High Energy Jazz From The Sydney Underground (michaelgordon.bandcamp.com) 8/10 You know that feeling when you are idly daydreaming on the tracks and suddenly find the Indian Pacific rushing at you? Of course you do. Pressing play on this album is like that. I don’t just mean it generates unstoppable momentum,…
Category: Album Reviews – Archive
Oscalypso (Skipstone) 9/10 Oscar Pettiford was not the first jazz bassist to take up the cello, but he played a crucial role in this super-expressive instrument finding a permanent home in jazz, even if the number of exponents remains absurdly small. Now Erik Friedlander, a truly extraordinary improvising cellist, plays…
The Essential Recordings (Primo/Planet) 8/10 Jacques Brel’s conservative, religious upbringing in Belgium would subsequently prove a crucial catalyst for both the satire and the more provocative elements of his marvellous lyrics. Brel was a major influence on songwriters ranging from Leonard Cohen to David Bowie, and the greatest cabaret artist…