Jazz – Page 5 – 7th Level Music

Jazz legend Archie Shepp, rapper Raw Poetic, and DJ Damu the Fudgemonk combine for “Tulips.”

Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, and Damu The Fudgemunk have released a new single, “Tulips,” from their forthcoming collaborative album, Ocean Bridges, out May 22nd on Redefinition Records. Following its urgent lead single, “Learning to Breathe,” “Tulips” opens with a quiet array of keys, growing with bursts of saxophone and Raw Poetic’s emotive lyrics. “During the studio session, the spontaneous music that would later become ‘Tulips’ was the second idea we laid down,” says Damu The Fudgemunk. “It would set the vibe for much of the recording that followed. Raw Poetic’s lyrics really illustrate the deeper meaning behind the ‘Ocean Bridges’ album title on this tune.” Raw Poetic adds: “I let the spring vibe name the song, and the flower that bloomed was a tulip. Sometimes you gotta let the music spell it out.”

Listen To “Tulips” by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic, and Damu The Fudgemunk –
https://youtu.be/Hf2MdTRX_7U

Initially conceived after Jason Moore (aka independent, underground rapper Raw Poetic) attended an event with his mother at the Kennedy Center honoring his uncle – legendary saxophonist, Archie Shepp – Ocean Bridges intends to signify a bridging-of-the-gap in their family’s story and a re-establishing of the connection between young and old in their general community.

Entirely improvised, Ocean Bridges was intentionally created without any direction, resulting in a finished product with natural energy, a conversation of ideas that transcend genre. The album blends live improvised music, jazz, hip-hop, and many other musical directions into a one-of-a-kind sound. It was recorded with a live ensemble – Archie Shepp (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, wurltizer), Raw Poetic (vocals, raps, lyrics), Earl “Damu the Fudgemunk” Davis (drums, vibraphone, vocals, turntable scratching), Pat Fritz (guitar), Aaron Gause (wurlitzer, synthesizer), Luke Stewart (acoustic bass, electric bass), Jamal Moore (tenor sax, clarinet, bongos, percussion), and Bashi Rose (drums, percussion) – in August 2019 between Washington, DC and Northern Virginia, Ocean Bridges fuses different musical concepts to adapt in a hip-hop format – all of the instrumentation is accompanied by vocals.

Listen To “Learning to Breathe” (Extended Mix) –
https://youtu.be/LUirEpnXves

Watch Video For “Learning to Breathe” (Album Mix) –
https://youtu.be/iVIqsYJ9okw

Pre-order Ocean Bridges –
https://soulspazm.ffm.to/oceanbridges

Keep your mind open.

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[Thanks to Sam at Pitch Perfect PR.]

Rewind Review: Gary Wilson – Alone with Gary Wilson (2015)

I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to hearing and buying Gary Wilson‘s 2015 album, Alone with Gary Wilson. It might be because Mr. Wilson was prolific in the last decade and that I was too busy buying his Christmas album, his outer space-themed album, his album about returning to Endicott, New York, or any of the other ones he released in the 2010’s. Shame on me for missing this one, because it’s one of his funkiest.

The album starts with the short jazz oddity, “Last Night I Kissed You,” which makes one think Wilson’s head was swirling from the kiss. “You Called Me on the Phone Last Night” follows. It’s a tale of Wilson crying “all night long” as he wishes his dream of a phone call, just a phone call, from his lost love would happen. The electric piano in it is delightfully peppy, making you think that Wilson isn’t too glum.

“Let’s Walk in a Dream” puts down a funky beat as Wilson sings about dancing with his girl in the park, but his band, The Blind Dates, sing, “Gary walked away into the park. He was all alone crying in the dark.” during the chorus. It’s all a dream, but at least in his dreams he can “make the scene” with his girl. “I should’ve listened to Dear Abby’s advice,” Wilson sings on “Linda Walked Away.” The whole tune slinks along as seductively as the tick-tock of Linda’s hips, but Linda still wants nothing to do with him.

