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Bobby Cole – A Point Of View [Reissue/1967] CD (Omnivore)

Bobby Cole held court at Jilly’s (Frank Sinatra’s favorite “bistro”) for many years. Cole’s other gigs around New York landed him a recording contract with Columbia, but the 1960 release from The Bobby Cole Trio, while well reviewed, failed to gain traction. It featured no original material from Cole and was essentially a recorded version of his Jilly’s act—one hard to capture on LP. Garland invited the New York jazz singer to become the new musical arranger for CBS’s The Judy Garland Show in Los Angeles. When that show ended, Cole returned to New York and Jilly’s. Jack Lonshein, whose day job was creating covers for artists including Sarah Vaughan, Maynard Ferguson, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, (and eventually Big Brother & The Holding Company and The Amboy Dukes), was a friend of Cole’s. He knew Bobby’s magic, and original songs, were what the jazz world needed. Taking things into his own hands, A Point Of View was released on Lonshein’s own Concentric Records. This reissue is expanded with 12 bonus tracks. [Vinyl edition TBD.]

High Pulp – Pursuit Of Ends CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)

Drawing on bebop, punk rock, shoegaze, hip-hop and electronic music, experimental jazz act High Pulp deliver Pursuit Of Ends. The music of High Pulp music is simultaneously vintage and futuristic, hinting at everything from Miles Davis and Duke Ellington to Aphex Twin and My Bloody Valentine. The songs on Pursuit Of Ends balance meticulous composition with visceral spontaneity, while the performances are nothing short of virtuosic, fueled by raw, ecstatic horn runs ducking and weaving their way around thick bass lines and dizzying percussion. [An indie store exclusive vinyl pressing is so May 20.]

Prince Daddy & The Hyena – Prince Daddy & The Hyena CD/LP (Pure Noise)

The new, self-titled release from the Albany, New York-based indie punk band dives into the theme of life coming to an end, both vocalist Kory Gregory’s own life and fear of his friends and loved ones aging and dying. Gregory expands on why by saying, “It’s the first time that it’s hit me as an adult, the first time that the impermanence of everything struck, and that sent me into a little existential spiral.” [A limited-edition gold color vinyl edition available. An indie store exclusive color vinyl pressing is due June 10.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 15, 2022

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Jack Broadbent – Ride CD/LP (Crows Feet)

Hailed as “the new master of the slide guitar” by the Montreux Jazz Festival and “the real thang” by the legendary Bootsy Collins, acclaimed English singer-songwriter and guitarist Jack Broadbent has spent almost a decade wowing international audiences with his unique blend of virtuosic acoustic and slide guitar playing, his poignant folk and blues-inspired vocals, and not least, four studio albums containing songs that range from beautiful folk ballads to raw blues to straight-up rock ‘n’ roll. His new album Ride features opening salvo “I Love Your Rock ‘n’ Roll” with Classic Rock writing, “Broadbent resolutely refuses to spoil the recording by either ramping up the volume or compressing the audio to the nth decibel. It’s a good song and leaving it unadorned emphasizes its goodness.”

Calexico – El Mirador CD/LP (ANTI-)

Calexico’s Joey Burns and John Convertino return in with their luminous tenth studio album, El Mirador; a hopeful, kaleidoscopic beacon of rock, bluesy ruminations, and Latin American sounds. Oscillating between haunting desert noirs and buoyant jolts of cumbia and Cuban son, the album is permeated by longing. The title track “El Mirador” conjures images of a lighthouse, beckoning to lost souls in the night with hypnotic bass lines and cascading percussion. El Mirador also features vocals from Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno, while Spanish rocker Jairo Zavala brings his signature bravado to the track ”Cumbia Peninsula”. By working with friends and recurring collaborators, Calexico also highlights the unique social and linguistic intersections at the US-Mexico border and the magnificent possibilities of a borderless world. [An indie store exclusive metallic gold color vinyl pressing is due April 22.]

Albert Cummings – Ten CD (Ivy Music Company)

Ever since the release of his first album in 2003, the blues world has opened its doors for Albert Cummings. A singer and guitarist who has played with many of the greatest players of the modern era, Cummings has received the kind of recognition that few others do. His new album Ten is a full realization of the wider possibilities of where his music can go. The 13 songs on Ten are a compelling and emotional summation of what the artist has seen and done. The single “Need Somebody” begins the album with a sonic slugfest of back-alley power, the sound that Cummings has spent his life perfecting. Vince Gill lends background vocals to the standout track “Last Call”.

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 8, 2022

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Beirut – Artifacts CD/2xLP (Pompeii)

Artifacts began humbly as a means of compiling a few early Beirut EPs for a proper physical release. However, as Zach Condon explains in the album’s excellent liner notes, reconnecting with old recordings through fresh ears turned a simple re-issue project into something much more expansive. “When the decision came to re-release this collection, I found myself digging through hard drives looking for something extra to add to the compilation,” he notes. “What started as a few extra unreleased tracks from my formative recording years quickly grew into an entire extra records-worth of music from my past, and a larger project of remixing and remastering everything I found for good measure.” Artifacts is a phylogenetic tree. A double-LP’s worth music that traces the evolution of Beirut from a 14-year-old Condon’s first attempts at bringing the music he heard in his mind to life, to the fully formed Beirut we know today.

Gerald Clayton – Bells On Sand CD/LP (Blue Note)

Pianist/composer Gerald Clayton explores the impact and abstraction of time on his ravishing second Blue Note album Bells On Sand, which features contributions from mentor Charles Lloyd on saxophone, father John Clayton on bass, longtime friend and peer Justin Brown on drums, and new collaborator Maro on vocals. “Each musician on the record represents a different aspect of the axis of time and its shifting sands,” says Clayton. “My father and Charles Lloyd, who has been a mentor figure to me, reflect new permutations of my past, and the lineage of elders who have shaped my development; Justin Brown, being my contemporary and musical brother, represents my present; and Maro represents the future – she is part of the next generation, and points to a brand-new collaboration.”

Christian Lee Hutson – Quitters CD/LP+MP3 (ANTI-)

Christian Lee Hutson starts his new album Quitters with a laugh. In this follow up to his 2020 album, Beginners, Hutson moves away from the focus on growing up to the dread and complications of growing older. The laugh that announces Quitters is the kind you’ll find at the end of John Huston films, one of resignation and release, and somehow a cosmic laugh that says “California”, a place where lonely people gather like birds. Across Quitters’ 13 tracks, Hutson crafts this portrait of the place he’s from. In these short story-like songs, Hutson presents characters who carry this golden light and sinister geography inside them. It’s a place where everything in the end gets blown away and paved over with something new, where even the ocean and fires are always whispering, “One day we’ll take it all back.” This is a Los Angeles in constant transition, where childhood is lost, where home is gone and can never be visited again. [An indie store exclusive translucent purple color vinyl pressing is due April 22.]

[Read more…] about New Releases for April 1, 2022