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New Jazz & Blues Releases – 11/16/2021

New Jazz Releases:

John Coltrane – A Love Supreme: Live In Seattle (Impulse!): “We live amid a golden age of archival jazz releases. Or is it becoming a glut? Historically significant tapes seem to be unearthed daily, discovered in attics, pulled off dusty storage-locker shelves, retrieved from under Grandma’s bed—so many that it’s hard to keep track, or maintain excitement. But there can be no disputing that the arrival of this album is a major event. John Coltrane rarely played A Love Supreme in concert; up until 2021, the general public was only aware of a single live recording of the piece in its entirety, as performed by his Classic Quartet in Antibes, France, in the summer of 1965. A few colleagues of Seattle saxophonist and educator Joe Brazil knew that he’d captured a very different performance of Coltrane’s masterwork at that city’s Penthouse club in October ’65 using the venue’s house recording gear, but jazz cognoscenti only learned about it years after Brazil’s death in 2008. Thank the Creator that they did, and that we can now all reap the benefits.
This is not A Love Supreme as you or I or anyone outside that Penthouse audience and Joe Brazil’s circle of friends knows it. It’s more than double the length of the original album version, with extended solos by Jimmy Garrison and Elvin Jones. The Classic Quartet is augmented by three players: tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders, alto saxophonist Carlos Ward, and second bassist Donald “Rafael” Garrett. All three have solo spotlights, and their presence takes some of the focus off Coltrane, though he quickly re-establishes his primacy with a ferocious solo on “Resolution” and the more tender playing on “Psalm.” There’s no chanting, but when the reedmen aren’t on their usual instruments, they’re working various percussive devices; what I at first took to be high-frequency microphone feedback later turned out to be bells. Although not studio-pristine, the sound quality of the stereo tape is more than acceptable, which won’t be much of a surprise to those familiar with past Penthouse recordings released on the Resonance label. One problem: Coltrane is the second-hardest player to hear. The hardest, as usual, is Garrison, who sounds tremendous when the band quiets down but is often completely smothered under the onslaught of Jones and McCoy Tyner. Speaking of McCoy, his lengthy improvisation during a breakneck “Pursuance” is the pinnacle of this set, full of virtuoso dazzle and drama. It’s about as far removed in tone from the patented chicken-squawk of Sanders’ preceding solo as could be imagined, yet both passages offer great rewards. There are notable longueurs here, times when intense playing morphs into intense listening and everyone seems to be waiting for the next thing to happen. Given Coltrane’s working methods at this time, such moments were inevitable; based on the album’s excellent liner notes by Ashley Kahn, Lewis Porter, and Kevin Reeves, it’s likely that the brand-new septet didn’t rehearse even once beforehand. At the close of “Psalm,” the audience thinks the music’s over and applauds, but the two bassists keep on going till well past the clapping’s done.
Eventually, someone (probably Garrett) asks, “Is that the end?” To which Trane cracks, “It better be!” Awkward (though charming) moments like this ensure that A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle doesn’t threaten the definitive status of its studio relative. But they also perform an important service, reminding us that for John Coltrane, there was no definitive A Love Supreme. The music may have been a holy text, yet what made it holy was that it was forever in progress.” (https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/john-coltrane-a-love-supreme-live-in-seattle-impulse/) Click here to listen to “A Love Supreme, Pt. 1 – Acknowledgement” from the Seattle performance.

