“On March 26, we will share with you a new composition by Sam Sheperd […]”. Briefly introduced at the beginning of March 2021 by a short 4mn voiced-over presentation featuring black & white stills, namechecking the musicians and the recording locations, the “Promises” project quietly emerged on the contemporary music scene ... [Continue Reading]
Jazz
Fanfán Tulipán: Genius Noci
Borrowing its name from the French film FanFan la Tulipe, the 1952 swashbuckling comedy set in the late 1750s featuring Gérard Philippe, Fanfán Tulipán is a young Czech band formed in 2009 and based in Prague. Blending jazz with funk, the chanson tradition and film music, the band features Štěpán Zbytovský on flute and bass ... [Continue Reading]
Matthew Halsall: Salute to the Sun
Drawing on the spiritual, ecstatic and eastern-influenced jazz of Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders and Yusef Lateef, the music of Miles Davis of course, the Nu Jazz and electronica of The Cinematic Orchestra and a broad musical culture garnered as a regular DJ, Manchester-based trumpet player Matthew Halsall has been crafting an ... [Continue Reading]
Saffronkeira with Paolo Fresu: In Origine: The Field of Repentance
Eugenio Caria is an Italian electronic musician and producer based in Sardinia. Since launching his Saffronkeira project in 2008, he has released six LPs with German label Denovali Records. Blending IDM with ambient minimalism and experimental electronics, Saffronkeira’s music is often underpinned by a strong narrative and an ... [Continue Reading]
Paolo Fresu & Daniele Di Bonaventura: Altissima Luce
The Laudario di Cortona is a mediaeval codex written sometime between 1250 and 1290 and still preserved to this day in the town of Cortona in southern Tuscany. The original manuscript is comprised of a collection of 47 “laude” or sacred songs in vernacular Italian. Initiated in 2016 to celebrate the rich cultural heritage of ... [Continue Reading]
Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger: Force Majeure
As soon as New York City entered a first lockdown in March 2020, double bass player Dezron Douglas and jazz harpist Brandee Younger launched a series of live streams on Facebook and Instagram Live from their East Harlem flat. Dubbed “Force Majeure: Brunch in the crib with Brandee & Dezron”, the Friday morning concerts ... [Continue Reading]
Yumi Ito: Stardust Crystals
Born to a Japanese father and a Polish mother, Yumi Ito is a young jazz vocalist, songwriter and composer based in Basel, Switzerland. As a classically trained pianist, the singer is also an accomplished bandleader who has already performed extensively on the European jazz circuit. Featuring eight new songs composed over a ... [Continue Reading]