ILL CONSIDERED - ILL CONSIDERED 6 (2019)

ll Considered’s 5th and 6th albums were recorded just over a year after their first. One studio album (Ill Considered 3) plus two live albums completed the vinyl output in their prolific first year. Albums 5 and 6 clearly demonstrate the development of the band’s sound and the interaction between the players. Taking only a few sketches of tunes into the studio over a two day period, the albums are still largely fully improvised. Some concise and well-defined hooky groove-based melodies are here, nestled beside rich, dark textural pieces that draw the listener in and propel them through this unique musical journey. 

The arrangements of bass, drums, percussion and sax are joined by bass clarinet, outrageously manipulated, yet emotive and at times searing electric guitar, an Indian shruti drone box, and powerful middle eastern percussion opening up new opportunities for interaction between Emre and Satin. 

The albums are beautifully recorded, mixed and mastered by Emre and each tune has its own sonic identity. There is however a progression between the tracks that ties both albums together in an intuitive journey, so that when you reach the end of album 6, you want to return to the start of album 5 again. 

Incredible playing from all four regular members and guest guitarist Steve Ashmore (on album 6) gives unexpected and surprising twists, massive climaxes and incredibly intimate moments, whilst never allowing themselves the luxury of self indulgent coasting. 

The sound is massive and the music unique. Whilst definitely not a coffee table album of background jazz, these are albums that you can immerse yourself in as well as allow to wash over you in almost any situation.

Idris Rahman: Bass Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone

Leon Brichard: Electric and Upright bass

Emre Ramazanoglu: Drums

Satin Singh: Percussion

Vincent De Boer: Ink and Brushes

Special Guest: Steve Ashmore: Guitar

1. Lies 02:48

2. Gunning 05:03

3. Ward 06:18

4. Waterfall 00:55

5. Amber 04:10

6. I didn't 04:49

7. Single Leaf 03:32

8. Predator 05:21

9. Percolator 02:54

ILL CONSIDERED - An Ill Considered Christmas (2018)

Dark, melancholy, aggressive, raging and subdued; “An Ill Considered Christmas” captures these essential festive feelings, weaving thorny, angular, unforgiving structures and stretching the helpless, protesting forms of infamous Christmas songs over them, creating a unique collection of Yuletide Chimeras. Recorded live in a day, with each musician extremely close to each other in the room, you can really feel the intensity of communication between them and the cohesive sound this proximity elicits. We hope this albums helps you have an appropriately Ill Considered Christmas.

Vincent De Boer: Paint and Brushes

Idris Rahman: Saxophone, Clarinet

Leon Brichard: Electric Bass

Emre Ramazanoglu: Drums, Percussion, Drones

1. Noel noel 05:22

2. Let it snow 04:15

3. We three kings of orient are 05:17

4. Silent night 04:25

5. Santa claus is coming to town 03:30

6. White christmas 06:58

7. Away in a manger 04:59

8. Jingle bells 06:34

9. Good king wenceslas 03:41

10. Dark the herald angel sings 04:13

11. Little drummer boy 05:45

12. Petit papa noel 05:35

Recorded, Mixed and Master By Emre Ramazanoglu at Hoxa HQ London on the 12th and 13th November 2018

Oz Noy - Booga Looga Loo (ABSTRACT LOGIX February 15, 2019)

New York guitar phenom Oz Noy is that rare artist -- one who has cultivated his own distinct voice within the context of classic structures. His latest album, Booga Looga Loo reawakens timeless Boogaloo meets Jazz meets R&B grooves with Noy’s extended, unpredictable harmonic sensibility, stinging phrasing, and deft musical economy. Helping to realize Noy’s concept of the boogaloo record is a cast of musicians equally versed in the backbeat and the beyond, including drummers Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl and Steve Ferrone; bassists Will Lee, John Patitucci, and James Genus; and keyboardists Jerry Z and Brian Charette. Other contributors include Kevin Hays, Seamus Blake, and Anne Drummond. 

On Booga Looga Loo, five taut, incisive Noy originals are joined by striking reinventions of material by the Beatles (“Eight Days a Week,” with Lee on vocals), the Beach Boys (an achingly delivered “God Only Knows”), Ray Charles (“I Got a Woman”), and Thelonious Monk (“Bemsha Swing”). The album follows Twisted Blues, Oz Noy’s acclaimed two-volume exploration of the limits of the blues, a searing live set recorded in Shanghai with Weckl and bassist Étienne M'Bappé (Asian Twistz), a Soul Funk R&B record “Who Give A Funk" and the debut of Ozone Squeeze, Noy’s versatile, accessible trio with drummer Darren Stanley and vocalist and keyboardist Rai Thistlethwayte.

