Reissue CDs Weekly: Gary McFarland

GARY MCFARLAND ‘Soft Samba’ and ‘The In Sound’, two of the jazz individualist's best albums

The return of ‘Soft Samba’ and ‘The In Sound’, two of the jazz individualist's best albums

Although Gary McFarland’s 1965 album The In Sound had the Samba and Bossa Nova influences which were colouring the sound of American jazzers from around 1962, it was on the button for the year it was released. This despite sporting a pop art sleeve evoking those of the swing-based easy listening albums from Enoch Light and Terry Snyder issued by the Command label in 1959.

CD: Skadedyr - Musikk!

Magpie-minded smörgåsbord from Norway’s self-declared musical ‘pests’

In spirit if not musical style, Musikk! shares chromosomes with late-Sixties ESP-label mavericks like Cro Magnon and Octopus, as well as The Residents of Meet the Residents, early This Heat and the Rock in Opposition collective. Sun Ra is in there too. The non-linear third album from Norway’s Skadedyr skips through jazz, traditional music, atonal scrapings and wind instrument burblings – all during the same piece.

theartsdesk on Vinyl 41: Kali Uchis, Orange Goblin, Kirsty MacColl, Walton, Miss Red and more

THEARTSDESK ON VINYL 41 Kali Uchis, Orange Goblin, Kirsty MacColl, Walton, Miss Red and more

The latest epic monthly record review round-up

Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the street. To vinyl. Only theartsdesk on Vinyl doesn’t just cover music for dancing, it covers every style of music imaginable (with a good showing for pop this month). Whatever your taste, from the heaviest rock to the lightest ambient music, theartsdesk on Vinyl will review it along the way. Enough intro, though. More juice.

'Stepping right out of my comfort zone': James Gilchrist on mixing Debussy with jazz

'STEPPING RIGHT OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE' James Gilchrist on mixing Debussy with jazz

The tenor writes about working on Eddie Parker's boundary-crossing project

Debussy is having a good year. It is wonderful to see such wide and varied celebrations of his life and work, and to let the century since his death bear witness to the huge influence he has had on writers in every field of music.

CD: Dirty Projectors – Lamp Lit Prose

Crisp and inventive production shine through a musical odyssey

Lamp Lit Prose is the ninth Dirty Projectors album since 2003, an incredibly prolific output for any artist. All the more impressive when you consider it’s the project of producer/songwriter David Longstreth, who also finds time to collaborate with artists such as Rihanna, Kanye, Paul McCartney and Solange. Such a notable CV befits an act as innovative as Dirty Projectors, and their latest release further demonstrates the talent on show.

10 Questions for Trumpeter Keyon Harrold

KEYON HARROLD The trumpeter discusses crossing genres, speaking out and Miles Davis

Acclaimed trumpeter discusses crossing genres, speaking out and Miles Davis

Trumpeter Keyon Harrold grew up in Ferguson, Missouri and studied alongside Robert Glasper at the School of Jazz at The New School, in Greenwich Village, NYC. He has been a sideman with many of the biggest performers in music including Eminem, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Dr Dre, Maxwell and Common, and recorded two albums in his own name.

theartsdesk on Vinyl 40: Talking Heads, Ornette Coleman, Crayola Lectern, Brian Eno, Ash and more

THEARTSDESK ON VINYL 40 Talking Heads, Ornette Coleman, Crayola Lectern, Brian Eno, Ash

The all-encompassing monthly record review round-up

Earlier this year, in May, Brighton hosted the Vinyl World Congress where Paul Pacifico, head of the Association of Independent Music, told the assembled that, “People pay for vinyl not because they have to but because they want to - they want a physical representation of their emotional connection with an artist." There was a general agreement that vinyl collectors and fans account for the majority of sales, but also that things are still stable and/or rising.

CD: Nine Inch Nails – Bad Witch

★★★★ CD: NINE INCH NAILS - BAD WITCH Trent Reznor treads old ground in new, sober, boots

Trent Reznor treads old ground in new, sober, boots

Concluding a trilogy of releases that began with the EPs Not the Actual Events (2016) and Add Violence (2017) – Bad Witch is being called an LP despite its six tracks clocking in at only 30 minutes, a discrepancy that reportedly led an exasperated Trent Reznor to sound out a pernickety fan in an online forum. 

CD: Kamasi Washington - Heaven and Earth

★★★★ KAMASI WASHINGTON - HEAVEN AND EARTH Uplifting, expansive spiritual jazz

Uplifting, expansive spiritual jazz

It would always be difficult to follow The Epic, the 2015 release which turned LA saxophonist Kamasi Washington from leader of the local scene to international star. So this musical and spiritual journey lifts off into the heavens, the 16 pieces divided equally into firstly Earth - the external world perceived by Kamasi - then Heaven, which Kamasi describes as the world he sees inwardly.