brass

The 19th Akbank Jazz Festival is commencing tonight. Tomorrow’s big deal is Terje Rypdal at Aya Irini, but we’ll be skipping it to check out the NYC Brass band Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.

Been sittin’ on this one for so long, too long actually. Los Angeles’ soul orchestra Breakestra is soon to release their 2nd full length From Dusk Till Dawn on our favourite groove provider Strut.

Guess what, Detroit native Matthew Chicoine aka Recloose’s third album is out on Sonar Kollektiv, and no one on the blogosphere is talking about it according to hype machine.

* Well known avantgarde jazz guitarist Marc Ribot and other musicians were protesting the closing of world famous experimental / indie / avantgarde music venue Tonic, NYC by showing up for an improvised concert while the workers dismantled the stage!

Woohoo a new Matthew Herbert album! “Score” is a compilation of his film scores (Vida Y Color, Manolete, La Confiance Regne, The Intended, the short films Indiscretion and Nicotine), a musical (Le Defi), and one ballet (Set Boundaries). Sadly I haven’t watched any of these films, hell I didn’t even know he was composing soundtracks at all.

I’ve first heard of Kuusumun’s name on a compilation called Jazzflora from 2004. Although the comp had lovely music from the likes of Hird, Five Corners Quintet & Kahuun, Profeetta’s brushed downtempo opener Kovin Lentäen Kotiin Kaipaanon had rendered me unable to listen to the remaining songs.

Finnish avant prog big band Alamaailman Vasarat has just released their long expected new album Maahan on Wolfgang Records. I’ve already been highly impressed by their second album Käärmelautakunta and its dark symphonic melodies, but unfortunately couldn’t find the time to write about them.

Since these two lovely music numbers I felt like writing, are quite different, I will pronounce them happy and sad. See, i’m trying to pretend there is a concept behind this, in order to justify the act of cramming these two in one post. Surely they deserve better than that.