Tomas Fujiwara - 7 Poets Trio [2019]

Published on NextBop

When one thinks of jazz trios, the combination found on 7 Poets Trio is probably not what comes to mind. Then again, when looking at the members of this trio, each one being a mainstay in the boundary pushing avant-garde jazz scene of New York City, it makes perfect sense. 7 Poets Trio is a riveting collaboration between Patricia Brennan (vibraphone), Tomeka Reid (cello) and Tomas Fujiwara (drums). All of the compositions here, with the exception of "Questions", were written by Fujiwara exclusively for Reid and Brennan and it definitely shows - the connection among the three musicians is extraordinary. 

Yazz Ahmed - Polyhymnia [2019]

Published on NextBop

It's no secret to those that follow jazz that London is one of the places to be right now. The English capital has an exciting young scene. Bahraini-British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed is extremely active within this scene, having released her sophomore record, the much acclaimed La Saboteuse, in 2017. La Saboteuse was composed of many original compositions that featured a potent combination of Arabic melodies, strong chops and forward thinking jazz fusion. In Polyhymnia, Ahmed returns with a more expansive version of her vision, aided by over 20 musicians throughout the album's six tracks. The trumpeter's unique brand of big band is dedicated to important women throughout history such as civil rights icon Rosa Parks ("2857"), prominent activist for female education Malala Yousafzai ("One Girl Among Many"), and the first female Saudi Arabian film director, Haifaa al-Mansour ("Lahan al-Mansour").

Andrew Munsey - High Tide [2019]

Published on NextBop

Debut records can make or break an artist, but it seems that drummer Andrew Munsey already has it figured out. Munsey has worked in the past as a sideman and a producer, but he takes his first step as a bandleader on High Tide. The album features ten strong compositions that are brought to life by a talented quintet. The drummer is joined by Steph Richards (trumpet, flugelhorn), Ochion Jewell (tenor saxophone, kalimba), Amino Belyamani (piano, fender rhodes) and Sam Minaie (double bass). 

Brandee Younger - Soul Awakening [2019]

Published on NextBop

Although Soul Awakening officially carries a 2019 release date, it was finished much earlier. Having been recorded in 2012 and completed in 2013, Harpist Brandee Younger's fourth album as a leader has been sitting in the vaults for some time. With the high quality on display here, the first thing many listeners will be wondering throughout the opening track ("Soulris") is how in the world this record was shelved for so long.

Sleater-Kinney - The Center Won't Hold [2019]

On January 8, 2019, Sleater-Kinney hit the indie-rock world with the shock announcement that they were recording a new album. The news came by way of a picture that included the band - Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein and Janet Weiss - and St. Vincent (Annie Clark), who was listed as the record's producer. The inclusion of Clark, an artist that is part of the generation of indie-rock listeners that were deeply influenced by Sleater-Kinney, in a way felt like things coming full circle. The teachers were going to benefit from how they inspired the student.

The Comet Is Coming - Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery [2019]

Published on NextBop

In recent years, Shabaka Hutchings has arguably become the face of the London jazz scene. This status has not arrived without merit, as the tenor sax/bass clarinetist has recently led and been a part of a slew of quality albums, including Your Queen Is A Reptile (Sons of Kemet) and La saboteuse (Yazz Ahmed) and Wisdom of Elders (Shabaka and the Ancestors). Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery by The Comet Is Coming, a band made up of Shabaka (tenor saxophone, bass clarinet), Danalogue (synthesizer, keyboards) and Beatmax (drums), is another fine album that further solidifies Hutchings' status as one of the key artists in modern jazz.

