Sunday, April 25, 2021

MidnightRoba - Bitter Boy (feat Jason Moran) [Edits & Carlos Niño & Nate Mercereau 'My Unique Boy' Remix] April 2021

Bitter Boy, as heard on MidnightRoba's 'Golden Seams' LP, is a song in two parts; a Mother's Plea and a Mother's Lament. Part I is a cry of the loss of innocence and the truths faced by parents of black children - the conversations that need to be had to protect them and the helplessness of not knowing if it will be enough.

In their 'My Unique Boy' Remix, Carlos Niño & Nate Mercereau transform the wails of lament of Part II into the energy of meditative prayer, summoning a healing strength.

1. Bitter Boy (feat. Jason Moran) Carlos Niño & Nate Mercereau 'My Unique Boy' Remix 03:33
2. Bitter Boy (feat. Jason Moran) [Edit] 06:26

MidnightRoba - Bitter Boy (feat. Jason Moran)
"My Unique Boy" Remix
by Carlos Niño & Nate Mercereau

Carlos Niño - Editing, Mixing, Arrangement, and added Percussion
Nate Mercereau - added Guitar Synth, Sampler, Drums, and Mixing
Roba – Voice, Vocal Arrangement, Original Production and Composition
Jason Moran - Piano
Ben Williams - Bass

MidnightRoba - Bitter Boy (feat. Jason Moran) [edit]
Roba – Voice, Arrangement, Percussion
Jason Moran - Piano
Tony Nwachukwu – Drum Programming
Ben Williams - Bass
Written and Produced by Roba El-Essawy
Mixed by Tony Nwachukwu
Mastered by John Davis at Metropolis

Dan Rose - Last Night (2021 Ride Symbol Records)

In his career, guitarist Dan Rose has performed and recorded in many settings, from avant-garde groups to intimate trios. His recent releases, Last Night and New Leaves, give him an opportunity to perform thoughtful unaccompanied solos and to play intuitive duets with one of his favorite musical partners.

On Last Night, Dan Rose virtually defines “beautiful music” in his solos. He interprets a set of superior ballads with impeccable taste and restraint, letting the music breathe and uplifting each song. His relaxed and thoughtful treatments of such standards, as “Body And Soul,” “Say It Over And Over Again,” “Tenderly,” “What’s New,” “The Folks Who Live On The Hill,” and “Last Night When We Were Young” remind one of how rich those classic melodies are, and how rare it is to hear a guitarist sound very much like an orchestra. Rather than deluge the music with virtuosic double-time runs (which he can supply when it fits the music), Rose serves the melodies rather than the other way around, letting the love songs speak for themselves while he adds his own chord voicings and subtle creativity.

1. Body And Soul (Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton) 6:02
2. Darn That Dream (Jimmy Van Heusen, Eddie Delange) 4:26
3. Ellington Medley: Prelude To A Kiss (Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills); Things Ain’t What They Used To Be (Mercer Ellington, Ted Person); Sophisticated Lady (Duke Ellington, Mitchell Parish) 6:41
4. Say It Over And Over Again (Jimmy Mchugh, Frank Loesser) 4:07
5. Tenderly (Walter Gross, Jack Lawrence) 3:30
6. What’s New (Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke) 3:31
7. Sweet And Lovely (Gus Arnheim, Charles N. Daniels, Harry Tobias) 3:54
8. The Folks Who Live On The Hill (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) 4:11
9. If I Loved You (Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein II) 3:32
10. Spring Is Here (Richard Rogers, Lorenz Hart) 4:42
11. Moonlight In Vermont (Karl Suessdorf, John Blackburn) 3:09
12. Last Night When We Were Young (Harold Arlen, Yip Harburg) 3:37
13. Medley: Guess I’ll Hang My Tears Out To Dry (Jule Styne, Sammy Cahn); Detour Ahead (Herb Ellis, John Frigo, Lou Carter); Dreamsville (Henry Mancini, Ray Evans, Jay Livingston) 6:13

Dan Rose, guitar

Dan Rose / Claudine François - New Leaves (2021 Ride Symbol Records)

