Best music of 2020 Jazz. Being reissued on purple vinyl doesn’t feel exactly the appropriate apotheosis of Pithecanthropus, whose programmatic title-track elaborates on Mingus’ storyline about Man’s vainglorious self-image and ultimate self-destruction. -Derek Smith, “The B is for Black, the E is for Essence, the Y is for Y’all, and the O is for On-Time. Released in 1975, Impact (not be confused with Tolliver's 1972 quartet album of the same name, released on Enja) carried on with the energetic large band format that Tolliver had experimented with on 1971's influential Music Inc. album, but with the addition of a string section. Expensive at around £33, this Tone Poet (like the rest of the series) is nonetheless a worthwhile investment for collectors and hi-fi freaks alike. Bill Cunliffe’s ‘Night Blood’ eases into a loping swing feel again carried by Amster ahead of a pleasingly complex Garling trombone solo and more excitable Bowlby. Now here's what you call an archival gold nugget! After so many years of obscurity, let us hope this compilation introduces the transgender icon and pioneer of electronic soundscapes to a new generation of listeners. Yet, even live, this Swedish band take it in their stride: after all nearly half of them recorded with George Russell on Electronic Sonata for Souls Loved by Nature, so had a relish for complexity. Cafe Exil - New Adventures In European Music 1972 - 1980. The reality is a bit different from the highlight reel. But you’ve never heard it like this before. Franchises. You won’t skip a single track. On tracks such as ‘Black Spider Stomp’, the collection also serves as a powerful reminder of what an outstandingly good guitarist Oscar Moore was – a member of the Cole trio for 10 years and a DownBeat poll winner on more than one occasion in the 1940s. Top 20 Jazz Albums of 2020 Jon Newey Friday, November 27, 2020 The ultimate guide to the year's best new jazz albums as voted for by Jazzwise's peerless panel of reviewers – including the complete original Jazzwise reviews. Latin 1. The NS is for Nasty, Natural So-called Soul! Beginning our rundown of the records that have seen us through the first half of 2020, these are our favourite archival releases and compilations of the year so far. Bandcamp Navigator. Does adding an extra track to bring the running-time up to 45 minutes automatically guarantee a superior listen? Various — Studio One 007 (5x7"-Box, Soul Jazz Records) Wie bei (fast) allen Reissues von Soul Jazz Records sind das Remastering, die … Coles, however, fell sick the day after the Bremen performance, so the later tour dates proceeded without him. Best are those that unite these frosty percussive soundscapes with the female voice, tracks by Mariana Ingold, Estela Magnone and Travesía finding a breatless balance between light and dark. Especially well-represented in this compilation are his years capturing the booming Seattle soul scene of the ’60s and ’70s. But with the benefit of hindsight it's hard to see how this unexceptional album is anywhere near as good as her stellar discs for Prestige, Impulse and Atlantic. An essential reissue of a hard-to-find album that no self-respecting jazz collection should be without. Gaze out the window, take another sip of your caipirinha and just be. Songs such as ‘Thinking of You’ find Vaughan at her favoured, extremely slow, ballad tempo and stretching out the melodic line with singing of quite startling power. Add what has to be one of Blakey's pushiest rhythm teams with Timmons and Merritt and you have the makings of a classic. As ever, Speakers Corner Records has done a spectacular job in re-mastering this album to 180-gram vinyl. The evolution of Sade, the London ensemble named for its vocalist Sade Adu, from its smooth jazz roots into a lusher and more modern sensuous sound is now available to experience in one tidy package with the release of This Far. Riley is also good on the same long number, and introduces an unexpected double-time feel throughout the lively ‘Ruby My Dear’. The Best of 2020’s Reissues, Part Two By Joseph Neff | Published: December 21, 2020 It seems the year’s lack of live shows might’ve played a role in the sheer number of performance documents on this list. There’s no better example than this collection of work by Kearney Barton, a producer whose fifty-plus years of recording work in the Seattle area ranged from Quincy Jones to The Ventures. Cathy adds that this line-up, which had been together for two years or so, was “the hottest, tightest group that he [Rich] had had in a long time” and it shows. Many critics view this album as the quintessential live performance of this legendary group, and it’s hard to disagree. The medium-tempo ‘Devil Blues’ also has Adams's strangulated vocal, but in compensation it opens with two