Post Malone Twelve Carat Toothache

Russell Malone's second CD for Maxjazz Live at Jazz Standard, Vol. 1 has a bit of a harder edge then Playground, his first session for the label. Well accompanied by pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Tassili Bond and drummer Jonathan Blake on this live performances at the Jazz Standard, the guitarist focuses mostly on his challenging originals. "I Saw You Do It" is a marvelous example, an intricate, boundary stretching affair that is essentially a blues intermingled with post-bop and a touch of dissonance, while the breezy "Flirt" is more easygoing, built from a call and response pair of riffs that are developed into a full-fledged work. Malone's choice of Frank Rosolino's "Blue Daniel" may turn a few heads as he slowly transforms it from a jazz waltz setting into a cooking hard bop…

At the end of November the time has come again, according to the tradition, the Hitzone annual review appears, 538 Hitzone - Best Of 2018. A double CD with only the biggest hits of 2018. This musical year has again yielded a large number of stars such as Marshmello, XXXtentacion and Post Malone who finally broke through. But also established names such as Calvin Harris, Shawn Mendes, David Guetta, Ariana Grande and Martin Garrix continued to blast the charts in the past year. Most present artists were again this year Ronnie Flex and Dua Lipa who last year with their own singles and i.s.m. with others in the top 100 have stood. All these bangers completed with the most recent hits can be found on the 2CD, 538 Hitzone - Best Of 2018.

Russell Malone refuses to be pigeonholed into one category as a player, composer, or arranger on this outstanding CD, the first release led by a guitarist for the Maxjazz label. With a powerful group supporting, including pianist Martin Bejerano, bassist Tassili Bond, and drummer E.J. Strickland, Malone is clearly at the top of his game. "Blues for Mulgrew" is built from a fairly simple blues riff, though it explodes into a complex post-bop vehicle with Bejerano either following Malone or playing in unison with him in a piece that almost borders on avant-garde. Equally explosive is his well-named "Sugar Buzz," a rapid-fire piece that adds guest Joe Locke on vibes…