You will find here a selection of jazz albums and singles (and tracks) released in March 2021 that got our full attention.
Listen to and follow our Spotify playlist ‘Best of Jazz – year 2021 (so far)‘ to discover all the following sounds.
Jazz March 2021
Punkt.Vrt.Plastik
Somit
(Intakt Records)
“With Somit they take their urgent ensemble playing to new heights, creating a highly individual sound aesthetic with unusual instrumentation (Kaja Draksler plays two different upright pianos) and sophisticated post-production, culminating in a deceptive puzzle of acoustic and manipulated sounds.”
— Intakt Records
Kaja Draksler: piano; Petter Eldh: bass; Christian Lillinger: drums.
Release date March 19, 2021
Throttle Elevator Music
Final Floor
(Wide Hive Records)
“Final Floor has an upscale energy with elements of rock and punk that fuel the overall sound and dynamically bring an edge back to jazz.”
— Wide Hive
Kamasi Washington: saxophone; Erik Jekabson: trumpet; Matt Montgomery: bass, piano; Mike Hughes: drums; Kasey Knudsen: alto saxophone; Ross Howe: Guitar; Mike Blankenship: organ
Release date March 12, 2021
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra
Promises
(Luaka Bop)
“🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠”
Sam Shepherd: piano, harpsichord, celesta, solo vocal; Pharoah Sanders: tenor saxophone, voice; Orchestrated by The London Symphony Orchestra
Release date March 26, 2021
Timothée Robert
Quarks
(La Pluie Chante)
“This quintet seems invincible, armed with simple and melodic themes, a writing with mastered dramaturgy and served by a careful production of the leader himself. As soon as the disc is finished, we have only one desire: listening to it again.”
— Jazz Magazine
Timothée Robert: bass; Paul Berne: drums; Baptiste Ferrandis, Manu Codjia: guitar; Armel Dupas, Nicolas Derand: keyboards; Charly Sy: scratches; Maciek Lasserre: soprano saxophone; Melvin Marquez: tenor saxophone; Robinson Khoury: trombone; Olivier Laisney: trumpet; David Linx: vocals.
Release date March 5, 2021
Nik Bärtsch
Entendre
(ECM Records)
“A fascinating solo album from the Swiss pianist, composer and conceptualist best known as leader of the bands Ronin and Mobile, Entendre offers deeper insight into Nik Bärtch’s musical thinking.”
— ECM
Nik Bärtsch: piano
RRelease date March 19, 2021
Echoes of Zoo
Breakout
(W.E.R.F. Records)
“The gates of the cages fell open and won’t ever be shut again”
Falk Schrauwen: drums; Lieven Van Pée: double bass; Bart Vervaeck: electric guitar; Nathan Daems: tenor sax, nyahbingi drum.
Release date March 5, 2021
Pavel Milyakov, Bendik Giske
Pavel Milyakov & Bendik Giske
(Smalltown Supersound)
“A collaborative marvel from two of modern experimental music’s most fascinating artists, who together have created a total symbiosis of their respective worlds”
— Smalltown Supersound
Pavel Milyakov: mixed by; Bendik Giske: tenor saxophone
Release date March 26, 2021
The Locals
Play The Music Of Anthony Braxton
(Discus)
“An exciting live performance recorded at the Konfrontation Festival, Ulrichsberg in 2006, featuring six early compositions by Anthony Braxton arranged for the band by Pat Thomas.”
Pat Thomas: piano, melodica; Alex Ward: clarinet; Evan Thomas: electric guitar; Dominic Lash: electric bass; Darren Hasson-Davis: drums.
Release date March 5, 2021
Dr. Lonnie Smith
Breathe
(Blue Note)
Two studio tracks that open and close this live album – captured during his 75th birthday run at the Jazz Standard in NYC in 2017 – present the unique collaboration between Dr. Lonnie Smith and Iggy Pop.
Dr. Lonnie Smith: organ, Hammond B3; Jonathan Kreisberg: guitar; Johnathan Blake: drums; Sean Jones: trumpet; Robin Eubanks: trombone; John Ellis: saxophone, tenor; Jason W. Marshall: saxophone, baritone; Alicia Olatuja: voice/vocals; Iggy Pop: voice/vocals.
Release date March 26, 2021
Behn Gillece
Still Doing Our Thing
(Posi-Tone)
“We are Still Doing Our Thing”
— Posi-Tone
Behn Gillece: vibraphone; Art Hirahara: piano; Boris Kozlov: bass; Rudy Royston: drums
Release date March 19, 2021
Jazz March 2021 – Albums List
- Punkt.Vrt.Plastik – Somit (Intakt Records)
- Throttle Elevator Music – Final Floor (Wide Hive Records)
- Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra – Promises (Luaka Bop)
- Timothée Robert – Quarks (La Pluie Chante)
- Nik Bärtsch – Entendre (ECM Records)
- Echoes of Zoo – Breakout (W.E.R.F. Records)
- Pavel Milyakov, Bendik Giske – Pavel Milyakov & Bendik Giske (Smalltown Supersound)
- The Locals – Play The Music Of Anthony Braxton (Discus)
- Dr. Lonnie Smith – Breathe (Blue Note)
- Behn Gillece – Still Doing Our Thing (Posi-Tone)
+ reviews
2021
The entire year is summed up in the Best Jazz 2021 post.