It's ok to Feel Deeply

"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."

British multireed player John Surman has enjoyed a long career, making significant marks in free jazz, modal, and fusion, and also developing his own distinctive blend of folk and jazz elements. His ability to bridge styles has even extended to 1999's treatment of Renaissance-era composer John Dowland's songs, In Darkness Let Me Dwell with the Hilliard Ensemble's John Potter. Coruscating is another unusual venture, with Surman and regular associate bassist Chris Laurence improvising on eight of Surman's compositions with the string quartet Trans4mation. There's a seamless beauty here, composition and improvisation becoming one. Beginning with the baroque clarity of melody on "At Dusk," Coruscating develops often dark, looming textures. While Surman has made his baritone fly, here he emphasizes intense lyricism, whether with a true, full-bodied, baritone sound or a light upper register. "Stone Flower" is dedicated to the great Ellington baritonist Harry Carney, and Surman's breathy, overtone-rich sound invokes Carney's own recordings with strings.

Masabumi Kikuchi Trio - Feel You (1993) {2015 Japan King Super Jazz Collection KICJ 2488}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 307 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 137 Mb
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© 1993, 2015 King Record Japan | KICJ 2488
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz / Piano Jazz Trio

Reissue with the latest remastering. Pianist Masabumi Kikuchi leads the set, but the group's a very equally-balanced trio that features wonderful work from James Genus on bass and Victor Jones on drums – both players who shape the sound every bit as strongly as the piano! In fact, if you were to hear the record without the cover, you might even think Genus is the leader at times – given the way his rich, deep lines begin some of the cuts – and give a grounding to the record that allows Kikuchi to create these little constellations in sound with his deft lines on the piano – archly modern, yet deeply soulful at the same time – and almost "sparked" into greater flames by Jones' drums. A really special sort of trio date – one that's way more than just the sum of its parts – on titles that include "Free Stroll", "Zig Zag", "Pain Killer", "Up Beat Blues", "20th Street Shuffle", and "Little Treat".

John Mayall, the pioneering octogenarian British bluesman, has been on a late-career tear. Last year's A Special Life received wide approval from fans and critics alike, while its supporting tour found him playing well-attended shows. Find a Way to Care, his second date for Forty Below Records, is again produced by Eric Corne and features the same band that's been with Mayall for years: guitarist Rocky Athas, bassist Greg Rzab, and drummer Jay Davenport. A horn section also augments select tracks. The material, as usual, is divided between originals and covers. This is a Mayall album that - uncharacteristically - focuses on his keyboard skills: he manhandles B-3, Wurlitzer, piano, and clavinet (and also plays harmonica and some guitar)…

Envy Of None, the new band and debut self-titled album from Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne due for release on Kscope on 8th April. Special edition featuring blue LP, 2CDs - the second disc includes bonus tracks, remixes and instrumental.

Deeply mystical, Jah9 has emerged from a chrysalis of poetry, dub and spirit to become a powerful femiNINE energy within a universal grassroots movement of consciousness. Inspired by the open spaces in the instrumental dub of 1970's Jamaican roots music, Jah9 sings with a voice that belies the dimensions of her physical body, from a soul much older than its current vessel; "reminiscent of that darkly operatic wailer for truth & justice, Nina Simone." Her philosophy–profoundly spiritual, and her style–Jazz on Dub. Jah9's sophomore album with VP Record's Note To Self elevates Jah9 to a new musical space combining her spiritual identity and sultry vocals to radio friendly contemporary reggae rhythms.