Kansas Smitty's, We're Not in Kansas Anymore, Ever/K7 ***

We've never really taken to Kansas Smitty's and in different configurations they have been round long enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Much less trad than before this latest is better for its eclecticism and endears us to them a little …

Published: 30 Oct 2022. Updated: 17 months.

We've never really taken to Kansas Smitty's and in different configurations they have been round long enough to give them the benefit of the doubt. Much less trad than before this latest is better for its eclecticism and endears us to them a little more. That said We're Not in Kansas Anymore doesn't really hang together in terms of an overall vision. There are things that we liked about it - the Malian flavoured 'Ghosts' and the almost tone poem-like mystery in 'Foxes'. And certainly if you know their work even on a surface level you won't be surprised that reedist leader Giacomo Smith, bassist Ferg Ireland and the rest of the musicians involved - with trumpeters Dylan Jones and Laura Jurd new recruits - provide skill and taste. Solo lines on 'Foxes' and elsewhere still hanker for trad even as the sound evolves and means that fans of the band won't be left totally stranded as the sound moves on.

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Euro jazz - top 10 releases in 22

Latest update: 26 November 2022. 1 Esbjörn Svensson, Home. S, ACT - Sweden 2 Hedvig Mollestad and Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, Maternity Beat, Rune Grammofon - Norway 3 Pipe Dream Blue Roads CAM Jazz - Italy/US 4 Jakob Bro and Joe Lovano Once Around …

Published: 29 Oct 2022. Updated: 16 months.

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