Wilson reveals that he’s the (in)famous “Chromium Clown” in a quirky track that reveals he just wants to make his girl laugh, but she’s too full of despair to enjoy a ride on a merry-go-round or anything else he has planned. The groove of “Every Night Is Friday Night” is smooth. Damn smooth. “A Thousand Trees Were Dancing in the Park” has Wilson feeling as cool as he did in high school, but then feeling weak when he sees his girl’s lovely eyes. All he can do is walk into the North Side Park and wonder how he can build the courage to approach her. Why can’t she tell (judging by the groovy swing of the tune) how cool he is?

“I Know That You Kissed Me” has some of Wilson’s sauciest lyrics as he puts down some great electric organ riffs and sings about wrapping his girl in a sheet. “Please Don’t Make Me Cry Tonight” has him lying alone as the sun goes down on another Friday night and he can only dream of taking a walk to the lake with his girl. The song dissolves into a weird nightmare.

“You Looked So Cool While You Were Dancing” is serious bedroom rock. Wilson and the Blind Dates are at the top of their funky forms on it. “I Really Dig Your Smile” has this cool beat breakdown in it before Wilson whispers the names of his secret loves. “Sea Cruise” isn’t a cover of the song by Frankie Ford (although that would be amazing), but rather Wilson singing a nice little love song about taking his girl on a nice cruise to get the both of them away from their troubles and dance the nights away at sea.

“I Will Do What It Takes” proclaims Wilson on the next track. He will do what he needs to do to take his girl fall in love with him – be it take her on a sea cruise, a date at the bowling alley, or just a walk in the park or to the beach. The slow jam sexiness of the track practically drips like honey off a spoon. The album ends with another freaky instrumental, “One More Kiss.” That’s all Wilson wants. That’s all any of us want, really.

Don’t miss out on this album like I did for five years. It’s too good for that.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun

Psychedelic jazz rockers Khruangbin and soul crooner Leon Bridges have come together to create a lovely four-song EP called Texas Sun. It’s a tribute to their home state and the reduction of the self that can happen if you spend a lot of time in the American southwest.

The title track opens the EP and begins with country acoustic guitar before Mark Speer‘s distinctive guitar sound comes in as a perfect match with Bridges’ vocals about driving along warm Texas highways at dusk. Speer puts down some romantic charm on “Midnight,” so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if the track has scored him a hundred dates by now. Plus, Laura Lee‘s bass groove on it is as seductive as the devil.

Speaking of grooves, the one cooked up by Ms. Lee and drummer Donald Johnson on “C-Side” is so slick that you should probably put a “Caution: Slippery Floor” sign in your living room when you play it. The EP ends with “Conversion,” which brings in some gospel touches to Bridges’ vocals about finding freedom in love.

This EP is a steal at a mere four bucks and a nice way to relax for a little while as you deal with the last days of winter.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Gary Wilson – Tormented

Bedroom rock maestro Gary Wilson has returned with one of his best albums in a while – Tormented. Since the painting of Wilson on the cover shows him wearing a Carnival of Souls shirt (a ghost story movie about a woman pursued by a mysterious man as she’s drawn to a beach-side park, which could be the theme of an entire record by Wilson), I can’t help but wonder if the title of the album refers to the Roger Corman film of the same name. In that movie, a man is haunted by the ghost of his former lover, and that is certainly a theme present in all of Wilson’s work – including this record.

The album ends with the short, weird “A Special Day,” in which Wilson and other ghostly voices mention it’s his girl’s birthday again and he’s planted a tree in her honor. “Happy Birthday to My Girl” follows it, and Wilson, with a jaunty keyboard groove behind him, sings a birthday song to his lover after she’s moved far away from him, oblivious to the fact that he’s bought new shoes for a date with her that will now never happen.

