New Releases - Jazz, Rock and Modern Classical - plus some great tracks from the Archive.
Different Noises 40
Featuring music from The Girl With The Replaceable Head, Julian Lage, Kenny Garrett & Svoy, Jess Ribeiro, Juan J.G. Escudero, The Pull of Autumn, Rick Baitz, Denman Maroney, Dave Graney and Clare Moore, Heffernan & Park, Moff Skellington, Die Geister Beschwöre, The Parasite, TIM.M, Ambassador Hazy, Blokeacola, Robert Forster, The Wailing Souls, Neon Kittens.
The Girl With The Replaceable Head “Her Last Day On Earth” from Sometimes she lives in the dark, sometimes she lives in the light
Julian Lage “Northern Shuffle” from Speak To Me
Kenny Garrett & Svoy “Miles Running Down AI” from Who Killed AI
Jess Ribeiro “Jump The Gun” from Summer Of Love
Juan J.G. Escudero “Coincidence Threshold” from Ice Door
The Pull of Autumn “Flow Motion” from Memory Tree
Rick Baitz “Dark Fire” from River of January
Denman Maroney “Sailing To Byzanteum” from The Air-Conditioned Nightmare
Dave Graney and Clare Moore “Family Gatherings” from (strangely) (emotional)
Heffernan & Park “The Sun” from Sun Reflector
Moff Skellington “It’s Raining In My Throat” from Observed By Satellites
Die Geister Beschwöre “Defenders of Ghost-Seeing & Diablerie” from Ghosts, This Is Survival
The Parasite “New Branch In Hell” from Icarus Syndrome
TIM.M “Hey Now” from Hey Now
Ambassador Hazy “Back To Square One” from Leaving Here
Blokeacola “Two Minute Pop Song” from Quasars And Fluff
Robert Forster “Beyond Their Law” from The Best Of The Solo Recordings 1990-1997
The Wailing Souls “Jah Jah Give Us Life To Live (Don't Feel No Way) (Extended 12" Disco Mix)” from Wailing Souls At Channel One
Neon Kittens “The House that RAAC Built” from It's a No Thing
NOTES
The Girl With The Replaceable Head - just under three years since the last album from Gateshead’s finest - Sylvia and Taffy are back with Mick Porter on bass and the legendary Lindy Morrison on drums. It’s their fourth release.
Julian Lage - Guitar virtuoso Julian Lage’s new album travels a wide range of American music, and delights in the deliberate crossing of wires between gospel hymn and rural blues, California singer-songwriter sunshine and skronky jazz. The 13-track set showcases the guitarist in a variety of settings, including solo acoustic, duo, his accustomed trio with bassist Jorge Roeder and drummer Dave King, and a larger ensemble with keyboards (from Kris Davis and Patrick Warren) and woodwinds (Levon Henry). It’s Lage’s fourth effort for Blue Note, and it’s part of a torrent of creative activity that includes his participation in Charles Lloyd’s Trio of Trios project and records with Terri Lynn Carrington, John Zorn, and Cautious Clay.
Kenny Garrett & Svoy - For more than 3 decades saxophonist Kenny Garrett has been on the forefront of the most adventurous and creative collaborations in jazz, having performed with generations of innovators such as Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard and more. The living legend charts yet another path in his illustrious career with the release of his first ever electronic album, an avenue to explore new sounds. Kenny Garrett (alto & soprano saxophones, vocals) and Svoy (programming, vocals, piano). I saw him in the mid 80s with Art Blakey and in the mid 90s with Miles Davis.
Jess Ribeiro - still working my way through Jess’s latest album
Juan J.G. Escudero - The Spanish composer-mathematician’s new album, follows his usual acousmatic trajectory but adds two substantial works for acoustic instrumental ensembles, Páginas de Mar and Coincidence Threshold, the latter of which I have featured. The piece is performed by Benjamin Fingland, clarinet and bass clarinet, Christopher Gross, violoncello, and Molly Morkoski, piano with Benjamin Grow conducting the ensemble/
The Pull of Autumn - The 'Memory Tree' album, described as "a melancholy remembrance of moments in time and life", is released via Boston imprint RBM Records on CD and digitally. The Pull of Autumn is a revolving-door collective lead by Rhode Island artist Daniel Darrow of 80s post-punk group Johanna’s House of Glamour and core members Bruce MacLeod, Matthew Darrow and Luke Skyscraper James (I.R.S. recording artist Fashion). Each release involves a variety of notable and emerging artists, both from the local music scene and further abroad.