minutes of bass, which otherwise takes a back seat to the overall ensemble effect. These four songs recorded in 1977 contain perfect harmonies wielded in the name of pure love with dynamic grooves provided by Dan Brewster & The Soul-Masters. He died just five months later. Dulwich Road, And, while I wasn't necessarily looking forward to another exposure to Charlie Rouse (especially comparatively late in his Monk career), he plays with considerable invention and enthusiasm, perhaps because the rhythm section (also late on in their affiliation) are on top form, typified by a long bowed solo from Gales on ‘Well You Needn't’ which actually holds the interest, as does his pizzicato solo on ‘Blue Monk’ that includes a chorus played beyond the bridge of his instrument. Seriously. The history of jazz is usually told as a progression from one towering iconic record to the next, with occasional detours for important jam sessions and chance encounters. (Or perhaps it’s just a symbol of where late capitalism is taking us in the Anthropocene era). Right now, there is hard to think of another label that is putting the same quality of previously rare releases. It's worth remembering that at this time Ellington was still primarily known as a bandleader and composer and was not associated with either small groups or with post-bop music, and it must have come as quite a shock to hear him in this setting back in 1962. However, another obvious candidate for inclusion, ‘Monk's Mood’, the one track with Trane from the otherwise solo album, Thelonious Himself, should either have squeezed in alongside the existing 72 minutes, or replaced the rather rambling ‘Blues For Tomorrow’ by the Monk's Music band without Monk himself. The transportive clarity of the audio itself (you’re instantly there in the auditorium), with that cadenza-like piano wandering that can only be described as Monkish, destine this little release to become a classic. Porgy and Bess another atmospheric Miles-Gil Evans collaboration dropped early 2020. Best New Reissues. Quite simply, had they been originally released on Columbia's Lansdowne Jazz Series or on Deram back in the day (yes, I know they weren't around for the 1979 session, but humour me to make a point) people would be frantically bidding on eBay, happy to part with upwards of £175. ... Joni Mitchell. The Best Jazz on Bandcamp: January 2021. This music is that good: classics of British jazz from its Golden Period. Kevin Le Gendre. Collectors of a certain age will recall that the three bonus tracks with Coltrane fronting Monk's quartet were not issued until five years later (along with alternate takes from the septet session that are omitted here) and these offer more predictably impressive delights. The Absolute Sound’s High-End Audio Hall of Fame | 2020 Inductees The Rune Grammofon Label Lauren Daigle’s Grammy Award Winning Album “Look Up Child” to be released December 11 in 45RPM LP Format Peter Vacher. Years before Miles Davis started wooing the rock and hippie crowds at the Fillmore and the Isle of Wight, there was another major jazz figure who was finding a ready audience among non-jazzers – Charles Lloyd. Romantic, heady stuff? Four months later this same Messengers lineup would electrify the crowd at the Newport Jazz Festival. Mingus' extraordinary, roiling bass is matched in its power by Roach's polyrhythms, but it's Duke who's the star. Always an underrated pianist, here he is at his elliptical, questing best, pushed into new territory by his much younger collaborators and framed by the small group setting. The 1975 concert was out on a Japanese CD, while the 1964 set was initially on LP and then on CDs (reviewed twice in Jazzwise 143 and 200), but this reissue uses the original tapes from Radio Bremen. Each promises edification, offering dives into the rich contexts of historically significant records while also being flat-out thrilling listening. have launched the Vital Vinyl series with UMe. !” That’s how the North Portland soul sensation would be announced by their choreographer and MC back in the day. The 10 Best Reissues of 2020. Just listen to the album. Featuring the 23-year-old Bridgewater blazing a gorgeous trail through such famous tunes as “People Make The World Go Round,” “Love From The Sun” and the title track, this music will put your blues to bed. -Isabel Zacharias, Finally, this holy grail record from Dee Dee Bridgewater’s illustrious career has been reissued. This may not be as well-known as Ah Um or Black Saint And The Sinner Lady, but it was a milestone for Mingus, and a milestone for jazz. As ever, Speakers Corner Records has done a spectacular job in this. A superior listen is made possible by the power of member support Evans collaboration early... 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