'The Light Beyond Time' by Charlie Stacey

Charlie Stacey adds his name to the rich yet still burgeoning lineage of Night Dreamer's "direct to disc" recordings with the release of 'The Light Beyond Time'.

Alongside some phenomenal releases by names including Seun Kuti + Egypt 80, Emma-Jean Thackray and Maisha's pairing with Gary Bartz, Stacey's debut solo recording has a lot to live up to but is no doubt a challenge backed with considerable faith from the upper echelons of the Night Dreamer decision-makers.

Many of course will already be familiar with Stacey's work as a key contributor to the UK's thriving jazz scene - as well as a fervent live performer, Stacey's piano and keyboard prowess has graced projects by Greg Foat and seen Stacey serve as a member of the Yussef Dayes Trio.

And helping Stacey take those decided steps towards centre stage notoriety is an excellent ensemble of artists which include Jay Phelps on trumpet, Tom Driessler on bass, Oscar Ogden on drums, percussionist Mamour Seck and vocalist Vula Malinga, who all shine in performances recorded over a day-&-a-half recording session.  In true Night Dreamer tradition, the 'direct to disc' recordings for 'The Light Beyond Time' act as faithful renditions of those sessions which embrace the concept of collaboration, improvisation and music born of the circumstances within that time and space.  And there's certainly a magic in that - in not always knowing the the song's final destination but trusting in its journey and in the ability of your fellow travellers.

Following the (deceptively) delicate introduction of album opener 'Dawn Chorus', the music enthusiastically ushers in compositions that burst with creative and inspired energy showcasing a tightly-knit collection of musicians in spectacular form.  'Music is Healing' and 'Charlie's Tune' power through with an effervescent energy affording a decent amount of band solos and the opportunity for vocalist Malinga to really soar throughout.  'Rivers of Gondor' - at over ten minutes in length - does awesome justice to its Lord of The Rings inspiration and its own take of the narrative's own twists, turns and heroic adventures.

'The Light Beyond Time' serves as a further scintillating instalment into the Night Dreamer catalogue as well as serving as the formal introduction of Charlie Stacey as a solo artist in his own right.

Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #120: Bob Hill

Welcome to Episode #120 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with brand new member of the Blue-in-Green:RADIO line-up, Bob Hill.

It's with immense pleasure that we announce our partnership with DJ, presenter, podcaster, Bob Hill and the inclusion of his illustrious Illicit Grooves radio show now launching as part of the Blue-in-Green:RADIO airwaves.  Starting Sunday 5th February and broadcasting every Sunday 1-3pm, Bob will be bringing his discernible talents as one of the UK's preeminent and distinguished tastemakers celebrating the innovative and the independent.

With regular features, the Amen Corner, The Sunday Afternoon Jump-Up, Back in the Day Belters  and the focus on new, recent and future music Bob Hill programmes the show to bring you two hours of #GroovesForTheGlobalLEFTfield.   Exploring Black Music through the prism of the groove rather than genre, tracks are selected and juxtaposed to reflect all that is wonderful, joyous and diverse from a wide range of producers, musicians, composers, vocalists and artists.  'Selecting music for the show is a throwback to my early days of DJ-ing from the late 80s into the 90s when Rare Groove, Acid House, Drum and Bass, Jungle, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Afrobeat, Acid Jazz, AOR and various fusions would all find their way into my sets', says Bob.

It's an immeasurable pleasure to present our in-depth conversation with Bob discussing his early connections to music, starting out in radio, his affections for UK jazz and his own Talking Grooves podcast.

Blue-in-Green Sessions · Blue-in-Green:PODCAST_#120_Bob Hill

'Wide Open' by Little North

'Wide Open' is the brand new album from Danish trio Little North whose sublime new release also marks April Records' formal introduction to the new year.

Since the trio's fruitful collaboration with the pioneering April Records, Little North have steadily released full-length projects at an incredible rate with 'Wide Open' marking their fourth album since the band's self-titled project in 2020, swiftly followed by 'Finding Seagulls' in 2021 and 'Familiar Places' in 2022.

It's an inspiring work ethic but then again, the trio would perhaps take issue at the notion of "work" being applied to their music.  As strong advocates for improvisation forming a significant basis for their compositions, it's a concept that can often seem quite at odds with the end-result - 'Wide Open', for example, is a collection of eleven tracks that convey a meticulous level of proficiency providing the natural assumption that a painstaking amount of planning and rehearsal is applied to achieve the high levels of perfection that are evident when we press play.  The album's two-day recording session in Copenhagen (May, 2021) was actually carried out with specific attention given to the trio's free-flowing interplay that has now come to define their music.