Oz Noy (Guitar)

Vinnie Colaiuta, Dave Weckl, Steve Ferrone (Drums)

Will Lee, John Patitucci, James Genus (Bass)

Jerry Z, Brian Charette, Kevin Hays (Keys)

Seamus Blake (Sax)

Anne Drummond (Piano)

1. BoogaLoo Fever

2. Chocolate Souffle

3. A Soul Thang

4. Bemsha Swing

5. Booga Looga Loo

6. I Got a Woman

7. God Only Knows

8. Eight Days a Week

Shows

Feb 19

Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1

New York, NY

Feb 28

Yoshi's Jazz Club, Oakland

Oakland, CA

Mar 05

Jammin' Java

Vienna, VA

Mar 06

Songbirds (Lower Level)

Chattanooga, TN

Mar 12

FTC StageOne

Fairfield, CT

Mar 14

Iridium

New York, NY

Mar 15

Iridium

New York, NY

Mar 16

Iridium

New York, NY

Mar 17

Iridium

New York, NY

Mar 19

Milkboy Philly

Philadelphia, PA

Mar 22

The Jazz Kitchen

Indianapolis, IN

Mar 23

The Jazz Kitchen

Indianapolis, IN

Mar 27

The Bitter End

New York, NY

Ivan Conti - Poison Fruit (2019)

From an artist in their seventies, you probably wouldn’t expect to hear an album like this. But Brazilian drumming legend Ivan ‘Mamão’ Conti has been experimenting and innovating for the last half a century. As one third of cult Rio jazz-funk trio Azymuth, Mamão was at the root of the group’s ‘samba doido’ (crazy samba) philosophy, which warped the traditional samba compass with jazz influences and space age electronics. Even with his lesser known jovem guarda group The Youngsters, Mamão was experimenting with tapes and delays to create unique, ahead-of-its-time sounds, way back in the sixties. More recently Mamão recorded an album with hip-hop royalty Madlib under the shared moniker ‘Jackson Conti’. 

With his first album in over twenty years, and the first to be released on vinyl since his 1984 classic The Human Factor, Mamão shares his zany carioca character across eleven tracks of rootsy electronic samba and tripped out jazz, beats and dance music. Featuring Alex Malheiros and Kiko Continentino on a number of tracks, the Azymuth lifeblood runs deep, but venturing into the modern discotheque (as Mamão would call it), Poison Fruit also experiments with sounds more commonly associated with house and techno, with the help of London based producer Daniel Maunick (aka Dokta Venom) and Mamão's son Thiago Maranhão. 

Take a bite of Mamão’s psychoactive Papaya and join the maestro on a weird and wonderful stroll through the Brazilian jungle. 

United by a love for the music of Mamão and Azymuth, the CD and digital edition also feature the previously released remixes and dubs from some of today’s most forward-thinking producers with a penchant for percussion, including IG Culture, the 22a crew, Max Graef and Glenn Astro.

Ivan 'Mamão' Conti

1. Aroeira 03:12

2. Jemburi 01:44

3. Encontro 04:28

4. Bacurau 06:29

5. Ninho 03:18

6. Ilha Da Luz 02:35

7. O Ritual 02:56

8. Poison Fruit 07:33

9. Que Legal 06:18

10. Ecos Da Mata 04:11

11. Tempestades 02:00

12. Ilha Da Luz (aka Mamão’s Brake) Tenderlonious remix 03:25

13. Encontro (aka Azul) Glenn Astro Remix 04:47

14. Que Legal Reginald Omas Mamode IV Remix 03:19

15. Encontro (aka Azul) Max Graef Remix 03:34

16. Poison Fruit (Dokta Venom's Digital Dub Mix) 07:30

17. *ALBUM TEASER* 06:38

Nik Francis Trio - Two for air, one for ear (2019)

Steve Arnold (bass)

Jim Ryan (alto sax, tenor sax, flute)

Nik Francis (drums, cymbals, gong)

1. Two for air, one for ear 36:51

Beyond Trio (Cheryl Pyle , Michael Eaton , Reggie Sylvester) - Live at I-BEAM (2019)