Caleb Wheeler Curtis – No One Is Any One (Sunnyside Communications): “Brooklyn, NY based saxophonist Caleb Wheeler Curtis “lives at the junction of rigorous preparation and willingness to explore.” (Jazz Speaks) He appears on two GRAMMY Nominated albums by Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band. His playing and compositions are informed by a constant searching, at times introspective, brash and melodic. In addition to band-leading, Caleb is a core member of Walking Distance (Sunnyside Records), Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band (Smoke Sessions Records), Josh Lawrence & Triptych (Posi-Tone Records), Ember (Curtis+Garabedian+Sperrazza) (Outside In Music), and the Fat Cat Big Band. His latest album, Ain’t No Storm, was released on March 17th on Imani Records…. Legendary pianist Mulgrew Miller said “Caleb has a wonderful, singing, projecting sound. To me, that’s the ultimate for a horn player.” (https://www.calebcurtis.com/about) This set matches Curtis on alto sax with Noah Garabedian (bass) and Vinnie Sperrazza (drums) with Orrin Evans adding his piano to the group on the on the last four songs. Click here for a snippet of the beginning of “No One Is Any One” from this song.

Nubya Garcia – Source # We Move (Concord Jazz): “London-based saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and DJ Nubya Garcia is one of the leading lights in the resurgence of jazz-influenced sounds in the U.K.’s club culture and one of its prime Afro-futurist exports. In addition to leading her own bands, she has performed in and recorded with Makaya McCraven’s transcontinental groups (alongside saxophonist and countryman Shabaka Hutchings) in the U.S. as well as in the U.K., and worked with MOBO Award-winning drummer Moses Boyd and legendary jungle producer/toaster Congo Natty…. After spending some time working on the London club scene, where she encountered like-minded musicians from Hutchings, Boyd, and Cross to Ezra Collective, Emanative, and Kamaal Williams, she joined drummer Jake Long’s Maisha sextet for the 2016 EP Welcome to a New Welcome. The following year she joined the all-female jazz-funk septet Nérija for their self-titled EP. Also in 2017 she issued the self-released Nubya’s 5ive mini-album that sold out in a single day and needed to be repressed…. n 2019, Garcia won the Jazz FM Breakthrough Act of the Year Award as well as the Sky Arts Breakthrough Act of the Year Award, and took home the Jazz FM U.K. Jazz Act of the Year Award.” (https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nubya-garcia-mn0003492190/biography) Her current release is SOURCE ⧺ WE MOVE (Hi Res). Click here to listen to songs on this disc.

Thomas Heberer – The Day That Is (Sunnyside): “The dramatic events of the past two years have altered the social and political landscape of the world. The pandemic had the world’s population reeling. Performing artists were particularly affected by COVID-19, as their livelihood was taken away from them in one fell swoop. Veteran trumpeter, improviser, and composer Thomas Heberer took the opportunity while sequestered in his New York City home to compose and coordinate the recording of his new album, The Day That Is. Well known for his work in the improvisatory jazz world with the likes of the Instant Composers Pool and the Nu Band, Heberer has been focused on showcasing his artistic breadth. His knowledge of the jazz tradition is encyclopedic and his open approach to the music proves just as catholic. The past few years have seen Heberer look more and more to the music of bebop, post-bop, and the New Thing as much as the free music he has long been associated with. Heberer knew that he wanted to write for a quartet composed of two horns and a rhythm section of bass and drums on his new project, returning to an ensemble size he had familiarized himself with in the 1990s with the group Tome XX. As a fifteen-year member of the New York creative music scene, Heberer was in a perfect place to select a group of musicians who he trusted to interpret his vision and to provide the special, spontaneity that the music requires.” (https://www.hbclub.org/3137917745-thomas-heberer-the-day-that-is-2021-hi-res.html) Backing Heberer’s trumpet are Ingrid Laubrock (tenor & soprano sax), John Hébert (bass) and Michael Sarin (drums) and Heberer composed all of the songs. I regret I am unable to find a sample from this release.

