We’re back with another Between The Cracks selection featuring essential releases from around the world. Hopefully, you’ll discover a few new releases that you love and add them to your collection. Below you will find our latest picks.
Albums
Matthew Ottignon – Volant
“Volant” is the latest release by one of Australia’s most celebrated saxophonists, Matthew Ottignon’s new ensemble. Ottignon cited “a period of deep introspection” as the influence for this album. His music is known for blending spiritual jazz influences with minimalist acoustic jazz. This album draws inspiration from the birds in flight. Thus, “Volant” revolves around narrative themes such as flight and freedom. Bassist Hannah James, pianist Lauren Tsamouras, and drummer Holly Conner, each of these members also took their artistic freedom in every track. “Moon Rock”, “The Third Bardo” and “Rolling and Circling” stand as a testament to their openness to experimentation.
Sameer Gupta – Jupiter Vol 4
“Jupiter 4” marks the fourth chapter in Sameer Gupta’s six-part musical journey, seamlessly blending his Indian and American roots. Gupta is a rare percussionist who perfectly balances American jazz drum and Indian classical tabla traditions. This album has two tracks, “Brihaspati Part 1” and “Brihaspati Part 2″( Brihadpati is the Indian name for Jupiter). Indian classical music and American jazz share a deep-rooted tradition of improvisation—a hallmark that these tracks skilfully exploit to their full potential. Beautiful stuff.
Alberto Boccardi – Apnea
The album “Apnea” is like a chronicle of events from engineer and electronic musician Alberto Boccardi’s life as a parent. It recounts how his daily life has changed and how he found himself out of his comfort zone. This album took three years, and in these three years, Alberto was able to capture the essence of the “little movements” that brought in new priorities and objectives in his life. Each track had its mood, feelings, and emotions due to the density of acoustic and analog instruments and the contrast between sound and silence.
Ümlaut – Sacred Sites
And now for something a little different from the mind of Jeff Düngfelder (Ümlaut). Weird, dreamy and enchanting, like scenes plucked straight from Twin Peaks. This ambient-leaning project delicately intertwines experimental soundscapes with richly textured harmonies and minimalist melodies, creating a serene but slightly eerie journey. Picture yourself nestled in a cloud, wrapped in an eloquent soundtrack that dances through your senses. It guides you to blissful tranquillity yet keeps you teetering on edge.
YAI – Sky Time
“Sky Time” is the latest offering from NYC dream jazz duo YAI, and it’s a gorgeous tapestry of woodwinds, waves, and ethereal echo that will captivate fans of Jon Hassell or Ryuichi Sakamoto. David Lackner and John Thayer weave ambient soundscapes and fourth world aesthetics into a joyful, clear-eyed exercise of “stop motion in slow motion.” The album opens strong with the hypnotic “Obsidian Sun,” Lackner’s EWI and flute dancing over Thayer’s congas and field recordings. The title track is a highlight, with Lackner’s Rhodes and Wurlitzer creating a dreamy backdrop for his lyrical soprano sax melodies. “Lotus Eater” is another standout, its modal grooves giving way to ecstatic soloing over Thayer’s modular synth textures. Throughout, YAI strikes a deft balance between compositional rigour and improvisational freedom. Lackner’s multi-instrumentalism is constantly impressive, while Thayer’s production sculpts an immersive sonic world. “Tides,” the atmospheric closer, is another highpoint; its patient ebb and flow leave the listener floating in a blissful reverie. With “Sky Time,” YAI has crafted a deeply immersive, profoundly meditative album that rewards repeat listening. For adventurous ears seeking new vistas in jazz’s outer reaches, it comes highly recommended.
Masayoshi Fujita – Migratory
Migratory marks a transcendent return for Japanese vibraphonist and marimba explorer Masayoshi Fujita. Having relocated from Berlin back to his native Japan, Fujita composed this masterwork in a repurposed kindergarten studio nestled in the mountain hills of Kami-cho. The setting’s natural splendor permeates the album’s introspective, yet adventurous soundscapes. Expanding on the synthesis-laden territories of 2021’s Bird Ambience, Migratory finds Fujita seamlessly melding his signature vibraphone tones with marimba textures and modular electronics. Highlights include the shimmering “Pale Purple” buoyed by guest shō flute, and the haunting “Our Mother’s Lights” featuring poetic vocals from Moor Mother. The spellbinding “Higurashi” with vocalist Hatis Noit showcases Fujita’s knack for transporting listeners to imaginary realms. Tracks like the bucolic “In a Sunny Meadow” evoke Fujita’s new rural environs through warm, meditative phrases. An immersive work of avant-garde jazz futurism, Migratory cements Fujita as a true sound alchemist.
