The Budos Band's VII marks the nonet's return to full-length recording after 2020's Burnt Offering and 2023's fine Frontier’s Edge EP. It's their debut long-player on Diamond West, the label created by Budos guitarist/producer Thomas Brenneck and baritone saxophonist Jared Tankel. VII extends the dark psychedelia approach of 2020's Burnt Offering, but it's more a vibe than an aesthetic. Instead, BB focuses on extending their stylistic reach with sophisticated horn charts - played by Tankel, trumpeters Dave Guy and Andrew Greene, and trombonist Ray Mason - framed by incendiary percussion from ace drummer Brian Profilio and newcomer percussionist Rich Terrana (ex- Frightnrs). It's texturally and ambitiously buoyed by the rhythm section that includes Brenneck, bassist Dan Foder, and organist Mike Deller. BB hadn't been in the studio together for two years when they convened in California to write and record…
In 2015, Staten Island's Budos Band surprised fans with Burnt Offering; their first non-numbered title, it delivered a shift in musical direction. In addition to their trademarked fusion of Mulatu Astatke-inspired Ethio-jazz, Afrofunk, and hard-swinging R&B, they indulged a collective love for darker, '70s-era hard rock and psychedelia. With V they have fully integrated the latter aesthetic with the former…
Eve is Beninese singer/songwriter Angélique Kidjo's first recording in nearly four years. Its title is inspired literally by her mother Yvonne's nickname, and metaphorically for the Judeo-Christian heritage's first woman. It is "dedicated to the women of Africa: to their resilience and their beauty." Produced by Patrick Dillett, the album was recorded in the U.S., France, Luxembourg, and Africa. The cast of musicians is stellar: Lionel Loueke and Dominic James on guitars, Steve Jordan on drums, Christian McBride on bass, and Jean Hébrail on programming and arrangements, plus a slew of percussionists and keyboardists and a horn section. Guests include Rostam Batmagli (Vampire Weekend), Dr. John, Bernie Worrell, Nigerian singer ASA, the Kronos Quartet, Steven Bernstein, Stuart Bogie, and, on the sweeping, nearly transcendent "Awalole," the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg.