New Releases Spotlight: Week of November 17, 2014
This week in the Music Lounge, we’ll take a look at three breathtakingly fantastic releases with some deep Chicago roots.
Brad Goode - Montezuma
Kicking things off, Chicago expatriate Brad Goode has a new album out on Origin called Montezuma. As with all of Goode’s releases on Origin, you can expect things to be a little left of center, and you can expect an album filled with interesting songs and some engaged playing. That’s certainly the case throughout Montezuma. This disc crackles with energy. Even "My Funny Valentine" is amped up here. Personally, my favorite moment is the song "Never Odd or Even." Starting off with a shimmering piano intro before kicking up the heat, it’s a gorgeous piece of songwriting. There’s a lot to love here, and you’ll be hearing a lot of it on WDCB.
Merge Quintet - Delays
A great band of young players around Chicago calling themselves the Merge Quintet also has a nice disc out on Ears and Eyes Records. The album is called Delays, and it, much like Brad Goode’s disc, is a high octane affair. This all-star quintet plays like their lives are depending on it, and the urgency shows throughout. Two of my favorite cuts on this are "Systosis" and "Delays," but really, this disc is a winner throughout.
Marquis Hill - Modern Flows, Volume 1
Finally, Marquis Hill has a new album out – Modern Flows, Volume 1. And we should probably take this opportunity to congratulate Marquis on winning the 2014 Thelonious Monk Institute competition! Just in time for the competition, he put out Modern Flows, and fans of Marquis’ past three discs will already know, Marquis is a fantastic songwriter and trumpeter. Here on WDCB, we’ll be focusing on the excellent instrumental cuts on this disc, but if you pick it up your own, you’ll get to hear some pretty great spoken word pieces, too. While you’re listening to WDCB, look out for "Flow" and "Black Harvest," two exceptionally lively tunes on Modern Flows, Vol. 1.
New music on Notes From the Jazz Underground this week will feature Bill Dickens, Nels Cline and Julian Lage’s latest disc, Room and the newest from Medeski, Scofield, Martin and Wood, as well.
Thanks for reading, Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you next week, here in the Music Lounge!
