Σταύρος Γασπαράτος (Stavros Gasparátos) – Rage Park (Inner Ear)

Greek composer Σταύρος Γασπαράτος (Stavros Gasparátos) recently released Rage Park, an electro-classical album exploring rage and stillness, and how the two can be very close to one another. The music is also accompanied by a video trilogy, which you can watch above. The album does a great job of mixing classical music, mostly in the form of soundtrack music but also exploring more contemporary styles, and electronic music elements. The album is very dynamic and can be as contemplative as cathartically violent.

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The Pneumatic Transit – Chordae tendineae

The project of Exotic Animal Petting Zoo‘s ex-guitarist Jeff Zampillo is back for a sophomore release with Chordae tendineae. Somewhat like Concerto for Double Moon, this new album explores the diverse range of influence and proficiency of Zampillo, from progressive rock to jazz fusion and classical music; all coalesces into a new hybrid taking bits of each to improve the resulting whole. In that regard, I think Chordae is more successful than Concerto. Perhaps it is in the fine-tuning of each influence knob, but it seems to me that this new album is much more appealing and interesting. So, give this one a chance! I’m sure you’ll find something to like about it.

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Gordon Beeferman, Anders Nilsson, and Ches Smith – Organ Trio (Minor Amusements)

Gordon Beeferman put together a progressive jazz trio based around the Hammond organ—hence the title—with guitarist Anders Nilsson and drummer Ches Smith, who’s also participated in other fantastic releases of late. The album’s five tracks usually can be categorized by “free jazz”, although it has a distinct retro-prog sound to it at times, especially during the playing of the themes, but that might be due to the unmistakable sound of the organ and its long history with prog rock. You can taste most of what the album is about with the preview track, “Play before the Play”, and its ten-minute run time. Be aware that the full album is closer to forty minutes total so if you enjoy that one be sure to get the rest of it as well!

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嶋川堅太 (Kenta Shimakawa) – グリンプス (Glimpse)

Who here remembers when I wrote about the prog fusion band Tindergodz? Well, here’s a follow-up! Project mastermind 嶋川堅太 (Kenta Shimakawa) went on and created a solo album pushing the fusion of jazz and progressive metal even further, and without the comedic aspects his previous project had. The end result is one of the best modern djazz releases, featuring many talented and renowned musicians. One of the parts I enjoyed most is, rather simply, the theme to the title track. It’s rhythmically interesting, and uses a lot of wide intervals, making it sound very energetic, dynamic, and recognizable. Thanks to the amazing talents of singer Louisa Rosi and saxophonist Baptiste Horcholle. A similar thing can be said of “Oiseau”, of which you can watch the guitar playthrough video above. Starting with a fast-paced polymetric riff in \(\frac{7}{16}\) against \(\frac{7}{4}\) sets the tone for the rest of the composition, filled with groove, sax, and amazing melodies. Seriously, a tremendous album! Don’t miss out!

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박지하 (Park Jiha) – Philos (Glitterbeat)

Korean multi-instrumentalist 박지하 (Park Jiha) is back with a new album, Philos! Using many instruments from the Korean folklore, Park creates contemporary compositions reflecting the traditions of the culture. Philos is very dramatic, atmospheric, and exotic for those not immersed in Korean culture. The album shows Park’s mastery of the impressive array of instruments she use, and of songwriting as well. A brilliant album!