Dave Meder – Unamuno Songs And Stories (Outside In Music): “Pianist, composer, and educator Dave Meder is one of the prominent artists of his generation, known for a panoramic approach that has earned him slots in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Piano Competition and the American Pianists Awards. His debut album Passage was counted among the top five jazz debuts in the Ottawa Citizen and was included in the “Favorite Jazz Albums of 2019” from All Music Guide, for its balancing of “post-bop harmonies with soulful gospel warmth and contemporary classical sophistication.”
His 2021 release Unamuno Songs and Stories is a stunning response to recent sociopolitical turmoil in the United States, using the writings of Spanish Civil War-era philosopher Miguel de Unamuno as a historical analogy. His compositions have been awarded in the ASCAP Young Jazz Composers Competition and the International Songwriting Competition, among others. Meder has headlined stages and conducted educational residencies at Jazz at Lincoln Center, Smalls Jazz Club, The Kennedy Center, as well as internationally in Beijing, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, and most recently Egypt as a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright US Scholar Award. Meder currently holds a professorship at the University of North Texas, one of the most renowned jazz studies programs in the world.” (https://www.davemeder.com/) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Charnett Moffett Trio – Live (Motema): “A supremely versatile musician… Moffett is a master of post-bop jazz whose dizzying versatility more than earns him his place among the world’s best jazz bassists.” (U Discover Music: 50 Best Bassists In Jazz (2019) – “A bass wonder man.” (Downbeat) – “Jaw-dropping virtuosity.” (Jazziz)
“An artist with an unusual abundance of spirit, chops, and charisma, Charnett Moffett has released sixteen acclaimed albums and has toured the world as one of the most innovative and versatile acoustic and electric bassists in jazz. He debuted on the Blue Note label in 1987, and after signing with several other labels through the years, in 2008 he found his ‘home’ at the Motema label where he has released his seven most recent projects. Moffett’s career began as a child prodigy, appearing first on record in his father Charles Moffett’s band at age 8. In addition to his leadership career, he has collaborated as a ‘bassist to the stars’ on over 200 albums, many of them considered to be classics in jazz.” (http://charnettmoffettbass.net/about/) Click here to listen to the songs on this set.

Shawnn Monteiro – You Are There (Whaling City Sound): “Exciting, captivating and completely distinctive” is how most jazz cognoscenti describe Shawnn’s pulsating lyric style. Whether in the intimacy of a club date or the glitter of a Las Vegas showroom, Shawnn has delighted audiences from USA to Europe with her highly popular jazz repertoire laced with blues-oriented improvisations. Evident in Shawnn’s liveliness of lyrical phrasing and intermittent scat variations is the influences of Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan, from whom she draws that inner core of creative energy. But good genes help, too. Shawnn’s father was the late renowned bassist Jimmy Woode, veteran of the Duke Ellington band. Throw into the mix, a lot of musical inspiration and guidance from her Godfather, Clark Terry, and you come up with a combination that can’t miss.” (https://shawnnmonteiro.com/bio) This set offers twelve standards ranging from standards including Johnny Mercer and Jerome Kern’s “Dearly Beloved” and Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is The Sea” to more recent songs like David Frishberg’s “Let’s Eat Out” and Neil Sedaka and Phil Cody’s “Alone At Last”. Click here to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

John Patitucci & Andy James – An Evening With John Patitucci & Andy James (Le Coq): “Vocalist Andy James and bass master John Patitucci team up to craft an intimate evening of jazz standards and pop classics backed by an all-star ensemble An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, due out [date] on Le Coq Records, features arrangements by Bill Cunliffe and contributions by Chris Potter, Rick Margitza, Terell Stafford, John Beasley, Vinnie Colaiuta, Rick Margitza and more…On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music.” (https://andyjamesjazz.bandcamp.com/album/an-evening-with-andy-james-john-patitucci) Click here to listen to the songs on this release.