The synths on “The Sin Eater” are Donald Fagen-esque and Wilson’s vocals are a plea for his mysterious girl to not be afraid of the one who can take away her pain. “Oh that sounds real nice,” he sings at the beginning of “You Looked Cool in Outer Space.” He’s right. The tune is one of his funkiest and smoothest in a while.

“The Merry Go Round” is a piano-backed poem about Wilson spending another lonely night at his favorite park, where he goes every single night to think about the girl he mentions in “Midnight and You.” She’s another girl he can’t have or who he knew once but has long forgotten him. “I Married Lisa Last Night” is a brief instrumental that reminds you that Wilson is a fine pianist indeed.

“It’s Almost Midnight” is another ode to the nightlife Wilson loves so much, but he promises he’ll have his girl home before then. “Frank Roma Is Tormented” is a plunge into saxophone riffs and eerie madness. “Where Did You Go?” reminds us that “Every night is Friday night” when you’re with Mr. Wilson as it bops along a quiet, lonely road into outer space or through the North Side Park in Wilson‘s hometown of Endicott, New York (which, in case you didn’t know, is a very small town).

The title track is another creepy poem that drifts into a question Wilson asks on every record – “Where Is Linda?” It’s a hip track with more smooth synth work from Wilson, and once more the question goes unanswered. ‘The Wind” is the third poem on the album, with Wilson calling for various women as he hears their voices from afar.

The title of “Gary Lives in the Twilight Zone” could be an understatement. His albums indicate he lives in a mysterious place that shifts from dreams to reality until they are blurred and merged. Each one of his records lets us explore this odd place with him. His synth solo is great and the drums on the track are particularly snappy. The album closes with the fourth poem – “A Sad Town” – in which Wilson tries to swim to Toronto but ends up at an amusement park, tries again, but doesn’t make it – leaving us to wonder if he drowned in Lake Ontario and if Tormented is actually an album made by a ghost (a ghost who is currently touring, by the way).

I’d be fine with that. Ghosts follow Wilson around all the time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s been one all along.

Keep your mind open.

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Top 30 albums of 2019: #’s 30 – 26

Here we are at the end of 2019. As always, there’s too much good music released every year for anyone to hear all of it, but here are my top 30 albums of 2019 (of 60 that I reviewed) this year.

#30 – Vapors of Morphine – Lyons, Colley, Dupree Live at the Lizard Lounge 5/25/2007

This is a recording of a 2007 show that was the beginnings of what would become Vapors of Morphine. It’s a great recording of jazz, low rock, delta blues, and a bit of psychedelia and was a welcome gift for this lover of Morphine.

#29 – Black Midi – Schlagenheim

This album is difficult to describe. Is it prog-rock? Post-punk? Both? Neither? I think it’s neither. I do know that it’s a wild mix of crazy guitar riffs, epic drumming, and bizarre, frantic lyrics. It’s unlike anything you’ll hear, and I fully expect (and the band has pretty much said) that the next Black Midi album will be completely different.

#28 – BODEGA – Shiny New Model

BODEGA can pretty much do no wrong in my eyes and ears, and Shiny New Model was another sharp, witty post-punk record from these New Yorkers. BODEGA capture existential ennui, technology paranoia, and the annoyance of the daily grind better than most.

#27 – Cosmonauts – Star 69

I knew as soon as I heard the single “Seven Sisters” for the first time that Star 69 would be in the top half of this list. Sure enough, the entire album is a shoegaze wallop with their heavy wall of distorted guitars and California sunshine (intentionally mixed with a bit of smog, let’s be honest). Sharp lyrics about being tired of parties and sick of hipsters are an added bonus.

#26 – King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Fishing for Fishies

Never ones to fear experimenting with multiple genres, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard decided to make a blues record and mix it with synthwave. It works. They’re probably one of the few bands who could do it, let alone make it a concept record about environmental issues and the constant creep of more technology into our lives.

Who’s in the top 25? Come back tomorrow to find out!

Keep your mind open.

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Irreversible Entanglements return with wild 23-minute “single.”

