has performed at numerous jazz festivals and toured Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Syria, Kosovo, Albania, Belgium and France. This is his first solo album, featuring his favourite instrument, the double bass, whose infinite possibilities and undeniable poetry he demonstrates. In 11 successive pieces, Daniele sketches out the sometimes vivid and more lascivious emotions offered by this instrument, whose limits have yet to be explored.
Gastón de la Cruz Quartet - an album conceived as a sort of sound log of a trip through the Argentine NOA, proposes a search for intense sounds, crossed by the timbral exploration between the two electric guitars where the textural game is the center of the proposal seeking to blur the classic roles of “solo guitar and accompanying guitar”. Marked by a strong Post-Rock influence, the use of simple melodies is very noticeable, with a specific song format as a trigger, which is manipulated in benefit of improvisation. Despite the stylistic spectrum found in the compositions, this is a Jazz album, perhaps however atypical of the genre.
Orquesta Inorgánica - the second release from this Argentinian big band which features
Maria Eugenia Irianni // flutes.
Ana Vocaturo // clarinet.
Sandra Chariatti // alto sax and clarinet.
Fabian Bullotti // flute, soprano and tenor sax.
Juan Pantusa // trombon.
Enrique Sarraquigne // tenor sax.
Jorge Torrecillas // alto and tenor sax, compositions and direction.
Anibal Tobos // tenor sax.
Karina Altamiranda // voice.
Ezequiel Lavayen // piano and electronics.
Juanita Flores Arce // voice.
Mario Alba // doublebass.
Daiana Grierson // drums.
In this new work, the use of free improvisation, both individual and collective, has atonalism at its heart which is more noticeable the their debut.
Almufaraka - this release brings together the breath and voices of Gaëlle Debra, Patrick Guionnet, and Maryline Pruvost, alongside the sound textures of skins, wood, and metal played by Peter Orins. This quartet explores a range of technical means to create a music that is both archaic and avant-garde, drawing inspiration from a mythical primitive tradition. The recording offers an emotional journey through a full sound spectrum, from the intimacy of whispers to the power of cries.
Brûlez les meubles - led by Éric Normand and Louis Beaudoin de la Sablonnière. Born from their mutual passion for each other’s eccentric musical worlds, this duo is known for collaborating with experimental improvisers and renowned artists. Their music is abstract and meditative, both modern and simple, drawing inspiration from jazz guitar legends such as Jim Hall, Bill Frisell, René Thomas, and Brandon Ross. Their fifth album, Folio #5, features saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, pianist Marianne Trudel, and vibraphonist Jonathan Huard.
Chris Mosley - an instrumental jazz guitar record with elements of psych, American and blues and incorporates fretless guitar on several tracks. It features bassist, Damian Erskine and drummer, Wayne Salzmann II.
Marina Albero - Albero resumes her journey across the world on her new album. The Barcelona-born pianist charts an exciting course abroad with a release inspired by the freedom to explore. It was written and recorded during a self-designed musical residency in New Orleans in early 2024, and is the overture to an ambitious new chapter in her lifelong musical travelogue.
Maria Grand, Camila Nebbia, Marta Sánchez, Kanoa Mendenhall, Iago Fernández - the debut release from Lilaila Records, Altered Visions is a powerful collaborative project which showcases a unique blend of voices, compositions, and improvisations, highlighting the vibrant, collaborative spirit of these incredible artists. The album is presented as one continuous so I have selected the first section.