Recording News

Matthew Shipp and Joe Morris - Broken Partials (Nottwo, 2011) ****

Source: Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels
October 29, 2011

By Paul Acquaro The music starts getting tense midway through 'Two' on Matthew Shipp and Joe Morris' vibrant new duo recording 'Broken Partials.' Shipp extracts all the sound he possibly can from the piano while Morris, intense and focused on upright bass, contributes a swarm of sound below the piano. Soon, like Shipp, he is digging fiercely into the acoustic depths of his instrument. Shipp's improvised melody on 'Three' begins with angular notes and puncuating tonal clusters that are ever ...

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Album of the Week: Chora Baiao, Antonio Adolfo

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
October 29, 2011

Chora Baião Antonio Adolfo AAM Music Artistic voices don't just appear out of nowhere; even the most original and innovative musicians were influenced by someone. With such a vibrant emphasis upon creativity in jazz, we tend to forget this fact when discussing established artists. Connecting influences to an artist is much easier when they are near the beginning of their careers. At that point, they're likely to more blatantly reflect the impact of their role models ...

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Darius Jones - Big Gurl (Smell My Dream) (Aum Fidelity, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
October 28, 2011

Since alto saxophonist Darius Jones moved north from Virginia to New York City in 2005, he has created quite a splash with his own work as a leader and sideman, and as part of the punk-jazz collective Little Women. Accompanied by his working band which consists of Adam Lane on bass and Jason Nazary on drums, the music has the spaciousness to move from bop-based jazz to free music, using space as a malleable entity. Jones uses his raw saxophone ...

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Exploring Dafnis Prieto, 2011 MacArthur Fellow: Prieto as Composer

Source: The Latin Jazz Corner by Chip Boaz
October 28, 2011

Dafnis Prieto recently was honored as a 2011 MacArthur Fellow, being recognized for excellence in his artistic pursuits. From his studies in Cuba to his professional work in New York, Prieto has always been a musician committed to outstanding artistry and pushing the limits of his creative energy. This cutting edge attitude has led to a burst of Latin Jazz excitement, but not in the standard ways that one might expect. Prieto has shown himself to be a technically astounding ...

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New from Legacy: Tony Bennett's "The Classic Christmas Album"

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
October 27, 2011

14-time Grammy Award®-winning Columbia Records artist Tony Bennett turns his attention to his timeless catalog of Christmas recordings and personally picks 18 of his favorites—including one brand new, previously unreleased tune, “What Child Is This"—for The Classic Christmas Album. The new collection will be available everywhere starting October 11th through Columbia/RPM/Legacy, a division of SONY MUSIC ENTER­TAINMENT.

The Classic Christmas Album will contain the new Ultimate Access Pass that allows a computer to access special offerings from the tonybennett.com website. ...

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Rush to Release "Sectors": Three Box Sets Spanning Entire Mercury Records Era

Source: Universal Music Enterprises
October 27, 2011

With more than 40 million records sold worldwide and countless sold-out tours, Rush—Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart—are not only one of the most successful and influential bands in rock history but continue to garner new fans and continue in popularity every year.

On November 21, 2011, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) celebrates the legacy of Canadian rock trio Rush with the release of three separate six-disc box sets which together spans their entire historic Mercury Records recording career. Each ...

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Electric Cowbell Records Releases New Batch of Singles

Source: Chris M. Slawecki
October 27, 2011

Electric Cowbell Records is hot on the heels of its critically acclaimed debut compilation 101 Things To Do In Bongolia, which is a sonic brochure of the label's first batch of singles from 2010-2011 with the addition of some bonus tracks and remixes. The compilation has sparked gushing quotes like, “Electric Cowbell is Brooklyn's hardest-working new label" from the Village Voice to “this is how Sub Pop started out" by Midwest Record. The label has since released its next seven ...

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Kris Davis - Aeriol Piano (Clean Feed, 2011)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
October 27, 2011

The profile of pianist and composer Kris Davis has been rapidly rising in the jazz world. Recently the recipient of a glowing write-up in the New York Times and the leader or co-leader of several renowned groups, this is her first solo piano album. Davis has a fascinating and unique piano style which incorporates the entire keyboard and even the interior of the piano, making the most of her available possibilites. This album begins with a fascinating reconstruction of the ...

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