1. Jarman's Triagent -Beyond Trio 05:09

2. In Ornette's Orbit -Beyond Trio 04:08

3. Hamiett Blues -Beyond Trio 04:19

4. Harmolodics Anonymous and the 12 tone truth -Beyond Trio 04:46

5. Crazy Wisdom holding on to something Wild 04:44

6. Tweet Storm -Beyond Trio 03:07

7. Cecil Taylor's Time -Beyond Trio 03:55

8. Nocturne for Nix-Beyond Trio 05:08

Cheryl Pyle

Cheryl Pyle - c flute, alto flute

Michael Eaton - soprano sax

Reggie Sylvester - drums

Recorded live at I-Beam Bk -Jan 24, 2019 

Cover art by Bo Gorzelak Pedersen 

All compostitions tunettes by C L Pyle @11th street Music BMI 2019

gianni lenoci hp3+sabir mateen - smiling stones (2019)

1. smiling stones I 32:53

2. smiling stones II 21:27

sabir mateen soprano sax, tenor sax, flute

gianni lenoci piano

pasquale gadaleta double bass

giacomo mongelli drums

live recording @ wave ahead studio in monopoli (italy)

july 30, 2017

mixed @ wave ahead studio in monopoli (italy)

february 20, 2018

sound engineer mimmo galizia

cover art "blue stones" by brian patrick tagalog

Simona Premazzi - Let Me Be Free (Live at Buffalo CMC Jazz Festival) 2019

Her composing style stays modern without ever being airless and swing-deficient, open without getting lost in harmony and sentimentality. And her soloing is special” 

[Ben Ratliff – New York Times]

New York based pianist Simona Premazzi has developed an impressive body of work as a composer and bandleader. Originally from Italy, Premazzi hails from a small town in the outskirts of Milano.

"Let Me Be Free" tribute to Cecil Taylor - Live at Buffalo CMC Jazz Festival. Simona Premazzi piano. 

"Premazzi, originally from Milan, Italy and now residing in New York City, got things underway with a magnificent solo virtuoso performance. Taking eloquent improvisational playing to another level as she rolled into Miles Davis’s classic “All Blues.”

[Jazz in Buffalo concert review]

Simona Premazzi, piano

1. Rumination on Peace 09:31

2. Rumination on All Blues 08:14

Recorded live at Buffalo CMC Jazz Festival on July 26, 2018.

Recorded by Bill Sack at Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center.

Mixed and mastered by Walter Fischbacher, Brooklyn, NY.

Luca Sguera - AKA (AUAND RECORDS February 1, 2019)

Francesco Diodati - Yellow Squeeds "NEVER THE SAME" (AUAND RECORDS January 25, 2019)

"Never The Same”, Francesco Diodati’s new album as a leader

featuring his Yellow Squeeds, out on January 25th

After his critically acclaimed “Flow, Home”, his long-awaited new release

has been showcased at JAZZMI (Milan), London Jazz Festival and the Bimhuis (Amsterdam). 

It features Enrico Zanisi (piano, synth), Francesco Lento (trumpet), 

Glauco Benedetti (tuba, trombone) and Enrico Morello (drums)

Three years after his previous work (“Flow, Home”, 2015), Italian guitarist and composer Francesco Diodati releases “Never The Same”, his latest and long-awaited album as a leader. He’s back with the same band, Yellow Squeeds – Enrico Zanisi (piano, synth), Francesco Lento (trumpet), Glauco Benedetti (tuba, valve trombone) and Enrico Morello (drums) – and the same label, Auand Records. His name has become one of the most renowned ones in the Italian and European music scene: working and touring extensively with Enrico Rava, he has also proved his personality and innovative attitude on his works as a leader.

At the core of “Never The Same” is a deep reflection on individual perceptions and team work and on the countless transformations these two elements can generate even on the most basic melody. What dominates the composing side is «several layers of sounds overlapping – Diodati says –, intertwining lines becoming mutually essential, albeit maintaining their own independence. This way of building music ensures, for example, that the same tune can be perceived in a different way by each listener. It’s like looking at the same 3D object from different perspectives, in your hands or suspended in space.» This approach generates the apparently alienating effect that can be heard on “Entanglement”, with its constantly changing rhythm.

