instrumental

Hunted from last years, The Silent Ballet’s end of year list, Tuna Laguna is one instrumental rock band from Norway that didn’t garner much attention from music press and blogs. Not surprising as well all know the music press tends to ignore bands that make solid music without bells & whistles or scene buzz.

Cuneiform never fails to impress us with a steady supply of brilliant albums. Here’s a new album, by the band that I still haven’t been able to pronounce correctly : Ahleuchatistas. The North Carolina power trio belongs to the increasing number of brilliant progressive math rock albums that I’ve been listening to this year, full of odd times, shifting rhythms, janglnig guitars and other extremities.

A new discovery on my part, Raymond Scott is a composer, orchestra leader, pianist, engineer, recording studio maverick, and an electronic instrument inventor. I first heard him in J Dilla’s Donuts with the track “Lightworks” and the cartoony playfulness of early electronics instantly called upon me to seek for more.

Another freejazz variant that I’ve been watching since a long time ago is Shining, once again hailing from Scandinavia. I guess the libertarian social atmosphere must help creativity flourish in the north of Europe

You have to remember Andrew & Emiko’s rendition of the traditional Japanese song Otemoyan. Well guess what, I’ve found the lyrics and an instrumental 70’s sax version of it from the by Teruo Yoda, which has been on repeat since that day.

Here comes the alleged Tzadik fanboy with a new and unfortunately the final release from The Cracow Klezmer Band. “Remembrance” released on Tzadik in March is a final testimony to the band with a terrific 2005 performance in Warsaw at the Polish National Radio concert studio.

Yes retroethnic!. A word I made up 5 minutes ago to describe today’s songs. The first song is by Tofig Guliyev, and it’s off the compilation, Jazz in Azerbaijan Anthology. I’m disappointed with the second CD of this compilation, which has lots of newage/midi drum stale jazz, but the first CD has this gem by 1917 born composer Guliyev which has a ripping guitar played like a tar on top of a 20s style big brass band joined by some accordeon and piano, very musical.

Hadouk Trio is the brain child of Didier Malherbe and Loy Ehrlich with percussionist Steve Shehan. All three are multi instrumentalists, and the music sounds very rich and the instruments are warm, especially the Dodouk (from which the second part of the word Hadouk comes from) is ultra warm…