Burak Bedikyan - Istanbul Junction

Styles: Piano Jazz 
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 63:09
Size: 145,5 MB
Art: Front

(6:54)  1. Particles
(6:33)  2. Moods
(6:59)  3. Toprak
(9:49)  4. Aquarian
(8:27)  5. Valentine
(6:44)  6. Reminiscence
(5:06)  7. Innerview (for Ayse)
(7:15)  8. L'ombre Lumineuse (Dedicated to Olivier Messiaen)
(5:19)  9. Postlude

Istanbul-born and New York-based pianist Burak Bedikyan is an inventive composer and intelligent improviser with a subtle touch. His fifth release, the intimate and cinematic Istanbul Junction, showcases his talents fully as he leads a new band through nine of his captivating originals.  The album's overall ambience is dramatic and darkly-hued, and the various tracks expand within it with vibrant poetry. The main theme of "Moods," for example, consists of expectant and simmering refrains. These progress into an intriguing and serpentine melody out of which emerge Bedikyan's dense chords, forming an elegant and crystalline improvisation. Hungarian saxophonist Gabor Bolla contributes a warm, sinewy solo which is yearning and emotive, and fades seamlessly into the closing head. Middle Eastern influences delightfully color some of the music, like the tender and wistful "Toprak"; it starts with Bedikyan's resonant and sparse notes which the band's undulating refrains follow. Over Turkish drummer Can Kozlu's rustling lithe beats and American bassist Matthew Hall's reverberating thumps Bedikyan's extemporization expands with simmering lines. Bolla's eloquent and bittersweet tenor mirrors Bedkyan in spontaneity and lyricism.

Equally engrossing is the charmingly angular "Innerview (For Ayse)" which finds Bedikyan, unaccompanied, flirting with dissonance. The tune itself is deeply introspective and passionate with overlapping chords and breathtaking cascades which demonstrate Bedikyan's virtuosity on the keys. Bedikyan pays homage to one of his idols, the ingenious 20th century composer Olivier Messiaen, on the moving and mellifluous "L'ombre Lumineuse." The piece eschews overtly Western Classical phraseology and is more akin to a jazz ballad. Kozlu's sparkling percussion and Hall's agile lines form a restless and supportive rhythmic framework. Bedikyan infuses his pianism with a bittersweet melancholy while Bolla builds an intricate extemporization with graceful facility and raw emotion. The ensemble concludes with a sublimely synergistic performance. Istanbul Junction is a cohesive work, and a high point of Bedikyan's superb career. As Kozlu points out in the liner notes, Bedikyan has singularly fused various traditions into a personal artistic statement. The record is, perhaps, his most mature and unique to date. ~ Hrayr Attarian https://www.allaboutjazz.com/istanbul-junction-burak-bedikyan-steeplechase-lookout

Personnel: Burak Bedikyan: piano; Matthew Hall: bass; Can Kozlu: drums; Gabor Bolla: tenor sax

Istanbul Junction

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Hannah Svensson - Places and Dreams

Styles: Vocal
Year: 2019
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 51:25
Size: 118,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. Places and Dreams
(5:12)  2. Beautiful Day
(4:22)  3. Woodstock
(4:45)  4. Friday Afternoon
(3:57)  5. Honeysuckle Rose
(5:28)  6. Something in Return
(3:58)  7. Catch the Stars
(4:10)  8. Not Meant to Be
(4:56)  9. Let Go
(3:58) 10. Malibu Song
(5:12) 11. När natten blir dag

Critically acclaimed singer and songwriter Hannah Svensson releases a new album: ""Places and dreams"" which consists of newly composed material by Hannah as well as interpretations by Joni Mitchell and Dave Castle. The music is characterized by strong melodies and the material on the new album is a meeting between jazz and pop harmonies with plenty of room for improvisation. The group's musical influences range from jazz, pop and blues where their own sound goes like a theme through each song. The album as well as live concerts feature four distinguished jazz musicians: Jan Lundgren (Piano) Ewan Svensson (guitar) Matz Nilsson (bass) and Zoltan Czörsz (drums) who together with Hannah form a fantastic group. Hannah Svensson paves her own way and with five albums established herself as one of our most appreciated jazz singers. She is heard in many different combinations and contexts both in Sweden and internationally. I see music as a lifelong journey and with this album I have landed in something new that has always been within me. Some of the songs are written almost ten years ago, they have been lying there, waiting to be picked up at the right time and context. ""Places and dreams"" is a summary of things that have inspired my life. A dream can take me to new places, but a place can also create dreams, whether it is far away on the beach in Malibu, a beautiful day in the Gothenburg archipelago or a Friday afternoon in Copenhagen. (Hannah Svensson) ~ Editorial Reviews https://www.amazon.com/Places-Dreams-Hannah-Svensson/dp/B07WV6DCTH

Places and Dreams

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