This penchant for change, like a push towards something that was not there before, is also key to understand the band’s style. «They are all very dynamic and looking for new sounds and approaches – Diodati adds – On our previous album, Zanisi played the piano, while he’s doubling on Fender Rhodes, modular synth and bass synth now. I gave Morello a ton of Burmese gongs, which I collected along my trips and live shows in Myanmar, and we played those in the intro of “Simple Lights”. Glauco Benedetti turned out so surprisingly well on the valve trombone that I rewrote some parts to add it. Francesco Lento brings so many different sounds out of his trumpet, making the timber possibilities endless. He can be truly lyric as well as angular and harsh. We often converse very fast, and this became more and more intense over the years. They are all impressive musicians. I chose them because they break boundaries, and go beyond what’s common.»

As the likes of “River” show, sometimes their interplay is the starting point of an enchanting sound flow, built on the melody and ending in a dense collective improvisation.

And while they’re playing with an out-of-tune instrument, focusing on timber or exchanging roles in the lineup, the album cover also catches the eye, embracing the whole idea of the album. «The cover is the result of an art work by Sara Bernabucci, an artist I’ve been collaborating with for two years – we aim at making music and visual arts meet – and by Alberto Timossi. It’s the layering of two different arts (sculpture and painting), from two different minds, and the camera adds my point of view, making the original work of art unrecognisable. This is what I mean: looking at the same object from different perspectives, not as a preconceived approach, but with the intuitive passion of those who live through art.»

Greg Ward - Stomping Off From Greenwood (GREENLEAF MUSIC 2019)

Chicago-based saxophonist and composer Greg Ward (Tortoise, Lupe Fiasco, Makaya McCraven, Mike Reed) presents a new group, Rogue Parade, featuring a quintet of heavyweight creative Chicago musicians: Matt Gold and Dave Miller (guitar & effects), Matt Ulery (bass), and Quin Kirchner (drums). 

Following his critically acclaimed Greenleaf debut 'Touch My Beloved’s Thought' in 2016, which was a re-imagining of the music of Charles Mingus, 'Stomping Off From Greenwood' highlights Ward’s skills as a writer and arranger with a set of eight new compositions that explore this unique two-guitar instrumentation, which blends the acoustic and electronic sonic worlds. 

The group honed their ensemble sound during a month-long residency in Chicago, followed by extensive touring in the Midwest, before heading into the studio to capture the band’s energy on record. In addition to the original material, the band presents Ward’s moody arrangement of the jazz standard “Stardust.” 

"Excerpt 2" is an exclusive bonus track available as a download for Bandcamp purchasers only

1. Metropolis 07:04

2. Excerpt 1 02:11

3. The Contender 08:27

4. The Fourth Reverie 04:41

5. Let Him Live 04:32

6. Black Woods 08:07

7. Pitch Black 11:08

8. Stardust 05:45

9. Sundown 08:24

Greg Ward, alto saxophone

Matt Gold, guitar & effects

Dave Miller, guitar & effects

Matt Ulery, acoustic & electric bass

Quin Kirchner, drums

Producer: Greg Ward

Executive producer: Dave Douglas

Recorded, mixed and mastered at I.V. Lab in Chicago, IL, on August 5 and 6, 2017 by Shane Hendrickson

Package design and photography by Damon Locks

With assistance from Lukas Frei

All compositions by Greg Ward (Greg Ward 2 Music / ASCAP) except:

Stardust, composed by Hoagy Carmichael (Songs Of Peer, Ltd. / ASCAP) Arranged by Greg Ward.

This album was made with support from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) Individual Artist Project Grants.

The Rain Dance Collective - The tempest (2019)

The Rain Dance Collective brings together five jazz musicians from France and Venezuela. In this project, the guitarist Francisco Garrido is joined by the quartet "two saxophones, bass, drums" of Nicolas Gegout, Quentin Thomas, Antoine Leonardon and Paul Lefevre. Inspired by the aesthetic universe of artists such as Kenny Wheeler, Ambrose Akinmusire, Ben Monder and Lage Lund, the band presents music with an spacious quality, sometimes mixed with Latin music, with a solid rhythm section supporting the melodic endeavors of each soloist. Melodic themes and improvisations rub shoulders in original compositions, offering each musician a wide space for expression and creativity.

