Norah Jones in Montreal as part of the Jazz All-Year Round series!

Day Breaks (Blue Note Records), Norah Jones’ stunning sixth solo album, is a kindred spirit to the singer’s breakout debut Come Away With Me and finds the 9-time GRAMMY-winner returning to the piano and her roots. The album features jazz luminaries including her Blue Note label mates saxophonist Wayne Shorter, organist Dr. Lonnie Smith, and drummer Brian Blade on a 12-song set that presents 9 new originals alongside covers of songs by Horace Silver, Duke Ellington and Neil Young.

Rein Godefroy Trio - It Will Come (SAFE SOUND RECORDS 2017)

It Will Come is the first album of the Rein Godefroy Trio. A new trio witch is founded in 2016. It features Guus Bakker on bass and Pim Dros on drums.

The recording of this album took place in may 2016, at the wedgeview studios and was recorded by Udo Pannekket.

It became a very personal album where each composition has its own storyline.

1. It Will Come

2. Casual Fling

3. Trampoline

4. Old New

5. Blue on Blue

6. Moon

7. Epiphany

8. Blinkert

9. Knit Knat

10.Cycle

11.Uninvited

Rein Godefroy - piano

Guus Bakker - double bass

Pim Dros - drums

Greg Duncan & The Individuation Quintet - Unification (NEW ORIGINS 2017)

The Individuation Quintet was formed in 2014 to perform original straight ahead Jazz music influenced by the ideas of Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung. They released their first recording "Unification" (New Origins label) in February of 2017 and have performed at various clubs throughout Chicago. The purpose of the group is to create an awareness of Jung’s concepts such as Individuation, Synchronicity, and Archetypes – and in turn, help enrich people’s lives.

What is Individuation exactly? It can be defined as the gradual integration and unification of the self through the resolution of successive layers of psychological conflict (the term was created by Jung). But more simply, it is trying to be the best self possible by realizing your potential and abilities, as well as your Life Destiny. This not only applies well to a jazz group (where many individuals strive for the best expression of their self), but also to the audience and people in general.

In current times there is a lot of unexplained and random acts of violence and people are realizing the importance of mental health. Psychology and Music can help open more dialogs about these issues. There is also an overwhelming emphasis by the media to make ourselves better on the outside, but nobody talks about how to make ourselves better on the inside. Psychology and Music can help do that, and by playing Music influenced by Psychology we hope to provide awareness on how a greater examination of our Soul and our Life Destiny can provide meaning and clarity.

1. Intro. to the Subconscious 01:40

2. Out on a Limb 05:58

3. Constellated 08:58

4. Anima 07:39

5. Red's Song 03:09

6. Shadow Side 06:23

7. Path of Light and Darkness 05:44

8. Thinking Light 05:30

9. Say Hey 06:42  

Greg Duncan - trumpet

Doug Rosenberg - sax

Xavier Breaker - drums

Ben Lewis - piano

Joel Kelsey - bass

Shobaleader One - Elektrac (WARP 2017)

Having used his talents as a virtuoso bass player to turn drum & bass & electronica on its head with a series of mind melting albums for Warp, Tom Jenkinson or as most people now him - Squarepusher calls on the help of his allies Strobe Nazard, Company Laser & Arg Nution to take a second turn on what amounts to possibly his most ambitious project yet, Shobaleader One.

As those who have been paying attention will know, Shobaleader One debuted back in 2010 with the Demonstrator album, and it's seven years later with Elektrac that they really show off the power of their combined skills.

Made up of eleven covers of classic Squarepusher tracks, what is most striking about Elektrac is that each piece retains the funk that is such a singular part of the Squarepusher originals, the core elements get translated into new forms that show familiar traces, yet are strikingly new.

For instance, the 96 drill & bass jazz of Squarepusher Theme in the hands of Shobaleader One gets mutated into a cool robotic funk number, while the Hard Normal Daddy classic Coopers World becomes almost disco, a track that expels so much funk it's hard to not start bopping along the second it starts.

On Elektrac, Shobaleader One paint eleven excitingly vivid new landscapes with unmistakably familiar colours.

01. The Swifty 05:30

02. Coopers World 05:29

03. Dont Go Plastic 07:14

04. Iambic 5 Poetry 05:37

05. Squarepusher Theme 06:14

06. E8 Boogie 06:56

07. Deep Fried Pizza 07:10

08. Megazine 04:32

09. Delta-V 04:04

10. Anstromm Feck 05:09

11. Journey To Reedham 06:55

Bass - Squarepusher

Keys - Strobe Nazard

Guitar - Arg Nution

Drums - Company Laser

Vladimir Médail Trio - Sur Le Pont (2017)

« Le lyrisme ingénu de Vladimir Médail » Jean-François Mondot (Jazz Magazine)

Je ne vais pas me cacher derrière mon petit doigt: J’aime beaucoup Vladimir Médail, depuis que je l’ai entendu aux côtés de la chanteuse Mathilde il y a trois ans. Tous deux interprétaient avec ferveur et délicatesse les standards de Cole Porter. Des morceaux aussi rebattus que Night and Day étaient soudain débarrassés de leur patine grâce à la sensibilité de ces deux musiciens.

Ce que j’aime par dessus tout chez Vladimir Médail, c’est ce lyrisme délicat, presque ingénu à force d’évidence chantante. Je retrouve ces qualités mélodiques dans ses compositions (comme Vladimir est un chouette gars, la plupart sont des bouquets de fleurs adressés à ses proches, qu’il s’agisse de Folk Song for my father, ou Our Sweet home pour sa compagne). La plus belle, la plus lyrique est cette Valse landaise, véritable chanson sans paroles, qu’énonce avec sensibilité le contrebassiste Etienne Renard.

Je n’avais pas entendu Vladimir Médail depuis plusieurs mois, et je suis frappé de voir qu’il a « musclé son jeu » , comme le disait jadis Aimé Jacquet à Robert Pirès (je demande pardon aux lecteurs de les écraser sous le poids de mon érudition littéraire). Vladimir Médail a rajouté pas mal de bleu à sa palette. Il se lâche aussi plus volontiers la bride, s’autorisant des traits rapides qu’il s’accordait auparavant avec plus de parcimonie, cela est frappant notamment sur Good Night et Don’t give up.

Les deux partenaires de Vladimir Médail sont sobres mais ne jouent ni les hommes invisibles ni les dérouleurs de tapis rouge. Elie Martin-Charrière, est un fin coloriste qui ne néglige pas les fondamentaux du groove. Son utilisation des mailloches me paraît particulièrement remarquable.

Quant à Etienne Renard, il est d’une impeccable solidité. C’est une belle soirée de musique sensible et chantante. Dès que le tapage et le remuement du monde se feront trop pressants, je sais donc qu’il me restera la possibilité d’aller écouter ce chouette et délicat trio.

1. Sur Le Pont 7:53

2. Stride For Pat 5:09

3. Valse Landaise 7:59

4. Folksong for My Father 6:30

5. No Use of Thinking 8:44

6. Our Sweet Home 4:50

7. Good Night 5:54

Vladimir Médail: guitare & compositions 

Étienne Renard: contrebasse 

Élie Martin-Charrière: batterie