Jean-Jacques Rojer – SOKO (Sunnyside): “Jean-Jacques Rojer is a Jazz guitarist from the Caribbean island of Curaçao. In addition to playing Jazz guitar, Jean-Jacques Rojer is also very active as a composer. Rojer’s album Soko (Sunnyside records) is scheduled for release on August 6th, 2021. The Album was recorded in New York in 2019.  In addition to Rojer, it features Grammy-winner Jeff’ Tain” Watts on drums, Grammy-winners John Benitez on bass,  Pernell Saturnino on Percussion and the virtuosic vibraphone player Warren Wolf. Moreover, The album was produced by Grammy-winning producer Brain Bacchus and contains liner notes by Bill Milkowski. Rojer grew up in a very artistic family on the island of Curaçao and was exposed very early on to Caribbean, classical and jazz music. His father, Robert Rojer, an acclaimed pianist and composer, is a direct descendant of Jacobo Palm. The Palm family has been on the forefront of the Curaçaoan music scene since the 19th century. Rojer released an album in 2017 honouring this heritage. Jean-Jacques Rojer is a Jazz guitarist from the Caribbean island of Curaçao. In addition to playing Jazz guitar, Jean-Jacques Rojer is also very active as a composer. Rojer’s album Soko (Sunnyside records) is scheduled for release on August 6th, 2021. The Album was recorded in New York in 2019.  In addition to Rojer, it features Grammy-winner Jeff’ Tain” Watts on drums, Grammy-winners John Benitez on bass,  Pernell Saturnino on Percussion and the virtuosic vibraphone player Warren Wolf. Moreover, The album was produced by Grammy-winning producer Brain Bacchus and contains liner notes by Bill Milkowski.
Rojer grew up in a very artistic family on the island of Curaçao and was exposed very early on to Caribbean, classical and jazz music. His father, Robert Rojer, an acclaimed pianist and composer, is a direct descendant of Jacobo Palm. The Palm family has been on the forefront of the Curaçaoan music scene since the 19th century. Rojer released an album in 2017 honouring this heritage. Upon finishing his electrical engineering studies, Rojer went on to follow his passion. He got accepted at the Royal Conservatory in the Hague, The Netherlands, from where he graduated cum laude in 2003. Rojer has performed with Paquito D’Rivera in Carnegie Hall.  He has also had the honour to share the stage in New York with Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. In addition to guitar, Rojer also plays and records on other instruments.  He can for instance be heard playing mandoline on the score of “Profession du père”, a Jean-Pierre Améris film. Besides the aforementioned, Rojer has also worked and made guest appearances with Ilan Chester, Andy Narell, Phillip Harper, Michael Kanan, Randal Corsen, Izaline Calister, Marjorie Barnes, Nederlands Blazers Ensemble, Metropool Orchestra, Fra Fra sound and many others.He currently resides in Amsterdam with his wife Kelly, his son Samuel and dog Mac.” (https://www.jjrojer.com/bio) Beautiful and infectious playing throughout! Click here to listen to music from this amazing disc!

