Daily jazz blog, Marlbank

John Blum, David Murray, Chad Taylor, The Recursive Tree, Relative Pitch ****

Bit of a gem this slice of free-improv. We hadn't heard of pianist John Blum much before apart from on the same issuing label's slamming Duplexity release from a few years ago. Blum's Cecil Taylor-like method suits well here in combination with …

Published: 28 Nov 2023. Updated: 8 months.

Bit of a gem this slice of free-improv. We hadn't heard of pianist John Blum much before apart from on the same issuing label's slamming Duplexity release from a few years ago. Blum's Cecil Taylor-like method suits well here in combination with tenor saxophone icon David Murray and fine drummer Chad Taylor who made a splash with James Brandon Lewis on his Live in Willisau album a few years ago. Recording together for the first time, Murray is on top form - check out what he does on 'Passage' for instance. The scrabbling intensity he injects into proceedings gives a whole lot of dynamism throughout. Recorded last year in a Brooklyn studio, The Recursive Tree is a must for free-jazz fans.

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The Stance Brothers, Duktus, WeJazz ***1/2

Pretty flowing lounge jazz here from Finnish drummer producer Teppo Mäkynen with super finessed production to deliver a crunchy 1970s-like keys and drum honed groove. While guest voices from Dika Javi, Byron Breaks, Black Kofi are sprinkled …

Published: 28 Nov 2023. Updated: 8 months.

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Pretty flowing lounge jazz here from Finnish drummer producer Teppo Mäkynen with super finessed production to deliver a crunchy 1970s-like keys and drum honed groove. While guest voices from Dika Javi, Byron Breaks, Black Kofi are sprinkled throughtout it's really the instrumental groove that wins through. Duktus is not at all a demanding listen given the tunefulness of what's here and the lapping motion of repeated vamps and generous licks skilfully weaved together. And certainly faster tracks like 'Futuristic Earth' are even dance floor friendly. DJs will have plenty of fun feeding this all into their sets as it all has a malleable non-generic veneer. Mäkynen's cool credentials are certainly still completely intact.