Stanton Moore worked with Robert Walter, Corrosion of Conformity, he’s one of the founding members of Galactic, but he’s also involved in other projects as well: Stanton Moore Trio, Garage A Trois and the Midnite Disturbers. Recently I wrote about Garage A Trois and their latest release. New Orleans outfit Galactic has a well earned reputation as one of the most exhilarating live acts around. Originally formed in 1994 as an octet (under the name Galactic Prophylactic) and including singer Chris Lane and guitarist Rob Gowen, the group was soon pared down to an instrumental sextet of: guitarist Jeff Raines, bassist Robert Mercurio, drummer Stanton Moore, Hammond organist Rich Vogel, Theryl DeClouet on vocals, and later adding saxophonist Ben Ellman. Last year the band released the critically acclaimed genre defying sonic tribute to the Big Easy entitled “Ya-Ka-May”. “The Other Side of Midnight” was recorded during an electrifying sold-out show at legendary New Orleans’ nightclub “Tipitinas” and features a host of guest appearances from the bawdy hip-shaking gender bending “bounce” star Big Freedia to local legends Cyril Neville and Trombone. Read more Galactic – The Other Side of Midnight Live in New Orleans (2011)
jazz
The Phantom Carriage – New Thing (2011)
Throatruiner Records have a nice, fan-friendly approach by making most of their products accessible for free-download. I just wanna say this, on one hand the legal – or not – free downloads helps to spread and popularize the music and the new bands mainly, but on the other hand, every and each free download makes the artist lives one grade harder and one drop bitterer. So, I’m just telling you, support your favorite artists in any way you can, please share this album as much as you can, give them as much as you can. You may not realize how much that matters. The underground and the new artists deserves at least this much. Otherwise in a few years we may left exclusively with the plastic stuffs offered by the big corporated shitheads. Fuck. I had to say that. Thanks.
The Phantom Carriage are an extreme, but excitingly experimenting band combining different genres from black metal to jazz. “New Thing” is gloomy, intense and exciting, so don’t let yourself scared away by the very first impression. Read more The Phantom Carriage – New Thing (2011)
Charts And Maps – Dead Horse (2011)
Charts and Maps is an instrumental progressive rock project from Los Angeles, CA. consists of: Daniel Melancon – drums, John Taylor – guitar, Jasper Crane – bass, Jay Watford – guitar and Mike Allison – saxophone and they are involved in other bands as Danger Bees, Random Patterns, Semiconscious Gloria and Pride of Kenya. Nominated their influences in bands such as Battles, Radiohead, Sigur Ros, Deerhoof, Tortoise, Yes and Danger Bees. Their music is a nice blending of Jazz and Progressive Rock, including a large variety of shades and colors in a nice, dynamic pulse. Actually it’s pretty hard to balancing on this thin line between Progressive Rock and Jazz, but Charts And Maps managed to keep a positive groove and the equation of their roots and influences are mixed perfectly and Charts and Maps create their own colorful universe. Read more Charts And Maps – Dead Horse (2011)
Joe McPhee Survival Unit III – Syncronicity (2011)
The trouble with the so-called avant-garde music is mainly that most of the experiences were already being made in the 60s and 70s. Blowing mindlessly and senselessly your saxophone it doesn’t surprise anybody anymore and plenty of others did it before not once. Well, McPhee is one of those old guys who were there in the 60s as well just like he’s exploring the borders of the free jazz relentless now days. So, McPhee is a true survival literally. Survival Unit III made of Joe McPhee – alto saxophone and pocket trumpet, Fred Lonberg-Holm – cello and electronics and Michael Zerang – drums are trying once again to rendering some order into the chaos, to make sense in a contorted world that sometimes seems senseless. It’s a hard job, difficult task and mysterious are the ways, isn’t it? Read more Joe McPhee Survival Unit III – Syncronicity (2011)
Fred Hersch Trio – Everybody’s Song But My Own (2011)
Strongly influenced by the work of Bill Evans, about Hersch critics have exclusively laudatory words, been called “a modern master”. Pianist and composer, Hersch explore the borders and beyond the Jazz for the 21st century. Intelligence and emotional involvement goes together in his work and revealing unexpected dimensions of intimacy and beautiful glows of desire for living. High lyricism and impressive turns of pulsing dynamism are meant to keep the audience attentions tight, Hersch led us through different moods and colors of the music smoothly and kindly, he’s universe it’s truly transcendent and he’s melting into one the tradition and the innovation, being classic and modern simultaneously. Read more Fred Hersch Trio – Everybody’s Song But My Own (2011)
