Jazz

Laisse Ça Être

Artist: 
Aquaserge
Label: 
CRAMMED DISCS

Aquaserge plays Zeuhl-influenced music. Zeuhl is a combination of Jazz and Progressive Rock, invented by French-Prog band Magma in the 1970s and sung in a made up language called Kobaïan. It's pretty much the most niche genre to ever exist (wikipedia lists 8 other Zeuhl bands total) but it's also very memorable. I can't find anything online to back up my assertion, but they have to be a little influenced by it.

Sounds Like: 
Magma
Sounds Like: 
Serge Gainsbourg
Sounds Like: 
Tame Impala
Sounds Like: 
Stereolab
Sounds Like: 
Fela Kuti
Sounds Like: 
Fire! Orchestra
Name: 
Andrew Boring
Date Reviewed: 
02/24/2017

The Olympians

Artist: 
Toby Pazner
Label: 
DAPTONE Records

This CD is Jazzy, it's Funky, it straight up JUNK. a fine blend of piano, organ, clavinet, Harpsichord, vibraphone, trumpet, trombone, guitar bass and percussion. 14 musicians are responsible for these compositions. Toby Pazner leading the pack. The rumors have it that Toby was visited by a messenger in his dreams every night throughout his visit to Greece. A messenger of the Gods supposedly, to convince him to create a musical representation, a musical dedication for the Greek Gods to once again breath them into existence in the 21st century.

Sounds Like: 
Snarky Puppy
Sounds Like: 
The Frigtners
Name: 
Ellery Page
Date Reviewed: 
02/08/2017

Day Breaks

Artist: 
Norah Jones
Label: 
Blue Note Records

Norah Jones releases this album titled Day Breaks following up from a 2013 release Forever album collaborating with Billie Joe. This album begins with the song "Burn" which I immediately noticed a pure jazzy sound. Lots of use with the piano and less guitar which have often been emphasized in previous albums such as 2012 release of Little Broken Hearts or acoustics in the 2012 ablum Come Away With Me. Remaining songs in the album continued with the jazz sound.

Sounds Like: 
Norah Jones
Name: 
DeRay Chatter
Date Reviewed: 
02/01/2017

Mundo

Artist: 
Mariza
Label: 
Nonesuch records

I just discovered Mariza and love her voice and the musical arrangements. this CD is perfect for pronunciation purposes and overall a keeper for a romantic dinner, some relaxation or to have on the background. She sings a couple of songs in Spanish, one in English and Esperanto.

Sounds Like: 
Ana Moura
Sounds Like: 
Cristina Branco
Name: 
Aerin Mazza
Date Reviewed: 
11/29/2016

People Meet Your People

Artist: 
Afrosonics
Label: 
self-released

This album is really cool and would be perfect for someone with a jazz or soul/funk show. I really enjoyed it because of the groovy beats and the easy blending of English and other languages. While this album did sound like a straight up disco album in some parts it didn't feel dated in anyway. This album manages to do what a lot of albums seek to do - blend world and jazz fluidly. With a multitude of singers, every song is different but you never feel confused or like the album has no direction.

Sounds Like: 
old school soul
Name: 
Alexis Walker
Date Reviewed: 
11/22/2016

FLOTUS (For Love Often Turns Us Still)

Artist: 
Lambchop
Label: 
Merge Records

Lambchop has been around for well over 20 years at this point, 30 years total if you include the period when they were called Posterchild, but if you expect the same combination alt-country and soul music that they made their name on you'll be surprised to hear that this is an electronic record. That's right, on FLOTUS band leader Kurt Wagner combines programmed beats with live instrumentation, then adds his own processed vocals to maintain some amount of the soulfulness Lambchop has always had. It's a big change, and I'm honestly not sure how I feel about it.

Sounds Like: 
O Superman by Laurie Anderson
Sounds Like: 
22, a Million by Bon Iver
Sounds Like: 
Steve Reich
Sounds Like: 
late-era Talk Talk
Name: 
Andrew Boring
Date Reviewed: 
11/15/2016

The Visitor

Artist: 
Kadhja Bonet
Label: 
Fat Possum

Kadhja Bonet’s debut album, The Visitor, has a very other world, beautiful, sci-fi feel to it. After listening to it two times, I kind of got a little bossa nova vibe—but in a super light sense. I did some research and Bonet was trained in a classic style of music and she can play a ton of instruments. She plays most of the instruments on this album, wrote every song except the melody on one track, and SHE PRODUCED IT. Dope. Dope. Dope.

Sounds Like: 
soundtrack to a lucid dream
Sounds Like: 
angels singing in space
Sounds Like: 
bossa nova
Name: 
Alessandra Posada
Date Reviewed: 
11/10/2016

casual

Artist: 
trioKAIT
Label: 
Real & Imagined Music

This album is basically jazz instrumental covers of popular songs by other artists including Stevie Wonder, Gwen & Eric Stefani, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Michael Jackson (among others artists). Each track is a mash up of various artists and are pretty smooth-jazz versions of the original songs. I usually don't listen to jazz and am not really familiar with it but I don't think the tracks were bad. The songs definitely are catchy which makes sense since they are covers of popular songs, but it are more light/mellows versions of the songs.

Sounds Like: 
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Sounds Like: 
Stevie Wonder
Sounds Like: 
Michael Jackson
Name: 
Hibah Ilyas
Date Reviewed: 
11/08/2016

Spring Exceeds Winter

Artist: 
New Track City
Label: 
Self-released

Spring Exceeds Winter is the new project of New Track City. The whole vibe and sound of New Track City is very refreshing and somewhat unique in a genre where it seems like everything's been done already. They describe themselves as a hip-hop/jazz trio out of Seattle, but have no problem throwing out straight bangers as heard in One Time. One Time has interesting electronic+female/high pitched dissonant vocals in the background over really solid and lyrically meaningful raps in the foreground.

Sounds Like: 
ATCQ
Sounds Like: 
Phife Dawg
Name: 
Ali Shareef
Date Reviewed: 
10/31/2016

Towards The Center

Artist: 
Alex Levine Quartet
Label: 
OiM

This debut record by the Alex Levine Quartet is an incredibly strong effort with some very interesting musical ideas and an, at times, free-form feel. The music was totally improvised requiring the musicians to focus and respond to each other accordingly which gifts us with a very impressive melding of traditional bop and a bit of the avant-garde to give us a very beautiful record.

Sounds Like: 
Pharaoh Sanders
Sounds Like: 
A Love Supreme era Coltrane
Name: 
Paul Lackey
Date Reviewed: 
10/28/2016
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