Ellen Kirkwood and Sirens Big Band – [A]part

From Earshift Music, we get this monstrous work of art: Ellen Kirkwood‘s tetraptych “[A]part” suite, played by herself and Sirens Big Band, with additional soloists. The album is lyriclessly about many contemporary social issues, and uses similarly modern jazz to convey them. This is an album that not only needs to be listened carefully, but also read into. This is an absolute must!

Permanent Tension – Dedicated to the Guilt That Should Have Been but Never Was

Technical and emotive, Permanent Tension‘s newest release is chaotic yet relatable. Dedicated … Read more

The Music

The Words

Blast is the newest project involving French pianist Anne Quillier, who seems to be unable to do anything bad, as our previous reviews of Watchdog, Asylon Terra, and her own sextet can attest. This new moniker is basically the aforementioned Watchdog duo with Pierre Horckmans with an added drummer: Guillaume Bertrand. Percussions were one thing I would have liked to hear on Watchdog’s album, so this should be perfect!

On Rhodes and Moogs, Anne’s parts are rhythmically interesting and lay down the complex harmonic framework of the compositions, mostly hers and Guillaume’s. Sometimes distorted, … Read more