Considered to symbolize the contrasting concept of fire and ice, orange and blue colors are juxtaposed everywhere, and it’s hardly a coincidence that TRIFECTA‘s debut album, 2021’s "Fragments" which saw Nick Beggs, Adam Holzman and Craig Blundell work together outside Steven Wilson‘s ensemble for the first time, wore a flaming cover, while its successor “The New Normal” – planned for issue on March 15th – is housed in a soothing sleeve. The shift didn’t affect the trio’s fresh songs, though.
It would be surprising if one day Béla Fleck stopped surprising his followers who got used to the legendary banjoist venturing well beyond traditional idiom and diversifying his art by delving into other genres – playing Muddy Waters alongside Rory Gallagher, for instance – yet listening to the American virtuoso perform George Gershwin’s finest piece alongside classical musicians must still amaze even the staunchest fan of either country or jazz. But that’s exactly what Fleck does on the “Rhapsody In Blue” album which will appear on February 12th.
Since there’s been a five-year gap between 2018, when GURU GURU‘s “Rotate!” rolled onto the shelves, and now, one may assume the German experimentalists were ready to retire after five and half decades of driving the Kosmische Musik scene to delirium – after all, the ensemble’s leader, singer and drummer, Mani Neumeier is turning 83 on the last day of 2023 – yet that couldn’t be further from the truth. There’s no better proof of the veteran’s vitality than their new album, titled “The Incredible Universe Of Guru Guru” and getting issued in different territories in December and January
A whole decade has passed since Pete Ham‘s archives opened last time to let out a set of the late musician’s demonstration recordings from the series that started in 1997 with “7 Park Avenue” to continue with “Golders Green” in 1999 and seemingly end with the issue of “The Keyhole Street” in 2013 – although there was a streaming-only release titled “Misunderstood” earlier this year. Still, in a couple of days there will be another bunch of the BADFINGER man’s songs made available on digital platforms – as usual bearing an address on its cover yet the first not produced by Dan Matovina who passed away in the spring of 2023.
In most cases when a new record is set to be issued on March 8th, International Women’s Day, it’s just a coincidence – unless the platter in question is titled “Songs Of Love & Solace” and contains fresh takes on some of the most tender pieces from the last century. This forthcoming album of standards – and more – highlights a rarely shown aspect of Gary Husband‘s talent, the same Gary Husband who’s been the drummer of choice for such luminaries as Allan Holdsworth, John McLaughlin and Jack Bruce, playing keyboards as well, as he’s also a brilliant pianist. The veteran’s solo career started with "Diary Of A Plastic Box" a quarter-century ago and has never let his listeners down, although in later years Husband focused on collaborative work with lesser-known guitarists – Mark Wingfield on "Tor & Vale" and Markus Reuter on "Music Of Our Times"; however, Gary’s new offering feels very personal.