Rick Baitz - The journey of River of January began in early 1969, when as a freshly arrived 14-year-old from Los Angeles, standing by the ocean in Rio de Janeiro [transl., River of January], Rick Baitz heard a crescendo of rhythmic chanting, followed by a parade of women sashaying down the sidewalk, joyfully singing and swaying to the beat of their own samba. He didn’t know at the time that one day he would write a piece honouring the name of that city, but In 1991 he was commissioned by The Juilliard School in association with Lincoln Center Institute (LCI), to compose a work for young audiences. Each of its three movements would be reflective of Rick’s formative years in Los Angeles, South Africa and Brazil. The piece would also feature electronic sounds in constant, real-time transformation with moments of polytonality, polyrhythm and polymetre. Ultimately the piece gained some traction, and was termed a “glowing jewel of a new score” by The New York Times. For this new recording, Rick gathered a virtuosic New York ensemble – replete with vintage Yamaha DX7 synthesizer, for which the electronic element was originally conceived.
Denman Maroney - After over five decades of making music at, in, and around the piano, Denman Maroney may have left New York for the more rustic climes of a quaint French town, but he has not abandoned his musical ambitions. Choosing March 2020 to travel, and kept in place by the pandemic shutdown, Maroney put down roots that are now flourishing in this double album with fresh local conspiractors. Taking John Cage’s prepared piano and Conlon Nancarrow’s rhythmic innovations to new musical territories, Maroney’s performances have long occasioned reactions such as Fred Frith’s: “I was on the edge of my seat, breathless, agog.”
Dave Graney and Clare Moore - getting close to the end of the new album.
Heffernan & Park - Sun Reflector is the debut LP collaboration by Heffernan (Ivan The tolerable, All Structures Align, King Champion Sounds, University Challenged) and Pärk (Black Tempel Pyramid, Teeth Of Glass, Kosmonaut). The album is steeped in a haze of primitive drum machines, fanned phase and sustained scuzz-rippled guitar chimes, an ambient electronic creation with emphasis on repetitive trance-inducing rhythmic pulsations of electronic sound and subtle counterpoints that slowly unfold as the rhythmic drive marches forth utilizing the Motorik 4/4 beat with the lysergic kosmische sonic textures of Cluster.
Moff Skellington - the middle release of the latest trio of works is a completely instrumental album with no lyrical content with Moff’s sole vocal contributions a series of wordless utterances. This could be described as Eddodi meets Free Jazz and also very much circles the orbit of early sonic experimenters like Cabaret Voltaire.
Die Geister Beschwöre - a wonderful slab of gothic, psych, freak folk/new weird America in all its sonic beauty is available for the first time on vinyl. Featuring: Oryan Peterson-Jones on various guitars, modified sitar and field recordings with Joey Binhammer guitar, pedal steel, synth, autoharp, glockenspiel, drums and bass, Andrew Pritchard – bass, slide guitar and chimes and Evar Restad – musical saw with guests Helena Espvall - cello, Kate Kilbourne – Violin, Amie Beckwith – vocals, Alex Nozop – turntablist, The Unipiper – bagpipes, T J Thompson – vibraphone, Sean Barry – tenor and baritone sax, SSSam Smith – cajon, kalimba, cabasa, shekere, shakers and marimba.
The Parasite - shameless self promotion - their 22nd release an eight track collection embracing a range of musical styles and lyrical topics. Ian Moss takes his usual acerbic look at the world whilst Bob Osborne (cough!) delivers sound palettes of varied complexity. Ian reckons its the best one yet.
TIM.M - has been making music for over thirty years. He's recorded an album with legendary producer Glyn Johns, renowned for his work with the Rolling Stones, The Clash and Joan Armatrading; an acclaimed solo album with Neill and Calum MacColl; and two more as Aliens, a project he founded with Iain Harvie from million-sellers, Del Amitri. Aliens received rave reviews, were played on more than 100 stations around the world and signed to Metal Postcard in 2021. Now based in the vibrant, artistic community of St Leonards-on-Sea, England, surrounded by some new great musicians, TIM.M is producing more personal material. The songs are emotive and sophisticated with a feel reminiscent of artists such as Steely Dan, Roxy Music, World Party and Crowded House.
Ambassador Hazy - the latest “hazy fried sounds” of New York States Ambassador Hazy (aka Sterling Deweese) is described in the promo as “hallucinatory lightning in a bottle”. Musically each song veers between bright sunshine fuzzy soaked pop and dark warping druggy-tinged nightmares that is the USA in 2024.
Blokeacola - another track from his latest album
Robert Forster - I occasionally like to slip in a track from Robert. I culled this one from the Intermission album which I bought thinking it would include new stuff but I soon realised I already had all the tracks on Robert and Grant’s solo albums.
The Wailing Souls - Superb compilation of classic late seventies Wailing Souls music recorded and mixed at Channel One
Neon Kittens - around the 23rd release from the No Wave quartet - check them out on Metal Postcard or on their own Bandcamp Page. Of this track Andy Goz says “Currently still my favourite Neon Kittens' song. Highly political and topical at the time of recording. Completely captured live, with no overdubs (something I very rarely do). It's practically a single take live recording with a little post production editing. Fair to say that it wouldn't be anything without the inspiration I got from Keith Levene and John McKay!”.