Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra - The Reason Why Vol. 1 (2013)

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra - The Reason Why Vol. 1 (Headspin, 2013)

Personnel:

Goran Kajfeš: Trumpet, Cornet
Jonas Kullhammar: Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone, Flute, Lyricon
Per "Ruskträsk" Johansson: Baritone Saxophone, Sopranino Saxophone, Flute, Piccolo Flute
Andreas Söderström: Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar
Jesper Nordenström: Organ
Robert Östlund: Organ, Electric Guitar
Mats Äleklint: Trombone
Johan Berthling: bass
Johan Holmegard: drums

Tracklisting:
01 - Yakar Inceden Inceden
02 - Storstad
03 - Desire Be, Desire Go
04 - The Nodder
05 - Okwukwe Na Nchewube
06 - Badidoom
07 - Es War Enmal
08 - Karina

Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra reveals the DNA of X/Y on new studio album The Reason Why - Vol.1.

2011 Nordic Music Prize winner and his large jazz ensemble reimagine Turkish psych, Brazilian soul, German psychedelic electronica and progressive jazz/rock on the follow up to the hugely successful X/Y. In preparation for his fourth studio recording, trumpeter Goran Kajfeš trawled his personal record collection to choose seven pieces of music that join the dots between the diverse array of influences in his music.

The Reason Why - Vol.1 sees Goran Kajfeš’ Subtropic Arkestra reimagine such colourful music as the Turkish psych of Edip Akbayram, the soulful groove of Brazilian singer Arthur Verocai, the German psychedelic electronica of Cluster and the progressive jazz/rock of Soft Machine, Bo Hansson and Tame Impala, among others.

The Reason Why - Vol.1 is in many ways a direct extension of his ambitious X/Y project and acts as a tribute to Kajfeš'  myriad inspirations and also as an attempt to push jazz away from the beaten track and into new territories.

Croatian-born (Sweden-raised) Kajfeš is a tireless innovator and a key figure of contemporary Swedish culture. In addition to his work as a bandleader, sideman and producer, he has worked with film, theatre, art and dance. In 2012, he released X/Y, an ambitious two-part recording through which he expressed contrasting aspects of his musical personality. Described as "a total work of art" and awarded 5/5 by The Independent (UK), given 4/5 by MOJO (UK) and voted Best Album of 2012 by Rob Young (The Wire) in Artforum Magazine, X/Y earned Kajfeš the prestigious Nordic Music Prize ahead of favourites Bjork and Lykke Li.

With a nod to Sun Ra legendary cosmic jazz ensemble, the 10-strong Subtropic Arkestra comprises the cream of the contemporary Swedish music scene with saxophonists Jonas Kullhammar and Per Johansson, guitarist Andreas Söderström (Ass, El Rojo Adios), bassist Johan Berthling (Fire!, Tape) and drummer Johan Holmegard (Dungen, The Amazing), Andreas Werllin (Wildbirds&Peacedrums, Tonbruket) among others. [Headspin]

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The best jazz album of year so far! Hardly recommended!

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Enrico Rava - On The Dance Floor (2012)

Enrico Rava - On The Dance Floor (ECM, 2012)

Personnel:
Enrico Rava: trumpet
Andrea Tofanelli: trumpet, flugelhorn
Claudio Corvini: trumpet, flugelhorn
Mauro Ottolini: trombone, tuba
Daniele Tittarelli: alto saxophone, flute
Dan Kinzelman: tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet
Franz Bazzani: keyboard
Giovanni Guidi: piano, Fender Rhodes, toy piano
Dario Deidda: bass
Marcello Giannini: electric guitar
Zeno de Rossi: drums
Ernesto Lopez Maturell: percussion

Tracklisting:
01 - Speechless
02 - They Don't Care About Us
03 - Thriller
04 - Privacy
05 - Smile
06 - I Just Can't Stop Loving You / Smooth Criminal
07 - Little Susie
08 - Blood On The Dance Floor
09 - History

It was only after Michael Jackson’s death that Italian trumpeter Enrico Rava gradually became aware that he had for many years been ignoring, in his words, “one of the great protagonists of 20th century music and dance. A total artist. A perfectionist. A genius. I felt the need to delve more deeply into Michael’s world. There was only one way to do that: play his songs.” Thus this live album, recorded at the Rome Auditorium with the Parco della Musica Jazz Lab. Enrico’s trumpet is at its most extroverted here, vaulting above the spirited arrangements by Mauro Ottolini. Michael Jackson’s protean pop songs have never been heard quite like this. Rava is currently playing European festivals with this programme.[ECM]

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL! You are a genius!

