Georgia Duncan: Four Ways To The Sun (Clonmell Jazz Social CJS010CD)
There seems to be a general complaint about all types of musical genres, and that is the lack of new voices. Jazz has been home to some of the greatest voices to ever grace a microphone – Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone and the gold standard that is Ella Fitzgerald – but the conversation will always head to “Where is the next great voice?”
I’m no expert on jazz singers. I tend to swerve away from vocalists in favour of instrumental jazz. I prefer a horn or the sound of a walking bass to someone telling me about Mack The Knife for the hundredth time, so when a voice comes out of a song that makes me sit up and listen, I, well… sit up and listen.
From the opening line from opening track Reasons you’re met with a voice that is so in control of itself that no matter what happens around it, you know the voice will be impeccable. It’s a voice that is young but also has the depth of a much older, more experienced one. I guess this comes from Duncan’s background of working with choirs where the voice is everything. This maturity allows the stories within the songs to be delivered with much more gravitas.
The music is part-jazz, part-folk and (if track three Linger is anything to go by) part-indie-rock in the tradition of those early 90s bands like Portishead and Radiohead. The songs are intimate and welcoming, drawing you in and not letting go until the story is told or until another begins. There is a bewitching quality here, an album that promises little but delivers so much more because the music is richly layered. It lures you in with the pretty vocals and the apparent calm but scratch a little deeper and there are gritty guitars (Harry Christelis) being urged not to peak too soon and haunting background vocals (check out Mud Slick & Feather for how effective a choir can be). It hints that although the music feels like it’s a secret between the two of you there are more people sitting just out of reach in the darkness.
This album came from nowhere. I had little expectation of it but I was blown away by how quickly it grabbed my attention and how much I enjoyed it. Now, surely, I can’t be the only person to want to hear more from this singer. Seek it out and have a listen. More info on Georgie Duncan here: georgiaduncan.co.uk
Madre Vaca: Yukon (Madre Vaca Records MVR-020)
Like a fine wine, the music of quartet Madre Vaca needs time to breathe before you can appreciate the different levels of enjoyment. On first listen, the tracks on the album can seem similar in tempo and tone and, dare I say it, middle of the road, but give it time, give the album a few listens before really making a judgement because the time spent adjusting to the mood pays off.
Without introduction or pomp, the music begins with Blue Bird, an all-out frontal jazz assault that will grab the attention. It’s head-nodding rhythm, with stylish guitar, makes for a superb opener. The bass walks, the cymbal taps and the piano swings. Am excellent beginning but the album takes the foot from the accelerator on the following tracks Portrait Of A Swan, Yukon, Dormant and the laid-back, lounge-jazz feel of They Say.
It isn’t until Slab City that the band pushes the tempo again and it comes as a welcomed change. This is a cracker of a tune and feels more like the music that the band wants to play. The bass pushes the funk, and the drummer is given the freedom to explore the kit more. If only the track was longer because this feels like a jamming track that could easily reach double figures in running time.
Still, all in all, the album feels safe. When the music drifts into more unsafe territory the music becomes more interesting and exciting. Closing track Tangle Talk is a return to the upbeat and will probably make you want more of the same, please.
Andy Nevala: El Rumbón (Zoho ZM 202506)
It’s pretty easy to sum up pianist Andy Nevala’s third album as bandleader: it’s a piano-led dive into the world of Latin jazz that’s heavy on the percussion as well as energy. This is to say if you like the idea of stonewall classics such as Girl From Ipanema, A Night In Tunisia and Stevie Wonder’s timeless Isn’t She Lovely played on piano but using Latin American rhythms where the percussionists sound like they have as many limbs as your typical octopus – then this is for you.
It’s difficult not to like this style of music, because it’s is all about enjoyment. El Rumbón is a more than suitable name for the album because translated into English it simply means “the party” and this is exactly the type of music you get; it’s music to move to, music to tap your feet and clap your hands to.
Alongside the better-known songs there are another eight tracks to enjoy, and the album really succeeds in not relying on familiarity to keep you entertained. My personal standout track is Los Bueyes where the music slowly builds – there’s even time for a bass solo – and it feels like the band are playing for themselves as tables are being cleared and ladies are tempting their men to get onto the dancefloor. Pure escapism music for the feet.
