Jazz Album Reviews

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Jazz Album Reviews – Discover all the reviews of the latest jazz albums released – Contemporary, avant-garde, free, bop, experimental:

David Maranha, Rodrigo Amado – Wrecks

Wrecks is a duet album by David Maranha and Rodrigo Amado. It was recorded at Escola do Largo in Lisbon, Portugal, on June 4th, 2023, during a special evening dedicated to duets, and released on October 25, 2024, by Nariz Entupido.

The Susceptible Now by Tyshawn Sorey Trio

The Susceptible Now is the new release from drummer Tyshawn Sorey’s trio, with Aaron Diehl on piano and Harish Raghavan on bass. They present 4 long tracks: (1) the McCoy Tyner classic “Peresina” from his album Expansions; (2) “A Chair in the Sky” (composed with Charles Mingus) from the Joni Mitchell album Mingus; (3) “Your Good Lies,” from the contemporary soul group Vividry; and (4) “Bealtine” by Brad Mehldau. The Susceptible Now will be out October 11, on Pi Recordings.

Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura – Aloft

Aloft is the ninth duet album by life partners, pianist Satoko Fujii—who released her 100th album as a leader in 2022—and trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. The album was recorded on December 13, 2003, at Samurai Hotel in New York by Mike Marciano and was released on July 12, 2024, on Libra Records.

Satoko Fujii, Natsuki Tamura

Aloft
(Libra Records)

What more can we say after nine conversations? It’s hard to guess. It probably depends on the understanding between the two partners.

Naturally, if the initial meeting is haphazard and ends abruptly due to a lack of common understanding, there might not be much more to say. But if the conversation is between a couple united by love, friendship, passion, or even life in its entirety, the ninth conversation is just as unique as the third or the thousandth.

In such a case, the conversation would get filled with the unexpectedness of the moment, the day’s happenings, and what has yet to be said or experienced, building up on a ground solidified by the already existing habits that strengthen the bonds and engage even more in discussing the unknown together.

Aloft is indeed an illustration of the second possibility. It captures that incredible moment where nothing exists, yet creation happens again, seemingly from thin air, or perhaps from everything; what seems so mysterious to us feels like a daily occurrence for Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura.

Of course, all conversations offer different intensities, moments of shock, and specific depths. But Aloft stands out as an album that captivates naturally and simply in its accessibility, in what it provokes and inspires, offering a constant depth tinged with humor, seriousness, culture, and–above all–exceptional speaking skills.

Discover next: Natsuki Tamura – Summer Tree

Aloft

Satoko Fujii Natsuki Tamura — © Hideo Arimoto

Natsuki Tamura: Trumpet; Satoko Fujii: Piano

Tracklisting

Migration (08’09”)
Wintering (08’08”)
Traveling Bird (04’57”)
Lifting (09’26”)
On the Flyway (10’04”)
Waiting for Dawn (09’37”)

Aloft was released on July 12, 2024 // Libra Records 102-075

Vijay Iyer Trio – Compassion

Compassion is the second release by the Vijay Iyer Trio, featuring Linda May Han Oh on double bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums. The 12 tracks were recorded in May 2022 at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, New York, and the album was produced by Vijay Iyer and Manfred Eicher. Compassion was released on February 2, 2024, on ECM.

Lisa Ullén – Heirloom

Heirloom is a solo recording by pianist Lisa Ullén. It was captured during two sessions—with an audience—on June 6 and 8, 2023, at Fylkingen in Stockholm, Sweden. The two concerts were identical, each exploring two variations of the same three-part suite: “Heirloom,” “Fragrance,” and “After Sun.”

James Brandon Lewis Red Lily Quintet For Mahalia With Love

For Mahalia, With Love – James Brandon Lewis, Red Lily Quintet

For Mahalia, With Love is a Mahalia Jackson tribute album by saxophonist James Brandon Lewis and his Red Lily Quintet with Kirk Knuffke on cornet, William Parker on bass, Chad Taylor on drums, and Chris Hoffman on cello. For Mahalia, With Love was recorded at Skyline Studios, New Jersey, and will be released on September 8, 2023, by TAO Forms.

Henry Threadgill – The Other One

The Other One is an album by Pulitzer Prize winner Henry Threadgill. It was a multimedia piece involving film, paintings, photographs, electronics, voice loops, and both noted and improvised orchestral music, performed and recorded live at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, New York, in May 2022. Two performances were held on two different evenings: “The One,” and “The Other One.” This album is the recording of the second evening, hence its name. It was released on May 26, 2023, by Pi Recordings.

Matana Roberts – Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libres

Coin Coin Chapter One: Gens De Couleur Libres was the first installment of an ongoing musical project that would explore the history and legacy of Black Americans. Drawing on a diverse range of musical traditions, including jazz, gospel, folk, and experimental music, American composer and saxophonist Matana Roberts created a powerful and deeply personal work that spoke to the struggles and triumphs of her ancestors.

Breath Of Air – Breath Of Air

Breath Of Air is a trio formed by guitarist Brandon Ross, violinist Charles Burnham, and drummer Warren Benbow. Their first album, Breath Of Air, was recorded in 2019 and 2020 and it was released on August 5, 2022, by Burning Ambulance Music.

Miles Davis – Birth of the Cool

When Miles Davis began recording Birth of the Cool he was only twenty-one years old. Recorded in the sacred period between the post-hard bebop era and the ‘cool jazz’ movement, the album is a listening necessity. Yet, the record was actually recorded eight years before its timely release. Seen as a key piece of recorded music at the end of the 1940s, the seminal record actually had a massive influence on the period of jazz music that followed its release in 1957.