1. The Tempest 04:14

2. Olympic Hide and Seek Final 07:33

3. Blues Dots in Space 05:38

4. Luna 05:18

Nicolas Gegout - Tenor Sax

Quentin Thomas - Alto Sax

Francisco Garrido - Guitar and Composition

Antoine Leonardon - Bass

Paul Lefevre - Drums

Adrien Legay- Production

Yacine Belmahi and Seba Selame- Production in "Luna"

Bob Meich- Drums on "Luna"

John Surman / John Warren - The Brass Project (ECM 2019)

The original conceptual idea for the Brass Project was to set John Surman’s improvising trio with bassist Chris Laurence and drummer John Marshall at the centre of a radiant brass choir of trumpets and trombones. With John Warren invited to contribute compositions and to conduct the group, the Brass Project quickly evolved into a more organic large ensemble, and by the time of this 1992 recording had become one of the most creative configurations in Britain. The elegant arrangements of Warren’s and Surman’s profoundly melodic music inspire many eloquent and touching solos.

John Surman   Soprano Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone, Alto Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Piano

Henry Lowther   Trumpet

Steve Waterman   Trumpet

Stuart Brooks   Trumpet

Malcolm Griffiths   Trombone

Chris Pyne   Trombone

David Stewart   Bass Trombone

Richard Edwards   Bass Trombone

Chris Laurence   Bass

John Marshall   Drums, Percussion

John Warren   Conductor

1 THE RETURNING EXILE (John Surman) 07:41

2 COASTLINE (John Surman) 03:33

3 THE NEW ONE TWO PART 1 (John Warren) 06:39

4 THE NEW ONE TWO PART 2 (John Warren) 07:30

5 SPACIAL MOTIVE (John Warren) 04:51

6 WIDER VISION (John Surman) 08:26

7 SILENT LAKE (John Warren) 05:56

8 MELLSTOCK QUIRE / TANTRUM CLANGLEY (John Warren, John Surman) 11:13

9 ALL FOR A SHADOW (John Warren, John Surman) 05:49

Ralph Towner & Gary Burton - Matchbook (ECM 2019)

An album-of-the-year in US magazine High Fidelity and recipient of a 5-star review in Down Beat, Towner and Burton’s Matchbook stands up today as a timeless instance of the art of the duo, its vibrant spontaneity still alluring. The wide-ranging repertoire includes Ralph Towner’s classic tune ”Icarus”, Charles Mingus’s farewell to Lester Young, “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat”, and Leonard Bernstein’s “Some Other Time” (“a meticulously plotted melody that spurs some of the record’s loveliest interaction.

– Down Beat

Ralph Towner   12-String Guitar, Classical Guitar

Gary Burton   Vibraharp

1 DRIFTING PETALS (Ralph Towner) 05:14

2 SOME OTHER TIME (Leonard Bernstein) 06:12

3 BROTHERHOOD (Gary Burton) 01:08

4 ICARUS (Ralph Towner) 05:48

5 SONG FOR A FRIEND (Ralph Towner) 05:05

6 MATCHBOOK (Ralph Towner) 04:29

7 1 X 6 (Ralph Towner) 00:52

8 AURORA (Ralph Towner) 05:07

9 GOODBYE PORK PIE HAT (Charles Mingus) 04:22

Chick Corea - Piano Improvisations Vol. 1 (ECM 2019)

Chick Corea’s first unaccompanied album initiated the solo piano idiom at ECM, and proved to be extremely influential. Alongside music created in the moment, some powerful melodies are explored here, not least that of “Sometime Ago”, soon to be a theme song for the Return To Forever band. “I found it quite easy to select what I felt was the single best disc [of 1971]. Chick Corea’s Piano Improvisations Volume One is a true masterpiece of music and a very important album” - Michael Cuscuna, Record World.

- Michael Cuscuna, Record World

Chick Corea   Piano

1 NOON SONG (Chick Corea) 04:04

2 SONG FOR SALLY (Chick Corea) 03:45

3 BALLAD FOR ANNA (Chick Corea) 02:27

4 SONG OF THE WIND (Chick Corea) 03:12

5 SOMETIME AGO (Chick Corea) 08:22

CHICK COREA - WHERE ARE YOU NOW? - A SUITE OF 8 PICTURES

6 Picture 1 04:53

7 Picture 2 02:04

8 Picture 3 02:31

9 Picture 4 02:44

10 Picture 5 00:34

11 Picture 6 03:55

12 Picture 7 02:00

13 Picture 8 01:36