Rabshakeh

If you want to read a series of reviews that is simultaneously breathless but also bland, please follow the link in the initial post. The reviews neither give the facts nor paint a "word picture". The reviewer just strings together exaggeratedly positive adjectives in a way that transfers no meaning to the reader. It is just garbage copy. The reviewer shows no personality. The reviews might as well have been written by AI as by a human reviewer, and may well have been, in this case.

William Parker and Ellen Christi – Cereal Music William Parker's new spoken word record. I found it embarrassingly poor. Looks very interesting. I didn't know about this one.

A good review is an art. My favourite is reviews that contain wider information. A lot of what I know about music has been hints I followed from well-written reviews: names referenced, etc.

Yes me too.

I find these bandcamp reviews a bit useless. Not only are they breathless but they are also bland to the point where it isn’t really possible to identify characteristics of what is being reviewed. That said, I take was Rostasi says and will give these a go.

Ada Rave – In Search Of A Real World

Arooj Aftab – Night Reign This is charming. I have no idea why it appears in the jazz year end lists. Lots of major jazz musicians do appear but basically it is an orchestrated Richard And Linda Thompson type folk record. I like it a lot more than her recent co-headliner with Vijay Iyer which I thought was po faced and dull.

Gianni Basso Quartet - Hit

That's right. He does a sort of RnB one note rhythmic honk that builds excitement and rhythm. (At least he does on tracks two and three, that's as far as I have got.)

I like how it navigates between fire music on one hand and on the other hand the possibilities inherent in Monk / Rouse.

Kenny Davern And Dick Wellstood – Never In A Million Years... Homework for the now inevitable Gen Z Dixieland and Trad jazz revival.

I think it is my favourite by that group. I also rarely remember to listen to KJ's groups of that era but am pleasantly surprised when I do.

Beny Moré – Magia Antillana

This is an extremely gratuitous armpit shot. Now on to track two. What a great track. The drunkenly percussive Monkish interplay between Thomas and Wright is just great. I'm listening to this having purchased it through Bandcamp. A bargain as far as I am concerned.

Matt Darriau Paradox Trio With Theodosii Spassov – Gambit

It was featured on Jazz Wax a while back. Really love the cover.

Ahmed - Giant Beauty On the first track so far. Not much to say other than that it is very good. I like [Ahmed] a lot. The first CD is very fierce stuff and good to hear Seymour Wright hit this hard without it just sounding like a blowfest.

Any recommendations for Rome? I'll be there for a few days from Tuesday. Not sure how much record shopping I'll get in but would be good to see.

Well done! Nice to see that Jazz Times is not just back, but also back.

Devin Daniels Quintet – LesGo! I have been listening to end of year lists over the last few days. This was one that I expected not to like, but I'm really quite impressed by it. Very much modern straight ahead jazz. It has a pinch of Ayler and Ornette in the mix (the marching band trumpet, really) although it is own thing, and certainly not free jazz. But crucially, it is not boring! Which is more than can be said for most jazz on end of year lists over the past twenty years.

Fennesz – Endless Summer

Joachim Kühn Trio – Interchange Allen Lowe And The Constant Sorrow Orchestra – Louis Armstrong's America Volume 1 Second listen to this. Still get to grips with it.

Oh no!

Pat Thomas – The Solar Model Of Ibn Al-Shatir

Alan Lamb – Night Passage Pleased to see this reissued. I remember listening to it in the university library back in the 00s. Very impressed by it. One of the best jazz vocal records I have heard in a while. This is my first listen though. In terms of how it is, it at the further end of bop vocals, verging on free. Most songs have lyrics added. There is strong integration of the group. Full of personality whilst clearly being a descendent of the likes of Betty Carter.