Old school
"Never too comfortable: To Anders Aarum, a split personality can actually add to the magic. Shakinâ Our Souls proves the point, feeling like three albums blended into one: On the one hand, it offers driven, classically schooled jazz. On the other dreamy beatscapes propelled by pulsating grooves. And thrown in for good measure, thereâs also the occasional excursion into atmospheric electronics. Aarum wonât even decide which instrument to focus on: Rhodes, Moog or just the piano? Thankfully for the listener, he just cannot decide.
Clear delineations have never been Aarumâs thing. As an in-demand session musician, heâs dabbled his feet in a wide range of styles. Heâs played downtempo electro with soul chanteuse Beady Belle; free jazz with the iconic Sonny Simmons; as well as eccentric folk with Guro von Germeten. Whatever he touches instantly becomes personal. Even the instrumental backing tracks he recorded with his band for Randi TytingvaĚgâs âLet Goâ were so distinct that they were later released as a stand-alone album without the vocals.
During his collaboration with neo-disco queen Bertine Zetlitz, Aarum met Erik Holm, who now plays percussion on four of the pieces on Shakinâ Our Souls. At the heart of his ensemble, however, is the brother axis of Ivar and Magne ThormodsĂŚte. Their subtle, yet subversive swing provides the backbone for Aarumâs elegant, cosmic solos â possibly best exemplified by eight and a half minute long âItâs Rainingâ, which slowly rises from silence, then gradually becomes more dense, building up intensity with each bar.
Moments like this are typical for an album that feels like a roller coaster ride. Curiously, one of the highlights of the trip is a standard: Ornette Colemanâs âUna Muy Bonitaâ. Would Coleman have enjoyed this playful, almost casual rendition? One thingâs for sure: Neither he, nor Aarum ever found any satisfaction in making the listener feel too comfortable for too long." (highresaudio.com)
Anders Aarum, Fender Rhodes, Moog, Analog Keyboards
Magne ThormodsĂŚte, double bass
Ivar ThormodsĂŚte, drums
"Max Moran & Neospectric offer original compositions that blend rock, funk, R&B, jazz and fusion. Showcasing funky groves, astounding musicianship and emotive songwriting, their live shows move bodies to dance and even move some to tears. Performing since the age of thirteen, Max Moran has made a name for himself as one of New Orleansâ most versatile and in-demand bassists.
Max spent over ten years performing with jazz master Donald Harrison and has also shared the stage with artists such as Leo Nocentelli (The Meters), Bernie Worrell (Parliament/Funkadelic), Christian Scott and Eric Bloom (Lettuce). His band Neospectric features a rotating cast of over a dozen of New Orleansâ most exciting and virtuosic young instrumentalists" [âŚ].
Max Moran, bass
John Maestas, guitar
Shea Pierre, keyboards
Alfred Jordan, drums
Steven Lands, trumpet
Khris Royal, saxophone
Stephen Gladney, saxophone
The poetry and radiance of Bachs cello suites (BWV 1007-1012) are transfigured in these remarkable interpretations by Kim Kashkashian on viola, offering a different kind of somberness, a different kind of dazzlement as annotator Paul Griffiths observes. One of the most compelling performers of classical and new music, Kashkashian has been hailed by The San Francisco Chronicle as an artist who combines a probing, restless musical intellect with enormous beauty of tone. An ECM artist since 1985, she approaches Bach s music with the same commitment as revealed in her other solo recordings, the legendary Hindemith sonatas album and the widely acclaimed (and Grammy-winning) account of KurtĂĄg and Ligeti.
Thatâs not what I read first time 
me too
The Italian double bassist and composer Stefano Scodanibbio (1956-2012) created extraordinary music for his instrument. Alisei (Trade Winds) features his compositions for solo bass, for two basses, and for bass ensemble.
Among them is a world premiere recording of Otetto, an often breath-taking thirty-minute compendium of all the extended techniques he invented or developed throughout his life. âIt is his great spiritual legacyâ, says Danielle Roccato, who co-founded the Ludus Gravis bass ensemble with Scodanibbio.
As solo performer, Roccato rises to the challenges of Due Pezzi Brilanti, a piece which pushes virtuosity to its limits, and âmakes the bass sing in its on true voiceâ on the title composition. Da Una Certa Nebbia, for two basses, also a premiere recording, pays implicit tribute to the work of Morton Feldman.
Alisei is the second ECM New Series recording to address the music of Stefano Scodanabbio. The album Reinventions, issued in 2013, featured his highly imaginative recasting for string quartet of three Contrapunctus from Bachâs Art of the Fugue, together with Mexican songs and Spanish guitar music, all brought into a compelling unity.
I have to say that it was the wonderful photo on the cover that pulled me to this album, so there is definitely merit in a great cover! 
(TIDAL MQA 48kHz)