New Jazz: Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff

Listening to this new ECM release this morning. Some mellow vibes, beautifully recorded as always with ECM. 

Marcin Wasilewski Trio & Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff

Nice review here, ECM page with info & a YT album teaser video.

Great interview with Rudy Van Gelder - note comments on digital vs analog.

This (from 2011) is all worth a read however these comments on digital vs analog are worth paying attention to:

What are your feelings on digital versus analog?

The linear storage of digital information is idealized. It can be perfect. It can never be perfect in analog because you cannot repro­duce the varying voltages through the dif­ferent translations from one medium to an­other. You go from sound to a microphone to a stylus cutting a groove. Then you have to play that back from another stylus wig­gling in a groove, and then translate it back to voltage.

The biggest distorter is the LP it­self. I've made thousands of LP masters. I used to make 17 a day, with two lathes go­ing simultaneously, and I'm glad to see the LP go. As far as I'm concerned, good rid­dance. It was a constant battle to try to make that music sound the way it should. It was never any good. And if people don't like what they hear in digital, they should blame the engineer who did it. Blame the mastering house. Blame the mixing engi­neer. That's why some digital recordings sound terrible, and I'm not denying that they do, but don't blame the medium.

Via:
https://jazzprofiles.blogspot.com/2011/05/rudy-van-gelder-signature-sound.html

Dedicated to The Few... favourite 3 tunes of 2015

As prompted by Mr Tom Finnerty and The Few...
Few’s North Music Poll – 2015

1) David Bowie - Blackstar

Out of nowhere... weird and wonderful with a new backing band of NYC jazzers.

So good to have Bowie releasing genuinely interesting and challenging music and videos.

Can't wait for the album.

I'm a blackstar, I'm not a gangstar. I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar. I'm not a pornstar, I'm not a wandering star. I'm a blackstar, I'm a blackstar

2) New Order - Nothing But A Fool

Really enjoyed the NO album... a breath of fresh air.
This track just got to me... a mix of the older guitar-led NO amongst the more synth-led (a la Technique) style of much of the album.

Hummable pop music for indie-sensibilities.

3) Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra - Into Forever (feat Josephine Oniyama)

A recent(ish) discovery for me.

Manchester based trumpeter, composer, arranger and band-leader Matthew Halsall is one of the rising stars of the UK jazz scene. http://www.matthewhalsall.com/

This incarnation of his band the Gondwana Orchestra produced a lovely album of contemporary jazz which looks backward to influences from the greats and forward to keep the jazz flame alive.

Halsall’s jazz sensibilities constantly lead him to energise the gentlest passages with contrastingly prodding bass hooks, tough drum patterns and rimshot snaps (as on The Land Of), McCoy Tyner-like piano lines edging through Rachael Gladwin’s harp swoops
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/sep/24/matthew-halsall-gondwana-orchestra-into-forever-review

I've chosen this, title track from the album as they chose to feature it with a video and it is representative of the feeling of the album as a whole.

The Secret Kind of Blue (BBC Radio 2)

Originally broadcast back in August to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Miles' Kind of Blue album,  I finally got round to listening to this today (whilst cleaning the kitchen). It's a good one hour doc presented by Brit trumpeter Guy Barker with plenty of clips of the record, interesting comments and historical interviews. I have a copy in mp3 if anyone's interested.

BBC - BBC Radio 2 Programmes - The Secret Kind of Blue.