Comprised of pianist Benjamin Nørholm Jacobsen, Martin Brunbjerg Rasmussen on bass and Lasse Jacobsen on drums, the Little North catalogue has long served as gleaming gems amongst the April Records treasure chest.  As mentioned previously, such a high output paired with an increasingly ambitious scope each go round, with 'Wide Open' Little North have quite possibly unveiled the album that will serve as their most revered piece yet.  

With a trio of 'Improv' interludes spread across the album that openly pay homage to those aforementioned improvisational tendencies, the music throughout is beautifully paced with songs like 'Sunyata' and 'With Four Shadows' being allotted all the time needed for each to tell their respective stories through warm and intimate performances.  'Floating' and 'Lullaby For A Day Fly' are two tracks that are delicately executed in stark contrast to the deliciously sinister tone of 'Swell' which features Rasmussen's bass taking the lead in a welcome change of pace.  The exquisite 'Elna' serves as the album's masterpiece however - its haunting allure weaves an undeniable magic that you can't help but be captivated by.  Bliss!

'Wide Open' marks a sensational offering from the Danish trio and a phenomenal start to the year from April Records who will undeniably be presenting a wonderful collection of innovative new jazz releases over the next twelve months with each having an incredibly high bar to surpass as now established very early by Little North.

'Force Multiplier' by Rena Jones & KiloWatts

'Force Multiplier' is the new collaborative project from the immeasurably talented minds of Rena Jones and KiloWatts.

With neither artist a stranger to collaboration - and each having amassed an incredible body of work throughout their music-making years - 'Force Multiplier' sets the stage for entirely new and inspired compositions allowing both artists to revel within the scintillating possibilities that their union lends itself to.

Credited throughout 'Force Multiplier' for violin, viola, cello, digital percussion, vocals, Glockenspiel and Rhodes, amongst several other instruments, Rena Jones' creativity and boundless talents seem to know little restriction as she constantly embraces new challenges and opportunities to continually create.  Based in Portland, Oregon, Jones' musical adventures have long been rooted within the concept of exploration which help to spearhead her no rules and genre-defying approach that see her assume complete control of her music - from writing to production and even as an independent label owner for Cartesian Binary Recordings and Pok Pok Records.

And joining Jones for this go-round is the equally versatile Jamie "KiloWatts" Watts in a union that was perfectly teased early in 2022 with the KiloWatts remix of Rena Jones' 'Titian Sleeps'.  Taking the electronica-tinged chamber original from Jones' 'Allegories' album (2021), Watts plunges the track deeper within a broader electronica soundscape that was frankly just too good not to even attempt to explore the burgeoning duo's dynamic further.  Much like his 'Force Multiplier' cohort, Watts' own career has echoed that notion of seeking out new challenges and like-minded collaborators and over the course of his own many years within the industry, the KiloWatts brand has left an indelible imprint across an extensive range of releases.

 

Over the course of the five tracks on 'Force Multiplier', everything from the writing to the production to the instrumentation is split right down the middle with Jones and Watts handling the entire workload themselves.  And the results are sensational.  A glorious meeting-of-the-minds sees Rena Jones' haunting yet sublime strings and instrumentation afforded an exquisite sonic playground with the downtempo electronic ambience that proves to compliment each aspect perfectly.  Theirs is a project that revels in lush textures and intricate compositions that result in a deeply intimate and engaging experience.

In line with the concept of exploration as addressed earlier, it does seem to serve as a prevailing theme for both Rena Jones and Jamie Watts' music to date and while I would fully expect their respective searches to continue for both artists' music going forward, I would also suggest that through this project, Jones and Watts have each discovered something incredibly special within each other.

Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #119: Karu (Alberto Brutti & Andrea Di Nicolantonio)

Welcome to Episode #119 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with members of the Milan-based collective Karu, Alberto Brutti and Andrea Di Nicolantonio.

With their second full-length project now available through Italy's diverse Beat Machine Records, 'An Imaginary Journey' continues where its predecessor ('Kuru', 2020) left off, boasting a phenomenal and bold interpretation of contemporary jazz that draws from a wide array of influences from its tribal aesthetic mixed with electronica, spiritual jazz and hip-hop production.  

Comprised of band leader and double bassist Alberto Brutti, guitarist Andrea Di Nicolantonio, saxophonist Mario D’Alfonso and Cristiano Amici on drums, Karu create intricate soundscapes which relies heavily on improvisation and music created within that specific time and space.  A live album released early in 2022, 'Live at Commerce', provides a thrilling insight into Karu's infectious live performances and spontaneous interplay between its closely-knit band members, and a cover of MF DOOM's 'One Beer' kicks the project off in spectacular fashion.