Angel Roman & Mambo Blue – Festive Interplay (Self-produced): “Veteran bassist Angel Roman’s multi-faceted career featuring impactful residencies in numerous American cities (Boston, Miami, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Nashville) is living musical proof that magnetic and charismatic artists always attract top talent to help them execute their vision, location notwithstanding. His group Mambo Blue is actually an ever-evolving collective infused with the brilliant musicians he works with wherever his muse takes him next. The current ensemble, creating the sizzling, freewheeling interactive vibe embodied by the album title Festive Interplay, features 13 top Latin musicians from Roman’s current digs of Austin. With Roman propelling the groove but truly allowing every member of Mambo Blue to showcase their own imaginative fire, the band entices with both “The Quest” (an intoxicating journey filled with blazing sax and trumpet solos and an ever-transcendent horn section) and a question: What do we imagine when we start “Dreaming in Bomba”?                                                                                                                         The true emotional centerpiece of the multi-faceted set, the track – ever bursting with soulful flute, sax and piano solos and those blasting horns – pays loving and whimsical homage to his parents’ birthplace of Puerto Rico, where the bomba rhythm is not only a popular dance and musical style but also historically significant. It’s worth a Google-wiki dive to learn that its origins are rooted in the island’s history of African slavery, created in the sugar plantations 400 years ago so to help the slaves of different African tribes communicate. It’s evolved today into a community expression of Puerto Rican culture. The delights on Festive Interplay extend to the sassy/snazzed up, super-sensual “Collective Cha, whose title and boisterous energy are inspired by the music of the San Francisco Jazz Collective; the hotly percussive, frenetically fun “Not Sure So Sure”; and the hypnotic, infectious “Indi-go-go,” a passionate expression of love for Roman’s son Indigo featuring a unique element of dual drums and the soul-jazz Fender Rhodes simmer of Damian A. Garcia. Another colorful family-oriented affair is the trad meets Latin jazz romp “3 Sisters,” highlighted by Monkish chords, a waltz-like rhythm and emphatic flute/brass accents.
Veteran bassist Angel Roman’s multi-faceted career featuring impactful residencies in numerous American cities (Boston, Miami, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Nashville) is living musical proof that magnetic and charismatic artists always attract top talent to help them execute their vision, location notwithstanding. His group Mambo Blue is actually an ever-evolving collective infused with the brilliant musicians he works with wherever his muse takes him next. The current ensemble, creating the sizzling, freewheeling interactive vibe embodied by the album title Festive Interplay, features 13 top Latin musicians from Roman’s current digs of Austin. With Roman propelling the groove but truly allowing every member of Mambo Blue to showcase their own imaginative fire, the band entices with both “The Quest” (an intoxicating journey filled with blazing sax and trumpet solos and an ever-transcendent horn section) and a question: What do we imagine when we start “Dreaming in Bomba”?
The true emotional centerpiece of the multi-faceted set, the track – ever bursting with soulful flute, sax and piano solos and those blasting horns – pays loving and whimsical homage to his parents’ birthplace of Puerto Rico, where the bomba rhythm is not only a popular dance and musical style but also historically significant. It’s worth a Google-wiki dive to learn that its origins are rooted in the island’s history of African slavery, created in the sugar plantations 400 years ago so to help the slaves of different African tribes communicate. It’s evolved today into a community expression of Puerto Rican culture. The delights on Festive Interplay extend to the sassy/snazzed up, super-sensual “Collective Cha, whose title and boisterous energy are inspired by the music of the San Francisco Jazz Collective; the hotly percussive, frenetically fun “Not Sure So Sure”; and the hypnotic, infectious “Indi-go-go,” a passionate expression of love for Roman’s son Indigo featuring a unique element of dual drums and the soul-jazz Fender Rhodes simmer of Damian A. Garcia. Another colorful family-oriented affair is the trad meets Latin jazz romp “3 Sisters,” highlighted by Monkish chords, a waltz-like rhythm and emphatic flute/brass accents. Click here for a taste of the music on this set!

Nate Smith – Kinfolk2: See The Birds (Edition): “Kinfolk 2: See the Birds is the highly anticipated follow up to the 2017 Grammy-nominated album Kinfolk: Postcards From Everywhere. Featuring the diverse and all-star talents of Brittany Howard, Amma Whatt, Joel Ross, Kokayi, Michael Mayo, Regina Carter, Stokley and Vernon Reid, Kinfolk 2: See the Birds is the inspired and emphatic album that exemplifies Nate’s artistry as one of the most exciting, dynamic and innovative drummer-composers of his generation, adept across multi-genres and styles. Taking inspiration from his teenage years spent absorbing the diverse and eclectic riches of Prince, Michael Jackson and Living Colour. Kinfolk 2: See the Birds is a multi-faceted jewel and is set to be one of the most significant albums of 2021. Four years after drummer, composer, and bandleader Nate Smith released his Grammy-nominated debut, he’s releasing its thematic follow-up, Kinfolk 2: See The Birds.  In the interim, he’s released two other projects: 2020’s R&B-laden EP, Light and Shadow, and 2018’s breakbeat solo drums LP, Pocket Change.
Smith sees Kinfolk as a trilogy that charts his evolution as musician. The first record touched upon his childhood in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the music that he absorbed in his home. Kinfolk 2 continues that narrative, offering an impressionistic portrait of his teenage years when he made the decision to become a musician. During this time, he was checking out a lot of music associated with the Black Rock Coalition such as Living Colour, Fishbone, and 24-7 Spyz, in addition to other pioneering acts such as Bad Brains, King’s X, Prince, and Sting. Smith was also listening to a lot of hip-hop as well as the emerging neo-soul that flowered in the 1990s.
Kinfolk 2 is no throwback album, however. Smith reconciles his influences from his teen years with the modern jazz sensibilities that he’s demonstrated with not just his solo material but as a sideman with a roster of jazz titans that includes guitarist Pat Metheny, bassist Dave Holland, and saxophonists Ravi Coltrane and Chris Potter. In fact, Smith cites his long tenure with Potter’s Underground band for being an incubator for him to develop his distinguishable drumming approach, which often combines crisp, funky, head-nodding grooves with flinty modern jazz interactive improvisation. (https://editionrecords.com/releases/nate-smith-kinfolk-2-see-the-birds/) Click here to listen to Fly (For Mike). 

