Maria Kalaniemi & Timo Alakotila
Maria Kalaniemi & Timo Alakotila: Åkerö (2011)
I keep thinking that the mixing of pianos and accordions just shouldn’t work. Both instruments can play so many simultaneous notes, that it’s just too easy for the sound to get all muddy. But I was wrong. Maria Kalaniemi and Timo Alakotila make this combination work in many different ways. Read my full review of Åkerö and listen to a track on RootsWorld magazine.
Talabarte
Talabarte: Talabarte (2011)
The thing that struck me first about Talabarte, a trio from Galicia in northwest Spain, is how big they sound. The CD cover shows three musicians, and I kept looking in the credits to see who else joined them. But there is no one else. Read my full review of Talabarte and listen to a track on RootsWorld magazine.
Blink
Blink: Blink (2011)
Blink is one of the recent student projects to come out of the Nordic Master program. With a well-chosen set of traditional tunes and well-crafted originals, this recording demonstrates a blend of all-around musical skill and good taste, and shows why national folk music academies are valuable to all of us. Read my full review of Blink and listen to samples in RootsWorld magazine.
Hal Cannon
Hal Cannon: Hal Cannon (2011)
Hal Cannon is best known as the founding director of the annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. He has been collecting songs and stories from the people of the American West for the past three decades. This self-titled CD is his debut recording as a solo artist, and it was one of my favorite recordings of 2011. Read my full review of Hal Cannon and listen to the album streaming on RootsWorld magazine.
John McCutcheon
John McCutcheon – This Land: Woody Guthrie’s America (2011)
July 14th, 2012 marks the 100th anniversary of Woody Guthrie’s birth. While there will undoubtedly be a number of musical tributes leading up to that day, This Land: Woody Guthrie’s America from John McCutcheon will stand out. Read my full review of This Land, watch a video of “Pretty Boy Floyd,” and listen to more music on RootsWorld.
Fiolministeriet
Fiolministeriet: Fiolministeriet (2011)
Fiolministeriet is a string trio from Denmark who have taken traditional dance music and used their classical training to bring together the best of the dance hall and the concert hall. Read my full review of Fiolministeriet’s self-titled debut recording on RootsWorld.
Jensen & Bugge
Jensen & Bugge: Hav Og Land (2011)
Over the past few months, when my soul has needed restoration I’ve been turning to the new CD from Jensen & Bugge. This is a strong contender for my favorite album of 2011 and I know I’ll be enjoying it for many years to come. Read my full review of Hav Og Land on RootsWorld.
Nikki Matheson
Nikki Matheson: Invisible Angel (2011)
Nikki Matheson was born in Canada, and worked as a professional musician in New York City and France before returning recently to Vermont. By drawing on those experiences to write her own songs and adding traditional songs from Ireland, France, and the US, Matheson has created an appealing collection of songs. Read my full review of Invisible Angel in RootsWorld.
Here’s a video featuring the song “Patchwork.”
Monty Alexander
Monty Alexander: Uplift (2011)
The newest release from Jamaican jazz pianist Monty Alexander is full of great tunes, very well performed by top-notch players. Together these ingredients make for a thoroughly enjoyable and, as the title suggests, an uplifting listening experience. My full review of Uplift is on RootsWorld.
Here’s a video of Alexander and his trio playing “Come Fly With Me,” the opening track on this record.
ASA Trio
ASA Trio Plays the Music of Thelonious Monk (2011)
Thelonious Monk ranks among the best composers of the 20th Century. Most of what he wrote he recorded with his own ensembles and his recordings are well-known and prized in jazz circles. It’s always interesting to see how a band will cover these tunes six decades later.
Iceland’s ASA Trio tackles this project with flair on their latest release. Guitarist Andres Thor, organist Agnar Magnusson, and drummer Scott McLemore formed their trio five years ago, and the first tune they played together was Monk’s “Bemsha Swing” which kicks off this record. It’s fitting that for their third release they have returned to their own roots.
Monk himself was a piano player and his compositions were often geared to his particular style of playing. He’s also known for the great saxophone players he worked with, including Sonny Rollins, John Coltrane, Gerry Mulligan, Charlie Rouse, and Steve Lacy. I like that this trio contains neither piano nor saxophone. It lets the compositions shine without overt comparisons to how Monk played a particular phrase or how Sonny or Trane took a solo. All three players get to stretch out and explore these wonderful melodies, harmonies, and rhythms in their own way.
The choice of compositions here is impressive. It’s a great mix that starts with the tunes we all know like “Criss Cross,” “Straight, No Chaser,” and my favorite Monk tune, “Ask Me Now.” It also includes sleepers like “Green Chimneys” and “Boo Boo’s Birthday.”
Both Thor and Magnusson are strong soloists, but even more exciting on this recording is how they support each other. They know when to hold back, when to fade away, and when to punch and accent. McLemore is an extraordinarily musical drummer who brings a welcome sense of texture to the ensemble. The interplay between the three musicians makes for a number of great musical moments within each piece, tied together with a solid groove with just the right amount of fluidity.
ASA Trio brings a fresh approach to classic Monk’s compositions that is musically satisfying, emotionally fulfilling, and enjoyable on every level. This band from Iceland is strongly recommended.
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