Free jazz collective Irreversible Entanglements – comprised of poet/MC Camae Ayewa (aka Moor Mother), saxophonist Keir Neuringer, trumpeter Aquiles Navarro, bassist Luke Stewart, and drummer Tcheser Holmes – return with a new standalone single, “Homeless/Global,” out now via International Anthem and Don Giovanni. “Homeless/Global” is an unabridged take from the first moments of a recent Philadelphia recording session, and is the first piece of new music the group has released since their 2017 acclaimed self-titled debut. Their forthcoming follow-up LP will see release in spring of 2020.

Stream “Homeless/Global” –
https://intlanthem.bandcamp.com/album/homeless-global

“Homeless/Global” stretches out inside a vacuum of time, running over 23 minutes in a blink of an eye. The track starts by falling backwards into an energetic recollection of Strata East swing, swelling forcefully till it bursts into the foreboding preach of Ayewa. Her poem is wide-ranging, touching on migration, exile, and border violence. Ayewa runs down an inventory of Black history that “no one remembers.” The band builds back up through soaring saxophone by Neuringer, before the rhythm section simmers down to a deep pocket of psychedelic groove held together by Stewart’s mantric basslines and textured by Navarro’s extended trumpet technique, as drummer Holmes dances dynamically around a pulse. “Homeless/Global” captures the essence of the band in improvisational ritual, and the increasingly powerful capacity they’ve collectively developed over 2+ years on the road.

A statement on the music, from the band: “As with the session for our first album, we began this session by just setting studio levels and hitting that record button. ‘Homeless/Global’ was the first thing we played, no script, no plan. It’s a studio take that reflects what we do live: take the stage without a map, navigate the world in deep, telepathic, contrapuntal communion with each other and the histories we’re tapping into, push into the known and unknown, and arrive at the end together.“

Originally performing as two different ensembles at a Musicians Against Police Brutality event in 2015 (in response to the NYPD slaying of Akai Gurley), the five musicians that now make up Irreversible Entanglements recognized a shared ethos, and shortly after, assembled as a single unit for an impromptu studio date at Seizure’s Palace in Brooklyn. That session yielded their debut album Irreversible Entanglements (released by International Anthem & Don Giovanni in September 2017). Critical and communal acclaim for the album (including “Best of 2017” nods from NPR Music, WIRE Magazine, Bandcamp, and others) fueled a high demand for the band in the live setting, and the group have since spent much of 2018 and 2019 on the road. They have collaborated in performance with many legends of creative music including Amina Claudine Myers, Pat Thomas, and Nicole Mitchell; and their highest profile shows have included Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago, Le Guess Who Festival In Utrecht NL, Barbican in London, and the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Oh Sees – Face Stabber

You know you’re in for an interesting time when the new Oh Sees (Thomas Dolas – synths, John Dwyer – guitar / vocals / synths, Tim Hellman – bass, Paul Quattrone – drums, Dan Rincon – drums) album has a cover featuring airbrushed van art of Frank Frazetta’s “Swamp Demon” and the record is a double-album called Face Stabber.

The album combines psychedelic jams with stoner metal riffs and jazz influences for one of the coolest albums of 2019. The opener, “The Daily Heavy,” begins with toy squeaks and soon morphs into a weird mantra-like jam of double drums and a rolling bass groove from Hellman that doesn’t seem to let up for almost eight minutes. The song seems to be about trying to live in a chaotic world in its final death throes, and maybe it’s about a bad relationship. I’m not sure. It just cooks. “The Experimenter” pokes fun at hipsters (“Everybody’s doing everybody’s else thing. Everybody’s talking about how, how it should be.”). The title track is a fast, furious instrumental jam.

