This week a few more 2023 albums noted by reviewers and critics.
You’ll hear a track from:
- John Zorn: Homenaje A Remedios Var.o. This is just one of 14 releases that Zorn put out in 2023. Talk about prolific!
- Noah Haidu: Standards. And I’m anticipating him putting out another ‘standards’ album in 2024.
- Benny Benack IIi: trumpeter and singer’s 3rd album called “Third Time’s The Charm”.
- Audrey Ochoa: Head of a Mouse. A fantastically talented Edmonton trombonist.
- Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society: Dynamic Maximum Tension.. The track is a tribute to Alan Turing and his role as ‘codebreaker’. What are the words and numbers the opening intro is tapping out?
- Flying Pooka: The Ecstasy of Becoming. Another Canadian group—a Newfoundland duo of Florian Hoefner and Dani Oore.
- Ellas Kapell: For All We Know. My favourite album of 2023. A very different rendition of Harry Warren and Al Dubin’s “How Could You?”
- Ricki Lee Jones: Pieces of Treasure. She put out a ‘standards’ ep of sorts 40 years ago. Now a full album with great jazz backup.
- Avishai Cohen & Abraham Rodriguez: Iroko. Features musicians from a number of different countries. Lots of Afro-Caribbean rhythms.
- Ryuchi Sakamoto: An album this great soundtrack writer (Last Emperor, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence) as he was dying of cancer.
- Johnathan Blake: Passage. Made a few reviewer’s best of 2023 lists. With David Virelles,Joel Ross,Immanuel Willkins, Dezron Douglas.