Jazz-Folk

Sunn Trio / Sam Shalabi – Trippin’ on Coleman

Each artist fills an entire LP side with their own improvised interpretation of Ornette Coleman’s “Lonely Woman” . Shalabi channels the tune through a solo oud meditation, shaped by his characteristically searching and sensitive improvisations. On the other side, Sunn Trio performs an undulating percussive ritual, overdubbed with a wide pallet of tangled acoustic instruments, dub psychedelia, and hypnotizing drones.

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The Pentangle

Style: Folk Baroque, British Folk, Acoustic Blues

Vibes: Intertwined, Rootsy, Pastoral, Breezy, Playful, Bluesy, Intricate, Uplifting

Instrumentation: Upright Bass, Vocal Harmonies, Drums, Acoustic Guitars

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Steve Tibbetts – Yr

Style: Progressive Folk, Jazz Fusion, ECM Jazz

Vibes: Mystical, Pastoral, Ethereal, Ancient, Pagan, Earthy, Exploratory, Smooth, Spiritual

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Atmospheric, Complex, Instrumental, Uncommon Time Signatures, Percussive, Polyrhythmic, Progressive, Shred, Technical

Instrumentation: Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Congas, Drums, Kalimba, Synthesizer, Tabla, Electric Bass, Bongos

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Tim Buckley – Blue Afternoon

Blue Afternoon continues the flowing jazz-folk of Happy Sad while occasionally detouring into the avant-garde atmospheres that manifest more fully on Lorca and Starsailor. The arrangements are characterized by fluid vibraphones, lobbing upright bass, and the virtuosic jazz guitar of Lee Underwood, but what really ties everything together are the vocals and songwriting. Buckley’s voice is so versatile that he is able to express a wide range of emotions, sometimes blurring them from one moment to the next.

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Albert Ayler – Love Cry

Albert Ayler – Tenor & Alto Saxophones, Vocals
Alan Silva – Upright Bass
Milford Graves – Drums & Percussion
Call Cobbs Jr. – Harpsichord
Donald Ayler – Trumpet

Vibe: Ecstatic, Passionate, Anthemic, Energetic, Spiritual, Joyful, Deconstructed, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Thematic, Collective Improvisation, Acoustic, Loose, Melodic

Style: Spiritual Jazz, Free Jazz

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Sam Amidon – Sam Amidon

Style: Dream Folk, Jazz-Folk, Warped Americana

Vibes: Warm Melancholy, Springtime Reflection, Rootsy, Early Afternoons in the Garden, Dreamy, Intertwined, Heartfelt

Musical Qualities: Lush; Improvised Arrangements; Studio-as-an-Instrument, Melodic, Vocal Fx

Instrumentation: Banjo, Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Flute, Acoustic Bass, Synthesizers, Piano

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John Carter – Fields

Style: Avant-Garde Jazz, Country-Jazz, Jazz Theater

Vibe: Rural, Historical, Sombre, Resolute, Intertwined, Passionate, Storytelling, Determined, Resolute, Heartfelt, Complex, Theatric, Conceptual

Musical Qualities: Suite, Acoustic, Progressive, Collective Improvisation, Polyphonic, Dynamic, Technical

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Pentangle – Solomon’s Seal

Style: Brit-Folk, Chamber Folk, Jazz-Folk

Vibe: Flowing, Morning, Breezy, Warm, Medieval, Sentimental, Rootsy, Mellow, Pastoral, Uplifting

Musical Qualities: Vocal Harmonies, Acoustic, Traditional, Melodic, Improvisation

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitars (Fingerstyle), Vocals, Upright Bass, Sitar, Dulcimer, Banjo, Recorder, Harmonica, Electric Guitar, Drums

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Bert Jansch – Birthday Blues

Style: Chamber Folk, British Folk, Acoustic Blues, Jazz-Folk

Vibe: Breezy, Mellow, Contemplative, Autumnal, Uplifting, Melancholy, Warm, Joyful, Love, Intertwined, Reflective, Poetic

Musical Qualities: Acoustic, Melodic, Lush, Rootsy, Bluesy, Chamber Arrangements

Instrumentation: Acoustic Guitar, Upright Bass, Flute, Saxophone, Harmonica

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Jackie-O Motherfucker – Fig 5.

Style: Mystical Americana, Free Folk, Post-Rock, Drone

Vibe: Haunting, Meandering, Rootsy, Rustic, Nocturnal, Mysterious, Deconstructed, Ragged, Communal, Murky, Abstract, Lethargic, Hallucinogenic, Raw

Musical Qualities: Collective Improvisation, Instrumental (except B1,C1), Loose, Lo-fi, Dynamic, Droney, Noisy, Group Vocals (B1), Harmonies (B1, C1)

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Sam Amidon – The Following Mountain

Style: New Weird Americana, Post-Modern Appalachia, Jazz-Folk

Vibe: Autumnal, Earthy, Imaginative, Lush, Morning, Peaceful, Rootsy, Rustic, Warm, Contemplative

Musical Attributes: Acoustic, Melodic, Studio-as-an-Instrument, Improvisation, Progressive, Lyrical

Instrumentation: Fiddle, Drums, Banjo, Vocals, Percussion, Saxophone, Acoustic Guitar, Drum Machine, Percussion, Electric Bass, Organ Synthesizers, Flute

Collaborators: Leo Abrahams, Shahzad Ismaily, Sam Gendel,
Milford Graves, Chris Vatalaro, James Sultan

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Ryley Walker – Golden Sings that have been Sung (Deep Cuts Edition)

Ryley Walker’s virtuosic fingerpicking and intricate folk-rock songwriting vibe heavily with a backing band of Chicagoan jazz musicians, including upright bass, drums, Rhodes and electric guitar. The first LP of this release is a studio album of jazzy folk rock songs for fans of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks or Tim Buckley’s Happy Sad, while the Bonus Lp of this “Deep Cuts edition” is a 40 min live improvisation on one of the album cuts that probably beats anything on the studio LP. It’s rad to be able hear both the concise, song-centric studio side and the loose jammy side of this exciting artist in the same release.

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John Martyn – Solid Air

British singer-songwriter John Martyn fuses folk, jazz, and psychedelic experimentation to create an album that is both eclectic and cohesive, tied together by his flowing voice and virtuosic acoustic guitar fingerpicking.
FFO Van Morrison, Joni Mitchell, Ryley Walker

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Ryley Walker – Deafman Glance

Acoustic-shredder/singer-songwriter ventures out of the jazz-inflected folk-rock territory explored by his last few albums to create something that feels fully himself. Deafman Glance is full of angular left turns, complex structures, airy flutes, jazz detours, and psychedelic atmospheres. A balance of great songwriting, jazz musicianship, and experimental/art-rock tendencies. Recommended to fans of Tortoise’s Standards, Tim Buckley’s Starsailor, and King Crimson’s Red. (Click for full review).

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Tim Buckley – Blue Afternoon [4menwithbeards]

Blue Afternoon continues the flowing jazz-folk of Tim’s previous release (Happy Sad) while starting to detour into the avant-garde atmospheres that would manifest more fully on his next two albums, Lorca and Starsailor. The songs and lyrics refuse to be boxed into one category as “joyful” or “lonely” or “sad” and instead reflect the intangible multi-dimensionality of feeling.

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