I wrote “The New Leaf” and “Yes I Do” with Claudine in mind, hoping to move into musical areas that were new to us. Both tunes are organic in that one idea moves naturally to the next, thus hopefully leading to a kind of freedom and sensitivity in the improvisations. Claudine and I have been playing together off and on for nearly thirty years and each time new ideas present themselves. For me, the music is always fresh. Her talents - the way she expresses musical feelings -are impressive indeed. It is a distinct and pleasurable challenge to find ways of blending what I think of as my New York jazz sensibility with Claudine’s beautiful classical, jazz and African influences. We hope we have made a recording that allowed freedom in our playing while being musically accessible. 
Dan Rose

I composed “Le Désért” many years ago. When I started going to Africa I only visited the northern area where the Sahara is rich with many unique species – animal and vegetal – and surprisingly strong contrasts in landscapes and temperatures. “Mr. Slaint” is a tribute to the late Steve Lacy, whom I had seen in live performances since the 1970s. Among other things, Steve was very close to Monk’s music as well as to the Monk himself. One day I asked him if he could answer a few questions about Monk’s music. Not only did he spend a whole afternoon analyzing tunes on his Swedish piano with red “black” keys, but when I proposed to pay for his time, he answered, with a big smile, “Information is free.” Steve had a “slaint” position when he played the soprano saxophone and also an awkward stance whenever he played a percussion instrument or danced. I met Dan over thirty years ago when he lived in France after he’d recorded his album, Conversations, with Steve Swallow and John Betsch. We started to practice together and found that we had a relaxed and family feeling in the music we made. We developed a sound and a repertoire and went on the road to perform in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and France. We’ve stayed in touch all these years, even when Dan went back to New York, and with great pleasure came to record this special album.
Claudine Francois

Once again, I feel most fortunate to be able to work with Dan Rose on a recording project. His consummate artistry and superb taste are perfectly served in this set of intimate duets with yet another remarkable musician, pianist Claudine Francois. They work delicate and tasteful wonders on bold, new originals and pointedly chosen covers, and demonstrate how true communication and a fine sense of listening can create timeless expression. I humbly thank the two of them.
Donald Elfman

1. The New Leaf (Dan Rose) 4:56
2. Monk’s Dream (Thelonious Monk) 5:10
3. Ladies In Mercedes (Steve Swallow) 4:44
4. Le Désert (Claudine François) 5:36
5. Señor Blues (Horace Silver) 4:39
6. Lawns (Carla Bley) 5:46
7. Yes I Do (Dan Rose) 5:24
8. Mr. Slaint (Claudine François) 4:44
9. The Seagulls Of Kristiansund (Mal Waldron) 6:00

Dan Rose, guitar
Claudine Francois, piano

Alfa Mist - Bring Backs (April 2021 Anti- Records)

Alfa Mist is one of the driving forces behind a young and vibrant scene of UK musicians, who've taken on jazz as their musical narrative. On his new album Bring Backs the producer, self-taught pianist and rapper takes us on a sonic trip back to his beat-making past on the streets of East London, through the depth and musicality he discovered composing and playing jazz.

2017 saw the release of Alfa's breakthrough record, Antiphon and the 2019's album Structuralism were both self-released on his Sekito label. His latest endeavour, 2021's Bring Backs, sees Alfa taking on new challenges. The record marks his first release for the label Anti and is also the most detailed exploration of his upbringing in musical form.

1. Teki 06:00
2. People (feat. Kaya Thomas-Dyke) 02:59
3. Mind The Gap (feat. Lex Amor) 03:28
4. Run Outs 04:52
5. Last Card (Bumper Cars) 04:26
6. Coasting 04:49
7. Attune 07:04
8. Once A Year 01:22
9. Organic Rust 04:36

Landon Caldwell & Flower Head Ensemble - Simultaneous Systems (April 30, 2021)

Landon Caldwell & Flower Head Ensemble blur the line between improvisation and composition on their debut album, “Simultaneous Systems”. Recorded remotely in Indianapolis, Asheville, Chicago and San Francisco, all players recorded improvisations to a morphing tone independent of the others. Those takes were compiled and arranged by bandleader Caldwell with intuition as a guide. The result is a stunning spiritual jazz album for the contemporary era, melding shimmering ambience alongside ecstatic free flowing spontaneity. The project brings together Mac Blackout and Tom Lageveen on alto sax, Nick Yeck-Stauffer on trumpet, K. Dylan Edrich on strings, Mark Tester on vibes/synth, Thom Nguyen on drums/percussion and Landon Caldwell on electric piano, organ, synth, voice and pan pipes. It’s a powerful debut befit of the times.