Cory Weeds – What Is There To Say? (Cellar Music): “What a perfect time for Cory to give us this album, What is There To Say?, his 18th record as a leader. It’s his most ambitious project to date and, in my opinion, his most impressive. Ever since Charlie Parker recorded his iconic Bird with Strings album, the saxophone-with-strings format has become a sort of Mount Everest for those saxophonists brave enough to take on the challenge. Cory has been climbing to increasingly greater heights for years now and he is clearly ready for this ”Everestine” expedition. Listening to him interpret this carefully curated set of compositions, we really get to know him for the musician he has become: an expressive saxophonist with a unique and personal voice on his instrument. A visceral strength to his delivery on the tenor, while at times exposing a beautifully honest vulnerability as well. Cory, as he is known to do, has surrounded himself with only the best company. Phil Dwyer’s crafty lush string arrangements inspire Cory to search for new and ever more lyrical melodic lines while also giving him ample space to get lost exploring the nooks and crevasses of the music. Cory has compiled some real musical gems here including the somewhat obscure chestnut 1906 Ballad At Dawning (I Love You) while also contributing an eclectic trio of original compositions to round out an extremely enjoyable musical program. The main players are Cory Weeds (tenor sax), Phil Dwyer (piano), John Lee (bass), Jesse Cahill (drums), Cam Wilson (violin – lead) and a dozen string players. Click here to listen to two songs on this release.

New Blues:

Chickenbone Slim – Serve It To Me Hot (VizzTone): “Chickenbone Slim has been deeply rooted in the San Diego Blues scene for 30 years, first as a bassist, and since 2011 as a guitarist, vocalist and bandleader.  His sound is reminiscent of Johnny “Guitar” Watson in the Third Ward of Houston circa 1964–Chicago/Texas/Gulf Coast/Uptown Blues with an authentic 1950’s to 1960’s vibe. By mixing original blues and swing music with traditional covers, Chickenbone’s shows are greasy, down-home, and entertaining, keeping the dance floor packed all night. Chickenbone has been serving up his style of Blues throughout the Western U.S. to audiences hungry for the real deal.” (https://chickenboneslim.com/about) “SERVE IT TO ME HOT was recorded at Christoffer ‘Kid’ Andersen’s Greaseland Studios in San Jose, California, and features Slim’s current band: internationally acclaimed guitarist Laura Chavez (2020 BMA Best Guitarist nominee), drummer Marty Dodson (Fabulous Thunderbirds) and longtime bassist Andrew Crane. Andersen guests on piano, organ, and choice guitar licks, his wife Lisa adds background vocals, and harmonica player Aki Kumar guests on a track. The album is a collection of all original material Chickenbone calls Roots Rock ‘an eclectic mix of short stories with danceable grooves.” (https://www.prestomusic.com/jazz/products/9257842–serve-it-to-me-hot) Click here to listen to two songs on this disc: “Wild Eyed Woman” and “Queen of the Wires”.

