Linda Hoyle The Fetch (2015)

It probably isn't surprising to learn that Hoyle's solo debut, cut following the final dissolution of Affinity in 1971, does not deviate too far from that band's jazz-rock modus operandi. However, in seeking to trim the instrumental fat from Affinity's sometimes gruelling work-outs, and concentrate the attention on the songs (and lyrics) themselves, it rises far above its role model, to showcase Hoyle as a far more exciting figure than her footnotes in history would have you believe. Reminiscent in places of the best of Julie Driscoll's late 1960s work - a role model that Hoyle was singularly well-placed to succeed - Pieces of Me likewise borrows from several of Driscoll's own influences. The Nina Simone and Laura Nyro songbooks both contribute to the proceedings, with the latter's "Lonely Woman" standing among the best tracks on the entire album…

Chris Dingman - The Subliminal And The Sublime (2015) {Inner Arts Initiative 60237}
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© 2015 Inner Arts Initiative | 60237
Jazz / Chamber Jazz / Modern Composition / Modern Creative / Post-Minimalism / Ambient / Vibes

On Chris Dingman's sophomore album, 2015's The Subliminal and the Sublime, the creative jazz vibraphonist/composer finds inspiration in nature, and the result is an often stunning album of both grand gestures and detailed, percolating undercurrents. Featuring alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, pianist Fabian Almazan, guitarist Ryan Ferreira, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Justin Brown, Dingman's sextet displays true mastery of wide dynamics across a suite whose extended-form movements culminate in strikingly dramatic fashion. Opener "Tectonic Plates" begins with high singing tones and chordal volume swells, creating an ethereal ambience over which Stillman introduces a calm melody, briefly joined by sharper yet still understated support from the other bandmembers to close this lovely four-and-a-half-minute intro.

If Rhino had merely combined Linda Ronstadt's Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 and volume two, they would have a compilation that captured her at her peak. They didn't do that for 2002's The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt, but they did follow that basic blueprint very closely, with 16 of the 21 songs culled from her '70s heyday, with the remaining five drawing from her late-'80s/early-'90s adult contemporary comeback, including "Don't' Know Much" and "Somewhere out There." That these songs don't quite fit musically with the laid-back Californian soft rock of the '70s doesn't matter, nor does it matter that her excursions into other genres – her traditional pop albums with Nelson Riddle, her Mexican records, her country albums with Trio – are missing ("Different Drum" with the Stone Poneys is here), because this collection expertly delivers her biggest hits in an enjoyable fashion with very little fat. Those original hits records remain first-rate, but it's nicer to get all of these on one disc instead of two.