The guitar and synth stabs of “Snickersnee” hit you like a knife as Dwyer sings about the constant barrage of lies from politicians mentally and physically affects us (“Politicians tell you only lies. It possesses every breath you breathe.”). “Fu Xi” brings in some prog rock elements that remind me of some Frank Zappa tracks. “Scutum and Scorpius” is a synthwave mind trip at first and then transforms into a psychedelic lava lamp flow that floats around you for over fourteen glorious minutes. Dwyer stretches his riffs into great Hendrix-like sounds, Quattrone and Rincon keep the song movie with simple, effective beats, Dolas follows Dwyer’s lead, and Hellman grounds the whole track.

Then along comes “Gholu,” an instant mosh pit creator that has Dwyer growling about demonic dinners and bodies in freezers in under two minutes. “Poisoned Stones” chugs along with a heavy weight and more excellent double drumming from Rincon and Quattrone. “Psy-Ops Dispatch” is a cautionary tale about cyber-addiction (“Lock us all together, pulsing low-end sine, image on the screen disrupting a withered broken mind.”).

“S.S. Luker’s Mom” is another groovy instrumental, “Heart Worm” is a raucous punk track, “Together Tomorrow” is a quickie about, I think, quickies, “Captain Loosely” is another instrumental, this one based around spacey synths, and then there’s the closer – “Henchlock.” “Henchlock” is over twenty minutes of psychedelic jazz that brings in dual saxophones, lyrics about the drag of information overload and consumerism, intricate drum patterns, hypnotic bass, groovy synths, and trippy guitar solos. It’s probably my favorite single of the year, and it takes up an entire album side.

Oh Sees are nothing if not prolific, and for them to release a double-album in the same year as another full album (Grave Blockers) is par for the course. Few other bands have as much creative energy, and Face Stabber is another excellent addition to their discography.

Keep your mind open.

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Review: Ash Walker – Aquamarine

Multi-instrumentalist Ash Walker describes his newest album, Aquamarine, as “…like a deep sea voyage into the subconscious.” I’m not sure I can put it any better than that. It’s a lovely record of trip hop, dub, jazz, funk, and lounge electro that will surely be among my top records of 2019.

The opening electric dub drums of “Under the Sun” instantly cast you onto a shiny sea aboard a catamaran supplied with good drinks, lovely people, and even better music. The jazz drums and flute of “Time” (which, like the track before it, features soulful vocals by Laville) make you forget time, much like you would on that catamaran sailing across a clear sea. “Come with Us” is a great dub track with a smooth trumpet solo.

“Brave New World” brings in acid jazz flair. “Finishing Touch” keeps the acid jazz drum beats, but sprinkles trip hop on top of them and Laville’s guest vocals smooth them out. The title track tick-tocks in a soothing, hypnotizing manner. The flow of “Sanity” reminds me of a rowboat bumping against a dock as slow waves come into shore. The beats get snappy on “I Need Money,” and Walker’s inclusion of electric piano adds a sweet touch.

As one might expect, “Fat King Smoke,” is one of the funkiest tracks on the record. I love the slippery beats, the Theremin-like synths (which could really be a Theremin for all I know), and the weird electro bass line. “Ain’t Got You” (with more guest vocals by Laville, who appears four times on the record) is dancefloor-ready. “The Dagon’s Cashmere Jumper” might be my favorite song title of the year. I hope you get the reference and realize that, yes, a Dagon might need a cashmere jumper now and then while strolling around on land.

Aquamarine is otherworldly, and a pleasant journey that I’m sure sounds and feels different every time you hear it. Dive in, the water’s fine – great, in fact.

Keep your mind open.

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Ash Walker releases new single, “Finishing Touch,” ahead of upcoming album – “Aquamarine.”

In advance of his forthcoming album, Aquamarine (out July 19th on Night
Time Stories), the London-based multi-instrumentalist Ash Walker shares new single, “Finishing Touch”, featuring the smooth voice of Laville, alongside
it’s Louis Hvejsel-Bork-directed video.

Watch Video For New Single, “Finishing Touch” —
https://youtu.be/3BbobhRJpQY

“Set in an uncanny valley of a richly coloured world, we see Ash navigate and explore his world through music and curiosity,” explains Hvejsel-Bork.
“Through the power of his music, he unlocks something deeper within a
totalitarian society. A lost individual is awoken by his music, forsaking her
enslavement and planning an escape to a freer future.”