It's a tremendous pleasure to introduce Alberto and Andreas to our podcast to discuss the new album, how Covid and quarantine impacted the release of the project and our shared affections for the music of MF DOOM and Madlib.

Blue-in-Green Sessions · Blue-in-Green:PODCAST_#119_Karu (Alberto Brutti & Andrea Di Nicolantonio)

Blue-in-Green:PODCAST #118: Clement Regert of Wild Card

Welcome to Episode #118 of the Blue-in-Green:PODCAST which this week sees Imran connect with guitarist and founder of jazz trio, Wild Card, Clement Regert.

With a core trio comprised of Regert, Hammond organist Andrew Noble and Sophie Alloway on drums, the trio get set to unveil their sixth studio album.  Having initially played together in 2011 at a club where Regert hosted a residency, the chemistry proved undeniable and the trio have - thankfully - remained together ever since.

With the brand new Wild Card album release due at the end of this month, 'Cabin 19 Fever' serves as a reflection of the extensive quarantine period brought on by a certain worldwide pandemic - with the majority of the album written and recorded separately, the circumstances would go on to open the doors to working with collaborators both old and new including Marcus Strickland, Rosie Turton, Binker Golding and Maurice Brown amongst ten other sensational names.

Wild Card's blend of high energy, funk-filled and Latin-laced jazz is once again on full display on 'Cabin 19 Fever' - they've become a band that continually find ways to out do themselves and raise the bar with each release so check out the episode to hear Imran and Clement discuss the new album, its collaborators, quarantine life as a creative and as a touring musician.

Blue-in-Green Sessions · Blue-in-Green:PODCAST_#118_Clement Regert

'Human First' by Teus Nobel & Liberty Group

'Human First' is the brand new release from Teus Nobel & Liberty Group whose ambitious new project finds inspiration at perhaps the most unlikeliest of times.

Before we dive in to the current release, it seems only right that we take the time to celebrate the incredible talents of the Dutch trumpeter and composer whose phenomenal catalogue of releases and collaborations thus far have long cemented his illustrious career.

Boasting a Masters Degree in Jazz from Codarts University of Arts, Nobel's indelible talents have seen him amass an insurmountable catalogue of solo projects that run the gamut of contemporary jazz from the electronica-meets-analogue aesthetic of 'Social Music' alongside Merlijn Verboom, to the ode to the music of Brazilian composers with the albums 'Saudade' and 'Tanto Amor', or his affections for big band and orchestra ensembles as evidenced via his nine year tenure with the Royal Airforce Orchestra.  In fact there's very little - if anything - that Nobel has not already turned his attention to with performances alongside celebrated theatre orchestras, scores for Dutch TV shows, and collaborations with revered artists from a multitude of backgrounds and disciplines including Frank McComb, Jef Neve, Ntjam Rosie and Seal amongst countless others.

Nobel has always proved to be an artist who has openly worn his influences on his sleeve.  With projects over the years celebrating the influence of his heroes Woody Shaw, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Miles Davis and Ivan Lins, Nobel is very much a progressive, innovative and forward-thinking musician who continually pays tribute to a classic jazz aesthetic and its pioneers.

'Human First' very much continues within this lineage of paying respects to his chief inspirations with the project's title and underlying message stemming from the jazz-fusion icon, Herbie Hancock.  During the turbulent quarantine period that many of us are unlikely to forget in a hurry, the circumstances proved to be an incredibly difficult time for session and touring musicians with live performances shelved for the foreseeable future and collaborations relegated to Zoom-based interactions, but during this time of anxiety, Nobel was afforded the rare luxury of clarity.  While reading Hancock's biography, Nobel was struck by the line, "I realized I was human first, musician second" which are words that helped re-frame his own music and perceptions of himself as a musician.  

So while actually inspired by Herbie Hancock's infinite wisdom, in line with Nobel's subsequent reprioritizing, 'Human First' is poignantly dedicated to his son, Bix.  The sensational 27-minute suite is beautifully brought to life by Nobel's Liberty Group trio which comprises Alexander van Popta on piano, Tuur Moens on drums and Jeroen Vierdag on bass.  Guitarist Teis Semey also features as does saxophonist Jasper Blom rounding out the immeasurable talent assembled for such an exceptional project.  

Pianist Alexander van Popta's exquisite 'When Riku Saw The Colors Dancing', Parts 1 and 2, also feature as the B-side for the vinyl release and are sublime compositions themselves worthy of infinite praise.  

'Human First' is absolutely a celebration; a 27-minute magnum opus that serves as a deeply personal, revelatory experience that imparts Nobel's joy of prioritising his role as "a husband, a father, a brother, a son, and a friend" above all else.