Michael Moore, Django Bates, Lucia Cadotsch, Benjamin Koppel & More New Releases

Django Bates celebrated his 60th birthday and 40th anniversary as a musician while marking Bird's centennial with adventurous and witty arrangements for the Norrbotten Big Band. That gives us a cue to look into more Scandinavian and large-ensemble music, following the adventures of Bates' bassist Petter Eldh, as part of the much awaited return of Lucia Cadotsch's Speak Low project in which he works side-by-side with Swedish saxophonist Otis Sandsjö who, in turn, can be found in Martin Perret's L'Anderer. The big band and orchestra section of the playlist is lush and deep thanks to the encounter of Michael Moore [pictured] with the NDR Big Band, Mike Fahie's jazz arrangements of Debussy and the love sounds of Le Mirifique Orchestra. At the top of the set Danish saxophonist Benjamin Koppel's rendition of Buddy Miles (in the company of Bernard Purdie, Randy Brecker and Scott Colley!) and French drummer Raphaël Pannier's reimagining of Wayne Shorter. At the end of the set bassist Luke Stewart rides the Chicago-Washington D.C. express and Noah Kaplan explores the microtonal space, while John Lurie a.k.a. Marvin Pontiac dotes on his little garden gnome.

Happy listening!

Playlist

• Ben Allison "Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00
• Benjamin Koppel "Them Changes" The Ultimate Sould & Jazz Revue (Unit) 0:16
• Host talks 6:46
• Raphaël Pannier Quartet "Intro to ESP; ESP; Outro to ESP" Faune (French Paradox) 10:10
• Lucia Cadotsch's Speak Low "Azure" Speak Low II (We Jazz) 17:51
• Martin Perret's L'Anderer "A Long Distance" Junctures (QFTF) 22:05
• Django Bates "Ah Leu Cha" Tenacity (Blue Marble) 26:54
• Host talks 31:55
• Michael Moore with the NDR Big Band "Shotgun Wedding" Sanctuary (Ramboy) 34:05
• Mike Fahie Jazz Orchestra "La Fille Aux Cheveux De Lin from Préludes, Book 1 (feat. Mike Fahie)" Urban(e) (Greenleaf) 39:19
• Le Mirifique Orchestra "Celian's Complaint" OH! My Love (Yolk) 45:29
• Host talks 50:29
• Luke Stewart "Awakening the Masters" Exposure Quintet (Astral Spirits) 53:15
• Heart of the Ghost with Dave Ballou "II" Live at Rhizome (Dragonetti) 1:03:59
• Noah Kaplan Quartet "Aprosexia" Out of the Hole (ezz-thetics) 1:12:32
• Host talks 1:24:37
• Marvin Pontiac "My Little Garden Gnome" Marvin Pontiac: The Asylum Tapes (Northern Spy) 1:27:25

Photo credit: Jim Newberry