In order to create an otherworldly look, the video was shot with an infrared
camera using a brand new filter that replicates the old Kodak Aerochrome
look. There’s only one company that makes this filter, which was shipped
specially for this project from the US. Originally, Aerochrome film was used
during WW1 for better aerial surveillance, allowing unseen details of terrain. This was later adopted in popular culture through people like Jimi Hendrix
and Frank Zappa in photography.

Aquamarine is a projection and culmination of all Ash has absorbed. A cosmic explosion of sound and colour, rhythm, shape, and patterns. The arrival of an unassuming dreamer now projecting his unique flavour of expression.
Aquamarine is the take-off of this audial spaceship, a sound discovered in the
grooves of thousands of records, united in one.

Ash will celebrate the release of Aquamarine with a special secret show in
Central London on Saturday, July 20th where he’ll perform the album in its
entirety for the first time. The location will be revealed only to ticket buyers.
Tickets are available for purchase here.
Stream “Under The Sun” (Feat. Laville) —
https://youtu.be/Uy_9g3v8uhw

Pre-order Aquamarine —
https://orcd.co/aquamarine

Keep your mind open.

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Ash Walker’s “Under the Sun” is a delightful trip.

London-based multi-instrumentalist Ash Walker is pleased to announce his third album, Aquamarine, due July 19th via Night Time Stories. Designed to inspire good energy, Ash hopes to bring a sense of calm and tranquility to the listener amongst the chaos of life. This idea is clear in lead single, “Under The Sun” (Feat. Laville), a smooth meditation on love.

Aquamarine follows Walkers 2016 album, Echo Chamber, and 2015’s Augmented 7th. A cosmic explosion of sound and color, rhythm, shape, and patterns, Aquamarine is the take-off of an audial spaceship, a sound discovered in the grooves of thousands of records, united in one. Recorded at home with the freedom of time and space, it combines analogue and digital, and a fondness for normally unwanted shapes and textures such as fuzz, hiss, and crackle. Also featured across the album are trumpet and flugelhorn auteur Yazz Ahmed, bassist Marc Cyril (Keiziah Jones, Jr Walker & The All Stars), and renowned musician and producer Jonathan Shorten.

“My previous albums have felt to me more like ventures on land,” says Walker. “This one feels more like a deep sea voyage into the subconscious. Living to dream with visions of grandeur. Manifesting a beautiful path to walk on. It was inspired by everything around me, from friends and family to art and design, engineering and architecture, movement and we use our five senses. I love to try and push my own boundaries of what I perceive to be right and wrong, seeing mistakes as innovations, and obstacles as inspiration.”

An avid collector of jazz, blues, soul, funk, reggae, and all things in-between, Walker has DJed far and wide, spinning vinyl in the UK with The Specials to scattering dub across San Francisco and LA. Walker’s production output is similarly exploratory: his journeys have taken him far and wide, from tunnels under the river Thames to recording local percussionists in the Atlas mountains of Morocco. His musical palette is widened even further by his live shows. Collaborating with Ezra Lloyd-Jackson, each of Walker’s performances is turned into a vibrant, multi-sensory experience, combining live reactive projections and carefully crafted frequency complimenting fragrances.

Stream “Under The Sun” (Feat. Laville) — https://youtu.be/Uy_9g3v8uhw

Pre-order Aquamarine — https://orcd.co/aquamarine

Aquamarine Tracklist: 1. Under The Sun (Feat. Laville) 2. Time (Feat. Laville) 3. Come With Us 4. Brave New World 5. Finishing Touch (Feat. Laville) 6. Aquamarine 7. Sanity (Feat. Laville) 8. I Need Money 9. Fat King Smoke 10. Ain’t Got You (Feat. Laville) 11. The Dagon’s Cashmere Jumper

Keep your mind open.

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