The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week, we pick five mind-bending records, upon which jazz, rock, and plenty more collide. Osees leader John Dwyer continues his fusion and krautrock-informed voyage on Witch Egg, whilst Deerhoof collaborate with renowned trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, and Brazilian newcomers The Big Odd blend contemporary and classic-era rock sounds with jazz styles on their eponymous debut album.
John Dwyer, Nick Murray, Brad Caulkins, Tom Dolas, Greg Coates – Witch Egg
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz album of the week is the debut record from guitarist Rodrigo Faina and Change Ensemble. Inspired by Faina's childhood and adolescence in Argentina, ‘where the literature of Julio Cortazar and Jorge Luis Borges went hand in hand with jazz music’, each piece takes cues from literature whilst incorporating ‘some form of improvisation’. Change ensemble features musicians from the worlds of jazz and improvised music as well as members of renowned European orchestras. The group is described as ‘a dynamic group of artists dedicated to developing and performing new work that lies outside of genre-specific categorisations’. Support Different Roots via Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Jan Johansson’s stunning duo album melds Swedish folk melodies and sensibilities with jazz piano styling, creating a milestone album in European jazz.