The Listening Guide
🎶 The listening guide: five albums, released during the past twelve months, chosen around a weekly theme 🎶
This week’s theme is electric guitarists. Brooklyn-based guitarist Ava Mendoza brings blistering, fuzzy solos to William Parker’s new album Mayan Space Station, creating a veritable power trio with the bassist, and drummer Gerald Cleaver. Guitarist Zane Carney is joined by bassist Jerry Watts Jr., drummer Gene Coye, and woodwind specialist Katisse Buckingham on Alter Ego, an album which centres his improvisational electric guitar style, and consists ‘mostly of first takes, with no editing’. On PAKT, former Brand X bassist Percy Jones and current Brand X drummer Kenny Grohowski are joined by guitarists Alex Skolnick and Tim Motzer to create a progressive fusion record with a variety of electric guitar tones and textures. Julian Lage’s first album for Blue Note Records, Squint, is packed with bluesy electric guitar tones, and fine accompaniment from bassist Jorge Roeder (known for sideman work with Brad Shepik and Shai Maestro amongst others) and drummer Dave King of The Bad Plus. Mary Halvorson’s guitar work on her Code Girl album Artlessly Falling ranges from clean tones played with incredible accuracy, to distorted pitch-shifting solos, like on the brilliant track Walls and Roses. You can support Julian Lage’s record via the Blue Note store, and the other four on Bandcamp!
William Parker – Mayan Space Station
Zane Carney Quartet – Alter Ego
Percy Jones, Alex Skolnick, Kenny Grohowski, Tim Motzer – PAKT
Album of the Week
Our NQ Jazz album of the week is the first duo recording from sax and flute player Skeeter Shelton with drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake. Entitled Sclupperbep, it was recorded in early 2019 and features a number of Skeeter’s themes within its free improvisational flow. The pair decided to record together after a chance musical encounter, when Skeeter depped for Hamid’s partner on a show in Detroit. Before the show, it was discovered that Skeeter’s father, Ajaramu Shelton, had been Hamid’s drum teacher and mentor at Chicago’s Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians, giving the pair an immediate bond. Their playing on the recording is immensely powerful. You can support the project on Bandcamp!
Classic Album
Our NQ Jazz classic album this week is Billie Holiday’s Songs For Distingué Lovers. Recorded in early 1957 with an ensemble that included Ben Webster on tenor saxophone and Jimmy Rowles on piano, it originally featured six songs and was expanded with subsequent re-issues. Holiday’s voice and delivery never fail to touch the soul, and this recording is no exception. Find it on streaming services and physical copies from various outlets, including recent audiophile reissues.