David Miilmann Group: You Belong
Every song has something going for it on the third album by this young quintet from Denmark. Besides, it sounds superbly balanced and crystal clear. Seemingly, Miilmann nurtured the idea of making it sound as if the indie rockers of Wilco were lured into the studio by ECM’s Manfreid Eicher. Not the worst idea.
The combined effort of guitarists Miilmann (primarily on slide) and Buster Isitt is at the heart of You Belong, a collection of charming Americana jazz among which is the compelling country-rock of The Day After and tight-knit, slick jazz-funk of It’s Happening. On a more turbulent note, the entertaining romp Gumbo Kings II is full of sinuous guitar lines and broken rhythm-driven freakiness, while the only cover, the famous Coltrane-vehicle My Favorite Things, is beautifully developed from valley stroll to windy mountain climb.
Miilmann’s slide guitar playing, though at spots overpowering the laid-back repertoire, is top-notch, while pianist Sven Feldbœk Winther’s misterioso style contrasts favourably with the twin guitar line-up. In conclusion, a band with a clear purpose and excellent songwriting skills.
Discography
The Day After; Towering Hearts; It’s Happening Again; My Favorite Things; Blue Rose; Gumbo Kings II; Chord Melody; You Belong (43.40)
David Miilmann (g, slide g, sitar); Buster Isitt (g); Sven Feldbœk Winther (p, org, syn, Rhodes); Elias HP (b); Theiss Nemborg (d, syn). Copenhagen, 1-3 October 2025.
April Records 166
Big Space: The Pendulum Effect
The art of songwriting arguably gets the short side of the stick on The Pendulum Effect by Big Space, a power trio from Canada favourably reviewed in JJ in 2022. There’s no lack of high energy and guitarist Grant King is in fine, daredevil-form, while bassist Ian Murphy and drummer Ashley Chalmers permit themselves moments of well-spent freedom.
Guitarist Grant King is a graduate of Berklee College of Music and the Longy School of Music, who also studied privately for years with legendary jazz educator Charlie Banacos. Bassist Ian Murphy is a longtime musical collaborator of Grant’s with a background in indie and alternative music, while drummer Ashley Chalmers also studied jazz at St. FX.
They produce a hearty meal in spite of attempts at lyrical rock balladry, and often rhythmically intricate, as evidenced by Check Upstairs and Pareidolia, the latter undoubtedly purposely designed as a piece of crafty noise and defined by guitar parts that flourish like bloodhounds in a bacchanal of hog meat. These are arguably the album’s highlights and bringing to mind – not bad at all – Soundgarden and Kyuss.
Discography
Check Upstairs; Shirley, I’m Sure; Sea Snakes; The Watching; Always Been There; Right Now’s World; Pareidolia; The Little One; This Could Be It; Another Sun (54.09)
Grant King (g); Ian Murphy (b); Ashley Chalmers (d). St. John’s, 2025.
Independent
Larry Goldings, Peter Bernstein, Bill Stewart: Rhombus
Lately, Larry Goldings – positively the funniest jazz musician of his generation, somewhat the Mel Brooks of jazz – is posting several hilarious clips on Instagram about composing with AI. Behind the comedy though, no mistaking, is a writer with a big book, a large part of which is dedicated to the heavyweight organ trio of Goldings, guitarist Peter Bernstein and drummer Bill Stewart.
Maintaining looseness without throwing coherence overboard is one of the trio’s strong points, surely the result of its partnership of 30-odd years, which perhaps also accounts for Rhombus’s relaxed, swinging feeling. Compositionally, Goldings remains true to his idiom – a personal variation on pioneer Larry Young’s work – to excellent effect, as exemplified by the title track and Everything That Lives Laments.
However, there’s no shortage of blues and ballads, the latter represented by the intimate Penelope, a lady quietly sung to by three little birds with three little words. Beautiful words between the lines of age.
Discography
Everything That Lives Laments; Hi-Fly; Rhombus; Mamma; They Say It’s Wonderful; Dissipation Blues; Penelope; In Walked Bud (42.18)
Goldings (org); Bernstein (elg); Stewart (d). New York City, 2025.
Smoke Sessions 2603
