Jazz Recommendations November 2016

Review: Commonly referred to as a "Hammond pioneer", jazz legend Brian Auger is an endlessly surprising artist. He's been revolutionising the jazz scene since the late 1970's, and it is indeed his technical skills and visionary use of the organ which stand him apart. This is loud and clear throughout the entire length of this second chapter of Anthology by the Freestyle label but, in fact, you get a bit of everything Auger-related. The schizophrenic organ playing is definitely there, but tunes like "MG Blues" or "Misty" also portray a deep musicality around all the other instruments within the arrangement, and it's his layering of grooves which is also constantly fascinating. Put it this way, if you want a jazz album that wanders a little further out into the ether, then this is what you need.

Review: One of Italy's most famous and influential experimental troupes, Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza took life in the mid 60s with a mesmerizing fusion of musique concrete, jazz and surrealism. This debut album celebrates its 50th birthday this year but it still sounds centuries ahead of its time. The dramatic, gravity-forced groans and creaks of "String Quartet", the clipped restrained mania of "Quartetto", the absolute sci-fi of "RKBA 1675/1", it's not hard to understand how or why Gruppo Di Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza had a huge impact on scores and contemporary classical. Immense, perplexing and out of this world.

Review: While Lennie Hibbert eventually found fame via a string of reggae releases on labels such as Studio One and Ham Records in the early 1970s, he actually made his recording debut a decade earlier as leader of the short-lived Lennie Herbert Combo. The jazz outfit's one and only album, Moon Light Party, has been something of a must-have for collectors since its' limited 1961 release. Here, it's been reissued for the first time in all its' melodious, sun-kissed glory. With Hibbert's vibraphone playing to the fore, the album's 12 tracks - including quirky covers of "Mack The Knife" and "Islands In The Sun" - effortlessly join the dots between then contemporary U.S jazz, Cuban rhythms, calypso, and what would now be considered lounge music.