Dida Pelled

Guitarist and vocalist Dida Pelled previous Red Records release, Dida Pelled: Plays and Sings (Red Records, 2011) was one of my pics for Best-of-the-Year in 2011). That recording was so refreshingly organic that it has remained in my listening rotation since that time. Pelled snuck in a self-produced Modern Love Songs (2015) between Plays and Sings and the present A Missing Shade of Blue. It is as exceptional as the first recording. That said, expectations for A Missing Shade of Blue are necessarily great.

Rising bassist Alexander Claffy delivers a full stream of his self-titled debut CLAFFY LP, out now via Ropeadope Records. The project from The New School alum boasts five original compositions and a striking take on the celebrated standard “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Billed as “a deeply personal story of heartbreak,” the 9-track release features Sonny Step on vocals, Victor Gould on piano, Michael King on organ and keys, Benny Benack III on trumpet, Ben Eunson on guitar, Matt Chalk and Troy Roberts on saxophone, Kyle Poole and Jonathan Barber on drums and David Gibson on trombone. Check out the track below to listen to Claffy’s “Chapter 1 Blossoms As They Wilt” single.

Rising bassist Alexander Claffy delivers a full stream of his self-titled debut CLAFFY LP, out now via Ropeadope Records. The project from The New School alum boasts five original compositions and a striking take on the celebrated standard “I’ll Be Seeing You.” Billed as “a deeply personal story of heartbreak,” the 9-track release features Sonny Step on vocals, Victor Gould on piano, Michael King on organ and keys, Benny Benack III on trumpet, Ben Eunson on guitar, Matt Chalk and Troy Roberts on saxophone, Kyle Poole and Jonathan Barber on drums and David Gibson on trombone. Check out the track below to listen to Claffy’s “Chapter 1 Blossoms As They Wilt” single.