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The Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute To Marley (2011)

The Cool Runnings Orchestra - Tribute To Marley (Budapest Music Center, 2011)

Personnel:
Carsten Daerr - piano, organ, fender rhodes, melodica
Hamid Drake - drums
Manu Codija - guitar
Christophe Monniot - alto, baritone and sopraniono saxophone
Michael Schiefel - voice, electronics
Matyas Szandai - double bass
Viktor Toth - alto saxophone

Tracklisting:
1. Is This Love (6:00)
2. Could You Be Loved (8:47)
3. No Woman No Cry (6:24)
4. Rastaman Frustration (4:30)
5. Jammin' (5:58)
6. Nap-nap (3:59)
7. Redemption Song (6:46)
8. Natural Mystic (6:34)
9. Is This Love (Unplugged) (4:19)


What has contemporary jazz got to do with Bob Marley? What sense is there in adding another to the long line of cover albums, when this concept, often an 'easy rider', has long been a hoary chestnut (for instance, the Twist of Marley CD)? Not to mention the fact that making a complete ‘homage’ album is far from being a risk-free enterprise, because comparison with the version everyone knows often gives rise to the verdict: well... not as good as the original.

Okay, so why do it?

In BMC circles the reggae idea was first floated in 2006 during a long car journey, when we were bringing Hamid Drake back from Austria to record in Budapest. After the improvised duo concert with the outstanding Swiss pianist Iréne Schweizer, somewhat to my surprise, he moved onto reggae for nearly three hours. It is little known that this 56-year-old American drummer, with dreadlocks down to his ankles, for many years played as a session musician with the greatest reggae stars before he became famous on the contemporary jazz scene.

Since then from time to time, amongst musicians associated with BMC Records I have raised the possibility of creating an unusual reggae project. It turned out that far more jazz musicians have reggae roots than I thought, and many of them get a buzz from the genre’s freaky approach. It also became obvious that the common denominator was clearly the music of the king of reggae, Bob Marley.^*

Of the French pair on this recording 15 years ago the saxophonist Christophe Monniot played with his own reggae group as the warm-up band of the illustrious exponents of the genre, so it was no coincidence that reggae motifs also appear on his later jazz albums. On the latest CD by his old fellow musician Manu Codjia the style also gets a look-in, in the form of two Bob Marley arrangements.

Neither is the affinity for reggae of the two Berlin musicians a new fad: the pianist Carsten Daerr wrote his own memorial piece to Marely for an earlier trio album, and in a duo he plays dub versions and reggae-fied transcriptions of Bach and Gershwin with the singer Michael Schiefel.

The two Hungarian musicians are no strangers to the language of reggae either. Besides having two joint albums with Hamid Drake behind them, saxophonist Viktor Tóth has written several compositions in the genre, and thanks to his mother’s record collection bassist Mátyás Szandai’s also grew up on the music of Bob Marley.

The final push to create The Cool Runnings Orchestra was given by Jenő Hartyándi, director of the Mediawave festival, when he offered to act as a partner in continuing the earlier BMC-Mediawave joint projects. So the band first met in Szombathely, the new home for Mediawave, where after four-day recording process they gave their debut concert.

During a chat to Hamid Drake in the studio period, mention was made of the legendary On-U Sound label and workshop, which revived many genres and engaged in revolutionary experiments in what now seem utterly natural combinations of electronic sounds, effects, samples and differing styles. Folk for instance (African Headcharge), blues (Little Axe) and last but not least reggae (Dub Syndicate). We smiled at the fact that though a replica of this classic kind of On-U vibe could not be our aim, in terms of attitude, as a distant parallel it can nevertheless be said: this improvised reggae is also ‘a new’ (On-U) sound.

Then after the performance of The Cool Runnings Orchestra my old reggae biker brother said stirringly: ‘This was an experience, like the Dub Syndicate fifteen years ago.’ Then I was sure we were on the right track. [BUY IT HERE]

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