Hugo Carvalhais: Particula

Hugo Carvalhais (bass)
Particula (Clean Feed; 2012)
Emile Parisien (sax)
Mario Costa (drums)
Gabriel Pinto (piano)
Dominique Pifarely (violin)

In the last year I have become a massive fan of the exceptionally talented composer/musician, Hugo Carvalhais. His debut, Nebulosa, was one of JazzWrap's best albums of 2012. And yes, guess what, his new album, Particula, delivers the same kind of results and better.

With Particula, Carvalhais creates specific structures within very dense space. This is an album that lies somewhere between minimalism, fusion and chamber, but with all sorts creativity hiding in unsuspected places. "Chrysalis" peers into dark matter to bring forth a beautiful and introspective spirit which emanates from each instrument. Man focus being Pinto and Pifarely until the rest of group begin to intersect.

"Capsule" is possibly the most contemporary piece on Particula. With miniature melodies from Pinto and well place notes from Carvalhais all woven together early on by Pifarely and Costa, this a gorgeous piece that soon moves from contemporary to free form but still maintains a sense structure.

"Amniotic" is just as it refers and it's a great closing tone for the album. It's the same return to the dark, insular place that holds the sound in. Short bursts from Parisien, plucks from Pifarely and electronic waves from both Carvalhais and Pinto make this a eerie but special outgoing number.

The spirit and sense of adventure within the darkness is probably what draws me Hugo Carvalhais compositions. But either way Particula is one of those extremely special albums from a quickly important figure on the European scene. Highly Recommended. And one of JazzWrap favourite albums of 2012.

The Intersection: The Souljazz Orchestra

The Intersection: An ongoing feature on JazzWrap that looks at artists that have blended jazz, world and electronica in new and highly creative ways.

The Souljazz Orchestra

Solidarity (Strut Records; 2012)

Funky for sure. Soulful, certainly. Growing with grace and hard-edge maturity...definitely. Canadian outfit, The Souljazz Orchestra have infused Latin, Caribbean, funky and greasy Lou Donaldson style grooves into their music for almost a decade now.

 

Solidarity, is a grittier outing and continues the socio-political vibe that all their albums inhabit. The massive floor-burning, "Conquering Lion," fills the air with infectious African percussion and commanding horns. There's really no way not to start dancing once you hear this piece. An anthem and a statement that the ensemble is back and better than ever.

 

"Jericho" and "Cartao Postal" both provide a ferocious reggae and humorous samba message about social inadequacies and upon further listens make you really want to go out and make some effective change in your environment. "Cartao Postal" delivers a more raw cultural groove while "Jericho encompasses all the political dub you would expect from this multi-cultural ensemble.

 

Solidarity is another brilliant step forward for The Souljazz Orchestra. There are very few groups on the scene today on this side of the Atlantic that can do this and do it right. Global grooves with a message that is never hidden and never overwhelming to the music as a whole. Excellent and worth seeking out.

 

Animation: Transparent Heart

Animation (quintet)
Transparent Heart (RareNoise; 2012)
Bob Belden (saxophone, flute)
Jacob Smith (bass)

Matt Young (drums)

Peter Clagett (trumpet)

Roberto Verastegui (keyboards)

Another stellar outing from Bob Belden and his exciting collective, Animation. While the groups groundwork may be laid in Miles Davis' fusion era material, Belden continues to make this ensemble sound like more like an on ramp to the future as oppose to a bridge between past and present.

The groups latest, Transparent Heart is an urban soundscape, with a lyrical structure that exemplifies the city which gives the group so much inspiration, New York. "Urbanoia" and "Transparent Heart" both are crisp, sharp takes on the cities inhabitants with all its hustle and bustle. Crashing drums, drifting hypnotic tones from Belden and Clagett shape the mood of both pieces. Verastegui's Hancock-meets-Corea keys draw an ocean current for the band ripple across. Dark and pulsating but with a real angular beauty.

"Provocatism" leds off some funky bass work from Smith which is soon met with battle lines from Young and Belden, placing a beautiful scripture to journey across various avenues of the city. "Occupy" refers to the semi-global movement that took over New York in which many were finally fed up with the status quo and decided that the people must speak. The piece gentle but conveys a lyrical voice that screams and demands your attention.

Transparent Heart again shows the compositional excellence of Bob Belden. But also the exquisite musicianship of Animation the group and their continued vigilance to making music with purpose and direction. Highly Recommended.

Ireneusz Socha: Polin

Ireneusz Socha (electronics, percussion, found sound)
Polin (Mathka; 2012)
Jarosław Bester (bayan)
Jarosław Lipszyc (voice)

Laid somewhere between experimental, folk and history lesson, Polin is a masterful short work developed over a seven year period by Ireneusz Socha. Based around the heritage of Polish Jews, Ireneusz Socha crafts a delicate narrative through all sorts of found sounds, klezmer dialogues, electronics and sampled vocals. It's quite an enjoyable and spiritual journey.

Polin, while set as one continuous piece is broken into a number of short movements that might be slightly unnoticeable but all intensely satisfying. Early on, there is a skilled combination of various outside sounds seamlessly woven into the percussion and vocal elements. This all makes for a wildly different picture of Jewish culture over almost a span of two centuries.

The instrumentation moves from samples to electronics and textures that move up and down along with the bayan, a beautiful almost rarely used instrument. The tone of piece swirls and leaves a psychedelic nature lingering in the listeners mind as you flow toward the pieces final movements.

A great and detailed message lies within this recording. It's rich in heritage and exudes creative structure. Probably not every ones cup of tea. There's a lot going on that needs a few spins to absorb but this is a fantastic piece that deserves your undivided attention. Polin is a real must listen.