Tag: 2019

The Art Ensemble of Chicago – We Are On the Edge

Style: Modern Creative, Chamber Jazz, Experimental Big Band, Great Black Music, Avant-Garde Classical

Vibe: Communal, Triumphant, Suspenseful, History, Eclectic, Colorful, Intricate, Ritualistic, Patient, Open, Complex, Theatric

Musical Qualities: Poly-Free Improvisation, Dynamic, Collective, Progressive Structures, Technical, Orchestral, Percussive, Reductionism, Suite, Polyphonic

Instrumentation: Trumpets, Upright Bass, Spoken Word, Operatic Vocals, Drums, Percussion, Saxophone, Cello, Violin, Viola

Tinariwen – Amadjar

Style: Tishoumaren, Desert Blues

Vibe: Desert, Hypnotic, Journeying, Spiritual, Flowing, Psychedelic, Mellow, Communal, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Slow, Group Vocals, Repetitive, Percussive, Rhythmic

Elkhorn – Elk Jam

Style: Folk Rock, Psych, Jam Band

Vibe: Scorched, Summer, Desert, Stoned, Pastoral Peaceful, Sunny, Traveling, Psychedelic

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Instrumental, Improvisation, Fuzzy, Mellow, Riffs, Loose

Hiss Golden Messenger – Terms of Surrender

Vibe: Contemplative, Tender, Soothing, Warm, Bittersweet, Rustic, Open, Pastoral, Light

Themes: Family, Existential, Spirituality, Love

Musical Qualities: Soft, Melodic, Vocal Harmonies, Atmospheric Production, Lyrical

Instrumentation: Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Banjo, Piano, Organ, Harmonica, Mandolin Synthesizer, Electric Bass, Lap Steel Slide Guitar, Omnichord, Drums, Percussion

Loren Mazzacane Conners & Daniel Carter – The Departing of a Dream Volume VII

Style: Drone, Free Improvisation, Ambient

Vibe: Suspenseful, Haunting, Murky, Mysterious, Meditative, Responsive, Noir

Musical Qualities: Lo-Fi, Improvisation, Noisy, Atmospheric, Heavy Reverb

Bill Orcutt – Odds Against Tomorrow

Style: American Primitvism, Ambient Blues, Solo Electric Guitar

Vibe: Meditative, Longing, Spiritual, Pastoral, Loose, Kinetic

Musical Qualities: Improvisation, Dissonance, Instrumental, Sparse

Land of Kush – Sand Enigma

Style: Avant-Garde Big Band, Arabic/Egyptian Folk, Psychedelic Jazz

Vibe: Intense, Sombre, Cathartic, Psychedelic, Complex, Ritualistic, Communal

Musical Qualities: Dense, Progressive, Dissonant, Acoustic, Percussive

Instrumentation: Santur, Upright Bass, Piano, Saxophones, Vocals, Percussion, Drums, Clarinet, Flute, Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello), Keyboards, Synthesizer, lap Steel Guitar, Electronics, Harp

Richard Dawson – 2020 [Review]

Style: Progressive Songwriter, Art Rock, Progressive Pop

Vibe: Satirical, Depressive, Anxious, Dystopian, Bright, Eccentric, Existential, Longing, Pessimistic, Urban, Storytelling

Musical Qualities: Complex, Dense, Progressive, Intricate, Dynamic, Conceptual

Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah – Ancestral Recall

Style: Organic Beat Music, Spiritual Jazz, Cybernetic Jazz, Progressive Jazz

Vibe: Ritualistic, Triumphant, Poetic, Tribal, Afro-Futurism, Epic, Moody, Earthy

Musical Qualities: Beats, Structured Improvisation, Polyrhythmic, Progressive, Percussive

Natural Information Society with Evan Parker – descension (Out of Our Constrictions

Style: Avant-Garde Jazz, Ecstatic Post-Minimalism, Psychedelic Trance Music, Gnawa-Influenced

Vibe: Hypnotic, Meditative, Psychedelic, Ecstatic, Spiritual, Cathartic, Mosaic,

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Live, Minimalistic, Acoustic, Instrumental, Polyphonic, Polyrhythmic, Repetitive

Instrumentation: Guimbri, Soprano Saxophone, Bass Clarinet, Harmonium, Drums

Loren Connors – Beautiful Dreamer (for Steve Dalachinksy)

Style: Dark Ambient, Free Improvisation, Ambient Blues

Vibe: Murky, Meditative, Washy, Haunting, Suspenseful, Mysterious, Ethereal

Musical Attributes: Solo Electric Guitar Improvisation, Sparse, Atmospheric, Slow, Lo-fi

Yves Jarvis – The Same but by Different Means

Style: Psychedelic Gospel Folk, Bedroom Soul, Experimental Singer/Songwriter

Vibe: Woozy, Imaginative, Cryptic, Warm, Ethereal, Stoned

Musical Attributes: Lo-fi, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Vocal Harmonies, Vocal Manipulation, Eclectic, Collage

Deep Rotations: 2019 — 40+ Essential Records + Mixtape

40+ album released in 2019 worthy of some deep listening, plus an accompanying mixtape recorded straight from these records

Dave Harrington Group – Pure Imagination, No Country

Innovative guitarist and producer Dave Harrington (Darkside) uses his latest record to explore the outer reaches of improvisation and compositional post-production. Pure Imagination, No Country is jazz-rock fusion stripped of its retro connotations—fusing hard grooves, free flights of collective improvisation, and futuristic ambience to create something that is at turns atmospheric and in your face.

Recommended for fans of Bill Frisell, Terje Rypdal, or Jaga Jazzist

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – Tracing Back the Radiance

Washes of piano, harp, and other ephemeral sonic artifacts float through Ledesma’s peaceful, almost static atmospheres like a night breeze through the quiet woods.

Bibio – Ribbons

On his latest, producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist Bibio blends serene folk pop, lush instrumentation, pastoral guitar instrumentals, nature field recordings, Walt Whitman-esque lyrics and beat-oriented grooves into the perfectly crafted springtime album. Ribbons feels like daydreaming in a garden or out in the woods under a tree or by a trickling stream.