Entire genres that only need one thread #1: "Jazz"

[doug rr]

I'll have to check that out too...was listening to this in the car this morning..

[Kevin Davis]

This new album by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire featuring Bill Frisell is fantastic:

This album is fantastic, probably my favorite album from 2023 thus far, and an excellent case for why publications should stop printing those damned “best albums of the year” lists in November.

[kreng]

This new album by trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire featuring Bill Frisell is fantastic:

This album is fantastic, probably my favorite album from 2023 thus far, and an excellent case for why publications should stop printing those damned “best albums of the year” lists in November.

I found this album to be such a disappointment. 3 great players in their own right but I didn’t think it gelled at all when together.

[Jorge]

Really? I think it's gorgeous. "Henya" is such a rich and evocative piece

[tragabigzanda]

[Kevin Davis]

I found this album to be such a disappointment. 3 great players in their own right but I didn’t think it gelled at all when together.

Sorry it didn't hit the spot for you; I think it's a special one for me. It reminds me a bit of the Floating Points/Pharaoh Sanders album from a few years ago -- a miniature, soft-focus dreamscape I just find myself wanting to get sucked into over and over again.

[tragabigzanda]

[tragabigzanda]

Top 10 maybe?
Hello Morning
Close Captioned
The Kill
Place/Position
Do You Like Me?
Latest Disgrace
Recap Modotti
Nightshop
Break
Life & Limb

I'd maybe bump Life & Limb for Epic Problem

[kreng]

I guess I should give it another go....

[Kevin Davis]

This seems to be a theme with Frisell, I think? His more uptempo numbers (penultimate track "Mr. Riley" in this case) always feel a touch generic, and it always seems like albums tend to sequence from structured to formless, and I always find myself preferring the top half of his records. Any die-hard Frisell fans want to confirm or deny this?

He definitely has some albums that feel like they run a little on the long side, though I find myself feeling that way more about albums where he shares frontline space with other players than I do about albums where his own soloing is the main focus. The trio album he made with Ron Carter and Paul Motian for Nonesuch, and the two live albums he recorded with Thomas Morgan for ECM -- those records don't flag for me, even though they all push 70 minute running times. When the focus is on composition, ambience, ensemble passages, etc., longer records -- while many are still excellent -- tend to feel that way. Frisell is often gracious to a fault when he is sharing space with other musicians; he seems quick to relegate himself to the background, to a color or an effect, so that other players can occupy the foreground, and sometimes it costs the music a little bit of what makes it unique.

I don't necessarily feel that way about Owl Song, which to me feels like an Ambrose Akinmusire record on which Frisell is a collaborator, but I know what you're talking about. I love Frisell but it's not uncommon for me to be 75% of the way into one of his albums and find myself ready to move on to something else.

[Jorge]

[coptheriotact]

The whole album is awesome:

fully enjoyed these tonight while doing random things around the house on a rainy day . thanks

[Kevin Davis]

Really enjoyed this, thanks for the share.

[contamination]

I re-watched this documentary some time ago and thought that maybe some you haven't seen this and would be interested to watch it. I'm sure many of you know her, but if you don't know her story I highly recommend this.

[Kevin Davis]

I generally know her story but have never seen that doc — thanks for sharing.

Listening today to Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, and Tyshawn Sorey’s new trio record “Compassion.” Excellent as expected.

[VinylGuy]

Been meaning to listen to a good upright bass and piano album, any recommendations?

[doug rr]

Been meaning to listen to a good upright bass and piano album, any recommendations?

Ron Carter and McCoy Tyner...a lot to choose from....Kevin Davis can help you out

[Kevin Davis]

Try this one!

[Mike]

I am listening to The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady. I love this record so much. Can you guys give me some Jazz recommendations in that vein? It's my favorite Jazz record I heard so far but I am not very well versed in the genre. I love manic/chaotic energy mixed with these amazing melodies. And it SOUNDS amazing.

[Ello Sailor]

Something a little different, but GoGo Penguin's A Humdrum Star (2018) is jazz-adjacent and consists of upright bass, piano & (MVP) drums. They rule so hard.