Black Midi - Schlagenheim [2019]

Geordie Greep (guitar, vocals), Matt Kwasniewski-Kelvin (guitar, vocals), Cameron Picton (bass, vocals) and Morgan Simpson (drums) are Black Midi - a London-based rock band that many international fans stumbled across by way of a scintillating 2018 KEXP live session. The band's visceral yet complex nature was startling, especially considering the fact that each member looked like they could be in high school. Moments of their sound invited classification, but the disparate nature of the whole seemed to ask the listener to do away with concrete labels entirely. For rock aficionados hell-bent on labels, one could say noise-rock, post-punk and math-rock each have a sizeable steak in whatever people feel like calling Schlagenheim. With the impressive nature of the KEXP session and the Black Midi's already much hyped live reputation in the London scene, the question was always going to be whether they could deliver in a studio session - Schlagenheim answers that with an emphatic yes. 

Irreversible Entanglements & Pat Thomas - 5.4.18 [2019]

Published on NextBop

Irreversible Entanglements burst onto the avant-garde jazz scene with a fascinating debut that was as abrasive as it was captivating. The roar of Camae Ayewa's (a.k.a. Moor Mother) socio-political poetry was well met by a driving rhythm section (Luke Stewart on bass, Tcheser Holmes on drums) and furious horns (Aquiles Navarro on trumpet, Keir Neuringer on alto saxophone). While the group's first project didn't exactly propel them into avant-jazz stardom, it was extremely well received and led to them being booked in the USA and abroad. 5.4.18 is a recording of Irreversible Entanglements' first show in London, and throughout its 83 minutes, there's no doubt that this band is something special.

Steph Richards - Take The Neon Lights [2019]

Published on NextBop

Although trumpeter Steph Richards hails from Canada, she has a deep connection with New York City. Like many modern jazz musicians, Richards' has built a name for herself in New York City, having worked with a wide range of artists that includes indie-pop stalwarts such as St. Vincent and accomplished jazz experimentalists like Sylvie Courvoisier. Richards' sophomore album as a bandleader, Take The Neon Lights, is an adventurous work dedicated to her musical home. Throughout the album's 44 minutes, Richards, accompanied by James Carney (piano), Sam Minaie (bass) and Andrew Munsey (drums) play a unique collection of compositions with a healthy balance between the subtle and the frenetic.

Solange - When I Get Home [2019]

After her commercial breakthrough with the fantastic A Seat At The Table, Solange is back with another great record. Like its predecessor, When I Get Home has a strong focus on the mellow instead of the bombastic, however, this time around the structure is quite different. Although A Seat At The Table was a strong project lyrically and musically, it was an album defined by the power of Solange's words, which were at the forefront of its conversation. Conversely, on When I Get Home, the lyrics are much less pointed and there is a significantly less amount of them. While there are moments like the wittily rapped "Binz" that offer instantly quotable soundbites ("dollars never show up on CP time"), this record finds its power in the fruitful marriage between the impressive instrumentation and the mantras of Solange's lovely voice. When I Get Home features Solange's compositional style diving even further into the funk-and-jazz-tinged Neo-Soul rabbit hole that previous tracks like "Weary" and "Junie" hinted at. 

Stephan Crump's Rosetta Trio - Outliers [2019]

Published on NextBop

Stephan Crump has an impressive resume. In just the past two years the bassist has been a part of mesmerizing feats of collective improvisation (Planktonic Finales with Ingrid Laubrock and Cory Smythe) and one of the most impressive post-bop outfits in modern jazz (Far From Over with the Vijay Iyer Sextet). Much of Crump's work as a sideman and collaborator shows that he works extremely well in a free and spontaneous context. Despite this, throughout the years Crump's Rosetta Trio has shown the strength of the other, more traditionally structured side of his talent.

Ingrid Laubrock - Contemporary Chaos Practices [2018]

Published on NextBop

German saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, a musician who usually works in relatively small jazz groups, is now taking her vision to the orchestra. With two pieces full of engrossing discord and a contemporary fusion with traits of classical music and avant-garde jazz improvisation, Contemporary Chaos Practices is an extremely apt title. The soloists featured include Laubrock and other musicians that are a part of the New York City experimental jazz scene where the saxophonist is a mainstay: Kris Davis (piano), Mary Halvorson (guitar) and Nate Wooley (Trumpet).