Spare sonic textures and mellow musical moments from Eivind Aarset – a great session for ECM, and maybe one of his most compelling records in years! This ECM album has a feel that's a bit warmer than some of Aarset's previous work for the Jazzland – not in a way that's commercial at all, given that the music is still pretty darn abstract – but just somehow more organic – in ways that almost feel acoustic at points, even though most of the instrumentation is electric – possibly because of these bass-heavy shapes that often move at the back and bottom of the mix. Eivind plays guitars, electronics, samples, and percussion – with help from Jan Bang on dictaphone and additional samples – on titles that icnlude "The Beauty Of Decay", "Homage To Greene", "Black Silence", "Close", "Reactive", and "The Whispering Forest". ~ Dusty Groove
Jesse Boykins on Nina Tune – a surprisingly great combination, and one that seems to give Jesse an even bolder sound than usual! The feel of the record is very much like before – a loose, homegrown set of grooves – sometimes funky, sometimes spacey – definitely aware of hip hop, but not hip hop at all – and instead a very personal blend of lyrics, rhymes, and cosmic jazzy instrumentation! Of course, the contributions of MeLo X are also a key part of the new energy too – but there's also a core vibe to the record that's definitely Boykins continuing on his path from before. The set features guest work by Trae Harris, Mara Hruby, Ango, Christ Turner, Kesed, and Joe Kenneth – and titles include "I'm New Here", "Black Orpheus", "Broken Wings", "Schwaza", "The Perfect Blues", "Searching Her Ways", "Zulu Guru", "Tribe Of Stafa", and "Better For You". (Includes download code.) ~ Dusty Groove
Lewis Nash isn't just a hell of a drummer, he's a hell of a leader too – although one who hardly ever gets to cut sessions up front like this – which makes every one of them a treasure! Nash has really picked some top-shelf talent for this date – a quintet lineup that features Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Jimmy Greene on tenor and soprano sax, Renee Rosnes on piano, and Peter Washington on bass – all soulfully swinging with Nash in a way that grabs us right from the start – an energy that seems to only be sharpened by the live setting of the record, and which is carried out to perfection on the album's many long tracks. Nash continues to be very inventive on the drum kit – never too playful, but always adding in a level of complexity to his rhythms – and titles include "Blues Connotation", "Arioso", "Eronel", "Ain't Nothin Nu", "Y Todavia La Quiero", and "From Here To A Star". ~ Dusty Groove