Recording News

Fat Freddy's Drop Jamming Live & Taking Names

Source: rock paper scissors, inc.
August 29, 2010

Fat Freddy's Drop Captured in Their Natural State: Jamming Live and Taking Names at the Roundhouse

Fat Freddy's Drop has battled mad scientists and unleashed mad skills. An unlikely band of sons of the Pacific, they can flip on the fly from Maori reggae to sweet Yankee soul with near psychic precision. Like kungfu masters, they set their dubbed-out funk, hardcore horns, and waves of luscious bass on unsuspecting opponents and turn them into sweaty dance floor devotees.

New Zealand's ...

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New Release from Danish Improv-Trio Angel

Source: Michael Ricci
August 29, 2010

Listening to the music of Danish/Norwegian Angel, one is challenged with the task of defining the music within any given style. Combining the uncompromising and investigative approach of free improvisation with the energy, physicality and sheer loudness of metal in a more or less acoustic context, Angel is uncovering new territory in improvised music. From subtle pointillism and sonic manipulations to head-on massacre, Angel plays exciting music with a strong sense of purpose, pushing the limit of each instrument. The ...

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An Italian Twofer: Neo - Water Resistance/Tribraco - Glue (2009, 2010)

Source: Something Else!
August 29, 2010

By Pico As I write this, two very talented bands from Italy specializing in the jazz of the whack variety are traversing the fruited plains looking to collect fans from the USA. The trio Neo and the quartet Tribraco are criss-crossing the country from August 23 to October 6, covering 37 cities, including Chicago, Philly, New York, Houston, Phoenix and L.A. Both Neo and Tribraco are part of the avant-garde scene but approach they music in different ways: Neo brings ...

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The Johnny Coles Discography

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
August 29, 2010

For reasons that cannot be fully explained or quantified, some of the most personal soloists in jazz remain out of the spotlight despite their accomplishments. There is no better example in modern jazz than the trumpeter Johnny Coles (1926-1997), an insiders' favorite barely known to the general public. A native of Philadelphia, a contemporary of Jimmy Heath, Clifford Brown, John Coltraneand Benny Golson, Coles never became a leader except on odd jobs and record dates, but he worked for some ...

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Lars Hidde - 'Vasona Park' feat. Michael Manring & Jeff Oster

Source: LARS HIDDE
August 28, 2010

This amazing new track, produced and written by Lars Hidde, is a beautiful fusion of ambient jazz, live recordings and tasteful electronic beats. You can download it for free at bandcamp.com Lars Hidde played the tune “Vasona Park" with Michael Manring (Windham Hill's original bassist) and Jeff Oster (produced by Will Ackerman) on several occasions live around the Bay Area. Originally written as a live performance piece, “Vasona Park" developed as a production of independent studio recordings and live performances ...

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Review Dave Douglas - Spark of Being: Expand

Source: AAJ Staff
August 28, 2010

from the Washington City Paper New jazz records that are adventurous, genre-hopping, and conversational By Geoffrey Himes Douglas has recorded a tribute album to Joni Mitchell and has worked with cello, accordion, and tabla. Keystone, his current band, features tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, bassist Brad Jones, drummer Gene Lake, electric keyboardist Adam Benjamin, and turntablist DJ Olive. Douglas has found ways to integrate these electric and acoustic instruments so the former don't overwhelm the latter but engage in an equal ...

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The Friday Morning Listen: John Mellencamp - No Better Than This (2010)

Source: Something Else!
August 28, 2010

By Mark Saleski I had intended for this essay to start out something like this: OK, I'll come right out and say it. I used to hate John Mellencamp. Back then he was known as John Cougar. All of my friends had their copies of American Fool, and I had to put up with that freaking “Jack and Diane" thing. Too bad my JazzSnob phase hadn't taken off yet. I could have tortured them with... Before I got around to ...

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Bill Evans in Oslo

Source: Riffs on Jazz by John Anderson
August 29, 2010

Bill Evans Trio: The Oslo Concerts (2006) presents two Bill Evans dates, one filmed at the Oslo Munch Museum in 1966 and the other at the Molde Jazz Festival in 1980. Evans is one of the least dynamic of performers, so filming him playing is almost a waste of film. But the music is a different matter. On the 1966 date, we see the younger, nerdy Evans: slicked-back hair, clean cut, glasses with black plastic frames. He plays with his ...

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