Corey Harris – The Insurrection Blues (M.C.): “”Insurrection Blues” by acclaimed blues singer and artist Corey Harris. This marks Corey’s 1st release in over 3 years. “Insurrection Blues,” is Corey Harris’ 20th album overall and first for M.C. Records, continues a blues journey that began with his debut album Between Midnight and Day in 1995. The songs are full topical relevance, yet steeped in tradition and informed by his musical explorations over the decades. Recorded in Italy under shutdown conditions, the album returns to the solo acoustic format that’s been his base since his early days as a busker in New Orleans. Given his gift of synthesizing many musical strands into a seamless piece of work, it’s no wonder Harris has received many accolades. He’s a sought-after collaborator, too. He was featured in the Scorsese film “Feel Like Going Home” and on the now-classic “Mermaid Avenue” albums of rediscovered Woody Guthrie songs, for which he wrote some of the music. Corey has collaborated with B.B. King, Tracy Chapman, and Dave Matthews. In “Insurrection Blues” Harris brings some necessary commentary into his acoustic universe. Like many of us, he was paying attention to national events during the pandemic lockdown. And when he saw the profoundly disturbing events in Washington DC on January 6th, the path of his next album became clear. “I felt there was a duty, a responsibility, to use the craft to say something.” His feelings about the insurrection made a framework for the album, whether the songs were explicitly connected or not. “As an African American living in America, as a descendant of slaves that built this country, I am looking at the survival mechanisms that have existed for people to persevere in difficult times. And when we think about that, the blues always comes to mind.” (Liner notes) Corey Harris offers four original songs and his own wonderful arrangements of older songs as well. Phil Wiggins adds harmonica on Harris’ original “Afton Mountain Blues” and Lino Muoio plays mandolin on “When Did You Leave Heaven”. Exquisite from start to finish! Click here then scroll down to listen to samples of the songs on this release.

Buffalo Nichols – Buffalo Nichols (Fat Possum): “Since his earliest infatuations with guitar, Buffalo Nichols has asked himself the same question: How can I bring the blues of the past into the future? After cutting his teeth between a Baptist church and bars in Milwaukee, it was a globetrotting trip through West Africa and Europe during a creative down period that began to reveal the answer.
“Part of my intent, making myself more comfortable with this release, is putting more Black stories into the genres of folk and blues,” guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist Carl “Buffalo” Nichols explains. “Listening to this record, I want more Black people to hear themselves in this music that is truly theirs.” That desire is embodied in his self-titled debut album—Fat Possum’s first solo blues signing in nearly 20 years—composed largely of demos and studio sessions recorded between Wisconsin and Texas…. Stints in college and in the workforce led him overseas, where the appreciation of African-American folkways lit a renewed spark in Nichols. It was the bustling of jazz in places like the working class areas of Ukraine, or in Berlin cafes where expatriate Black Americans routinely treat fans to an enchanting evening of blues, that would lead to his a-ha moment. Nichols returned home to America, meditating on his own place in the music that holds the country’s truest values and rawest emotions between bar and measure. “Before this trip, it was hard for me to find that link between all these blues records I heard and people who are living right now. I figured out it’s not a huge commercial thing, but it still has value. So, I came home and started playing the blues more seriously, doing stuff with just me and my guitar,” Nichols says. Nichols admits that anger and pain are realities that color the conversations and the autobiographical anecdotes behind his observational, narrative-based approach to songwriting. However, with his lyricism on Buffalo Nichols, he intends to provide a perspective that doesn’t lean heavily into stereotypes, generalizations or microaggressions regarding race, class and culture. The album sees Nichols wrestling with prescient topics, such as empathy and forgiveness on the poignant, ever-building melody of “How to Love;” regret and loss on moving, violin-inflected “These Things;” and the pitfalls of lives lived too close to the edge on the smooth, dynamic “Back on Top.” On the tender, aching album opener and lead single “Lost & Lonesome,” he gives listeners what he describes as a “glimpse into the mind of that traveler looking for a friend and a place to call home;” inspired by his years traveling alone, looking for a place for his passions to fit in, even if temporarily, the track is an ode to exploration and the creative ingenuity of isolation. At the forefront of each song is Nichols’ rich voice and evocative, virtuosic guitar-playing, augmented on half of the nine tracks by a simple, cadent drum line. While acknowledging the joy, exuberance and triumph contained in the blues, Nichols looks intently at the genre’s origins, which harken back to complicated and dire circumstances for Black Americans. With this in mind, Nichols says there is a missing link, which he’s often used as a compass: Black stories aren’t being told responsibly in the genre anymore. To begin changing that, Buffalo Nichols gets the chance to tell his own story in the right way.” (https://www.buffalo-nichols.com/about) Click here to listen to a sample from this release.

Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado – Best Of (Ruf): “As this band enters its nineteenth year, they really seem to be on the verge to a success that will open some new doors, in new territories. And with all the hard work they put into this project, they surely deserve it.
In 2003, singer and guitarist Thorbjørn Risager asked some of his favourite musicians to join him in a brand new band. The picked the band name ”Thorbjørn Risager Blue 7” and started playing round Denmark. A year later they recorded their first album, ”Live 2004”, and in 2005 they met their current agent who also started working with their CD promotion, in connection with the release of their second album, ”From The Heart”, which already got considerable media recognition. BluesWax, a well-respected US publication, used the headline ”Next big name in blues: Thorbjorn” and the epic quote ”Risager has songwriting skills that match his larger-than-life voice” is from that review. The same magazine wrote about the next album ”Here I Am”: Sometimes a singer’s voice just stands out and forces you to listen. Take one part Ray Charles, one part Bob Seger, and one part Joe Cocker and you may have the vocal instrument of Denmark’s Thorbjørn Risager. By then they had been signed by the Danish label Cope Records, run by the band’s trumpet player. A few albums later, they made a deal with French blues/roots label Dixiefrog, and in 2014 they secured a record deal with Ruf Records, based in Germany but with a very strong position in the international blues world. The same year, before the release of the multi-award-winning album ”Too Many Roads”, they decided to add the band name ”The Black Tornado” – to signify that this is a REAL band and not some random musicians that back up a vocalist. They were also hoping that this new name would be a bit easier to google, for all the listeners that heard the band’s music being played on international radio stations.
Parallel to writing, recording and releasing new material with 12 – 18 months’ interval, they have kept touring all over Europe, plus a tour to Canada and a spot at Asia’s biggest blues festival Mahindra Blues in Mumbai, where they shared the stage with Buddy Guy. They play 100 gigs per year, and they have performed in 21 countries. Remarkably enough, only two musicians have quit the band since the start in 2003 and they have worked with the same agency, Westman Music, since 2005. This is a hard-working band, and they really stick together through thick and thin. They are united through their talent, their dedication and their perseverance!” (https://risager.info/biography/) Click here to listen to the first song in this Best of… set!

Joseph & The Velozians – Joseph Veloz Presents… (Big O Records): “Throughout my career as a musician, I have strived to accomplish a high level of skill as a bassist by creating and developing deep organic grooves along with strong song and melodic sensitivity…. I was a classically trained upright player at Wayne Memorial High School and transferred that fundamental knowledge of bass and music over to bass guitar at the age of 15. I studied music performance at Wayne State University in Detroit and at The American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. From those beginnings I have been a working musican for over 25 years. I have performed and traveled with blues greats Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Lucky Peterson, Sherman Robertson, Eddie Kirkland, Larry McCray, and Thornetta Davis. Other artists that I have toured with include Mississippi Heat from Chicago, Kelly Hunt from Kansas, Joanne Shaw Taylor from the UK, Shawn Kellerman from Canada, James Armstrong from IL, just to name a few….”  (Liner notes)  Click here to listen to “Pretty Is As Pretty Does” from this release. 

Kopasetically,

Professor Bebop