New Album Releases Project 2020-8-30

‘Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a week could be’. To say it represents and embarrassment of riches would be an understatement.

I’m hard-pressed to single out one recording, the banger which stands out in a particular week, but I have to say that Gregory Porter’s latest on Blue Note: ALL RISE takes the cake. It has just about everything and more that you want out of a recording.

That being said, let’s start with. Blasts from the past from artists who are still with us and always shall in one way or another:

Erasure – Neon
Ry Cooder –Just A Workin’ Man
Savoy Brown – Ain’t Done Yet
Willie Nile – New York At Night
Yello – Point

And then there are those acts for whom assembled in sundry line-ups continue the tradition:

Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart
Thew Wailers – One World

I’m a big band modern jazz type kind of guy. There’s no shame in it and for that these albums deserve your attention:

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – The Gordian Knot
Walter White – BB XL

The VIvino Brothers’ Blues Band album caught my eye because of their record label dmp. I cut my teeth on Flim & The BB’s CD’s and am so thankful that Tom Jung launched the label and put forth a host of artists including Bob Mintzer, Chuck Loeb, Warren Bernhardt and Jay Leonhart.

I like to give NARPers samplers of sorts so here are some Various Artist compilations:

VA – A Slight Disturbance In My Mind ~ The British Proto-Psychedelic Sounds Of 1966
VA – Milk & Sugar-Beach Sessions [Milk & Sugar Germany]

My penchant for history and drama got the better of me, more specifically this album title: Johann Rosenmüller Ensemble – Martin Luther and His Adversary Albrecht von Brandenburg. An album based on this pair’s adversarial relationship. I never thought in all my years that Luther v Brandenburg would serve as the basis of such, but then if you live long enough anything can be possible.

The four selections in the Re-Issues, Re-Masters & Miscellany stand on their own. Each one has something to offer. One of the main reasons this section exists here at NARP is not so much to re-introduce artists to those who are old enough to know but for those whom these recording may serve as an introduction. The first time they will have listened to David Bowie, Elliott Smith, T. Rex and The Stooges.

I know that my musical journey would be far less complete without stops with these artists along the way.

New Releases

Allman Betts Band – Bless Your Heart

Anette Askvik – Liberty

Angel Olsen – Whole New Mess

Billy Childs – Acceptance

Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic – Charles Ives: Complete Symphonies

Eric Lu – Chopin – Preludes, Op.28

Erasure – The Neon

Fabiano do Nascimento – Prelúdio

Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band – The Gordian Knot

Gregory Porter – All Rise (Deluxe)