1. Reaching Out
2. Life Underground
3. Woven Realm

Landon Caldwell (Indianapolis) - Electric Piano, Organ, Synthesizer, Voice, Pan Pipes
Thom Nguyen (Asheville) - Drums/Percussion
Mark Tester (Indianapolis) - Vibraphone, Moog Prodigy
K. Dylan Edrich (San Francisco) - Strings
Nick Yeck-Stauffer (Chicago) - Trumpet
Tom Lageveen (Indianapolis) - Alto Saxophone
Mac Blackout (Chicago) - Alto Saxophone

Sven Wunder - Natura Morta (June 11, 2021)

On Natura Morta, Sven Wunder is exploring art as a bridge between nature and the human ability to judge and observe in eleven musical compositions with brightly colored textures and an emphasis on vibrant melodies.

Throughout human history, we have depicted the world we live in through art. By reworking what we see in the world, the simplest things have helped us understand the beauty of nature and to evaluate the material world that we have created around us, as a window to a constantly changing reality, through our own perception. It is that absolute reality that appears in the seam of human and nature and that can be revealed through art.
Still life painting, also referred to as natura morta (”dead nature”) in Italian, stretches back to ancient times. Some of the earliest works, found in Pompeii, depict commonplace objects such as fresh autumn fruits alongside man-made objects such as a small amphora and a small terracotta heap with dried fruits. These two thousand year old paintings give a snapshot of Roman life, and also creates a link to time and space. A slice of life has been created by binding the earth’s pigments with extracts of oil, made from nuts and seeds, painted with brushes, made from a variety of fibers, such as trees and hair from animals. While life wanes with each brush stroke, by shifting reality into past, art exists to make us come alive, being a living image of a dead thing, a surface and a symbol with symbolic powers of its own. Still life works celebrate material and ephemeral pleasures by returning to nature as the ultimate source for our standards in art as well as in life itself.

Natura Morta collects pieces from a continuous variety of melodies — supported by a decisive rhythm section — creating a musical kaleidoscope of ever-changing colors. Sven Wunder brings life into this rich assortment of musical implications by fusing and combining melodic instruments with each other in a setting that spans from a classical to a modern idiom. The author evokes this panoramic portrait by articulating an instrumental dialog between a chamber orchestra and a jazz ensemble. The result is a musical celebration of material pleasures that also serves as a reminder of the brevity of human life. This album was produced with financial support from the Swedish Arts Council.

1. En Plein Air
2. Impasto
3. Prussian Blue
4. Natura Morta
5. Panorama
6. Alla Prima
7. Umber
8. Barocco, Ma Non Troppo
9. Memento Mori
10. Pentimento
11. Natura Morta (Reprise)

The staff used on this LP is the following:
9 violins, 4 violas, 3 cellos, 1 flute, 1 piano, 1 electric piano, 1 cembalo, 1 twelve-string guitar, 1 electric guitar, 1 trumpet, 1 flugelhorn, 1 tenor horn, 1 marimba, 1 electric bass, drums and percussions.

DOM K. Trio - Requiem for Bella (April 25 2021)

Requiem for Bella is the music from Hugging the Air, Clenching Teeth, multimedia art and work in progress, that is update every April 25, day of the birth of María Oriana Chiappe Ontiveros. In memoriam.

1. 51 Nereids – 51 Nereidas 05:43
2. Birds, Lifecycle – Aves, ciclo de vida 07:16
3. Listen to my voice – Escucha mi voz 05:15
4. Fragility, Desolation – Fragilidad, desolación 11:17

DOM K. Trio
Dom K: guitar
Fidel Cordero: piano
David de la Fuente: drums

Music by - composición: Domenico Chiappe
Produced and Arranged by – Producción y arreglos: Fidel Cordero
Recorded on - grabada en Madrid, on january to march – de enero a marzo de 2021