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Al Macsween
Flock: Flock
by Chris May
One of the strengths of the alternative jazz scene which has grown in London since around 2016 is the interconnectivity of its players. Everyone knows each other and ad hoc bands constantly come together. Flock is the latest such conclave and it is something of a supergroup. On this its first album--others are promised--the lineup is reeds player Tamar Osborn, keyboard player Danalogue, pianist Al MacSween, vibraphonist Bex Burch and percussionist Sarathy Korwar (check Additional Personnel below ...
read moreDaniel Casimir: Boxed In
by Chris May
Because of the supporting-cast role generally assigned to his instrument, bassist Daniel Casimir is not a household name in British jazz. But among musicians on the alternative London scene, and aficionados of it, he is highly regarded. Casimir is, for example, the bassist on all of tenor saxophonist Nubya Garcia's recorded output to date. Garcia returns the favour by being one of the two featured soloists on Boxed In, Casimir's ambitiously conceived, out of left field--and stonkingly good--debut under his ...
read moreGary Bartz and Maisha: Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
La storia della collaborazione fra il leggendario Gary Bartz e il collettivo di spiritual jazz Maisha risale al 2019, quando il DJ e produttore Gilles Peterson invitò il veterano del sax contralto a suonare al We Out Here Festival di Londra supportato dal collettivo fondato dal batterista Jake Long. Quella prima esibizione andò così bene che Bartz e i Maisha cominciarono a suonare in tutta Europa. Nel mezzo del tour europeo decisero poi di fermarsi qualche giorno ad Amsterdam per ...
read moreGary Bartz & Maisha: Night Dreamer Direct-To-Disc Sessions
by Chris May
This international spiritual-jazz jam promises much and delivers most of it. On the one hand, Gary Bartz, who is among the movement's American elder statesmen. On the other, Maisha, six young Londoners. The backstory: The wedding planner who brought the parties together is the London DJ and founder of Brownswood Recordings, Gilles Peterson. Brownswood released Maisha's debut album, There Is A Place, in 2018. In summer 2019, Peterson staged the inaugural We Out Here festival (now scheduled ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson