The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week, we look at another magical set of solo records, featuring unaccompanied performances from musicians on their chosen instrument. London-based multi-instrumentalist Tunday Akintan reminisces upon his upbringing in Nigeria with three touching Yoruba folk songs and his own piece ‘Mr Goldsmiths’, all performed on solo saxophone, whilst Fabio Gouvea plays a number of astonishing pieces with a distinct Brazilian quality, on nylon string guitar. Pianist Andrea Keller’s solo record is a soundtrack in response to a film by Hayley Miro Browne, while Berke Can Özcan’s ‘Mountains are Mountains’ incorporates a fascinating array of percussive instruments. Huw V. Williams rounds off our picks with a short solo bass set, recorded earlier this year.
Tunday Akintan – A Night in Africa
Berke Can Özcan – Mountains Are Mountains
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz album of the week is harpist Amanda Whiting’s first full length album for the Jazzman records. Following her appearance on Chip Wickham’s album Blue To Red, After Dark features Wickham on flute for three tracks, with drummer John Reynolds and bassist Aidan Thorne supporting throughout. Check it out on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Released forty years ago in 1981, Tania Maria’s Piquant was the pianist and vocalist’s first of many albums for the Concord Jazz Picante label. Spilling over with sprightly scatting, English and Portugese language songs, and a mixture of upbeat and gentle numbers, it’s a wonderful and energising listen!