The Five Corners Quintet – The Helsinki Sessions (2011)
A live recording with a Jazz band such as The Five Corners Quintet can’t be nothing but exciting. In 2005, The Five Corners Quintet from Helsinki took the international dancefloor jazz scene by a storm. “Chasin’ the Jazz Gone Byâ€, their debut album proved out to be both an artistic and a commercial success story. TFCQ surprisingly managed to merged smoothly the essence of the traditional Jazz with the sounds and approaches of modern Jazz and combining standards with fresh improvisations and quite danceable rhythmic structures with the richness of harmonies, melodies and mind blowing improvising explosions. It’s impossible to stay sit, TFCQ makes you jump up and swing to their music, and let’s face it, this is quite rare quality for a Jazz band now days. Read more The Five Corners Quintet – The Helsinki Sessions (2011)
Red Snapper – Key (2011)
This is absolutely bloody ass kicking! And I mean it. Don’t judge a book by its cover and a CD by its label. In this particular case the label was “hip hop” and well, maybe there’s some hip hop left-overs in it, but this have nothing to do with what usually we thought of hip hop. This is jazz, modern, alive, pulsing, experimental jazz without being kind of exclusivist, it’s avantgardist without being abstract, in not so many words: this is fucking music! Well, if we trying hard enough we may find some parallels with US3, eventually with the Fun Lovin’ Criminals, but still. If there some other band which reminds me of , perhaps that would be Morphine. Honestly I don’t know where I kept or what I did with my ears in the last few years, but I stumbled into Red Snappers only yesterday while it seems they being around since 1994. But I can take off “Key” from the player since. Read more Red Snapper – Key (2011)
Helge Lien Trio – Natsukashii (2011)
This is a beautiful release from Norway by Helge Lien Trio – Helge Lien on piano, Frode Berg on bass and Knut Aalefjær on drums. Their previous release was “Hello Troll” in 2008, while this is their fifth full-length studio album. “Natsukashii” is felt with impressive lyrical moodscapes, maintaining the balance between jazz traditions and the avantgardist art of improvisation, including something from the contemplative approach of Garbarek and the bright play of Jarrett. This trio changing moods, shifting tempos and tunes fluently and colorful leaving wide open spaces to each other, but still going tight close together in a wonderful exploration of yet undiscovered sides of music. Read more Helge Lien Trio – Natsukashii (2011)
Iro Haarla Quintet – Vespers (2011)
Iro Haarla composer-pianist-harpist and her Finnish-Norwegian ensemble consist of Mathias Eick – trumpet, Trygve Seim – tenor and soprano saxophones, Ulf Krokfors – double-bass and Jon Christensen – drums, six years after releasing of “Northbound†are back with this brand new album released under the same trademark of ECM. Classy and gloomy, this is a slowburn, kind of candle light in the dark, winter night. Quiet and improvising, this “free ballads” have a kind of family reunion feeling where everybody tell his own story of the past few years, sometimes simultaneously, “speaking” over each other. Sometimes vague, often soaked with the particular Northern melancholy or directly with the taste of sadness, “Vespers” sounds as the score of our desperate alienation. Read more Iro Haarla Quintet – Vespers (2011)
Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (2011)
Garage A Trois was originally a trio founded in 1998 during the recording of Stanton Moore’s debut album “All Kooked Out!” by Moore, eight-string guitarist Charlie Hunter, and Skerik. The project grown to a quartet, the actual line-up including Stanton Moore (drums), Skerik (saxophone), Mike Dillon (vibraphone and percussionist) and keyboardist Marco Benevento. They play a variety of music including rock, funk and jazz. I stumble into this band a few years ago searching on YouTube for versions of the song by Hendrix “If 6 was 9”. Charlie Hunter it’s a killer guitar player and Moore is a color and powerful drummer, Skerik knows to blow his saxophone, so, Garage A Trois was an exciting discovery. Most widely known as a founding member of Galactic, Moore has also Read more Garage A Trois – Always Be Happy, But Stay Evil (2011)
