Musical versions of National Geographic…
The team of Amanda Powell/voc, Anthony Taddeo/dr, Clay Colley/acc-pj, Dan Bruce/g, Ian Kinnaman/b and Tommy L ehman, joined by various guests, create a mix of exotic Middle Eastern worlds, chasson and folkish jazz on this creatively melding of sounds. You get a combination of chants and folk tones of the dessert with accordion on pieces like “Alla Boara” and Powells’ lovely voice getting bohemian on “Le Tre Sorelle”. Kinnaman gives a rich bass line on the Klezmatic “C’Avanti C’e” , with Lehman’s jazzy trumpet swinging suavely for “Ballu”. Bass and voice are haunting and spartan for “Som Som” with Bruce’s electric guitar joining in on the story of “Fimmene, Fimmene”. You feel like you’re taking part in an evening of songs of the caravan on this evocative releases.
Marilyn Mazur takes you on a journey to far away places with her team of Josefine Cronholm/voc, Hildegun Oiseth/tp-gh, Lotte Anker/ts-ss, Sissel Vera Pettersen/as-voc, Lis Wessbert/tb, Makiko Hirabayashi/p-key, Ida Gormsen/b, Lisbeth Diers/perc, Anna Lund/dr as she adds percussion an atmosphere. The sixteen songs are a meditative journey, ranging from solos on gongs, piano and drums on “Gongs For Peace:, “Vindbas” and “Unison Towers”, respectively, to chants on “The Birds Are Early Out” and dark screeches of “Rerouting”. Free and loose jazz moments occur on ”Spring Princess” but most of the time you are taking part in a contemplative retreat. Do you go barefoot listening to this?