Rabshakeh

Mrs H Sings - Songs Dance and Mischief On the Yoto (a robust piece of hardware for children's audio books and songs). Mrs H is a children's entertainer based in London. Her weekly sing a longs are basic parenting round these parts. (Not a joke: a local childcare practitioner recommended that a friend attend an event as part of dealing with a low level bout of post-natal depression). Surprisingly, her recordings are incredibly excellent. Original children songs recorded with a charming trad jazz band. It is a good deal more impressive than Tuba Skinny or your average Syncopated Times 2010s New Orleans vocal fare.

Nala Sinephro – Endlessness This one made a lot of Jazz year end lists, particularly outside of the jazz establishment. It might be the most highly rated jazz release of the last year. It is interesting to me how a record like this comes to represent the genre of jazz to so many people: it is essentially low key chill out electronica with Alice Coltrane type model harp. It is pretty good as background music goes. I can see why people like it. And the spiritual jazz references do help it sound like something that is worth listening to. But it is jazz in the way that a Vauxhall Corsa with a spoiler glued to it is a Formula One race car. Rebecca Trescher Tentet – Character Pieces This isn't great the whole way through but do like it. It sounds like its own thing.

Tomin – A Willed And Conscious Balance Another from the recent end of year lists. Not a bad record at all, but not one I'll revisit. In line with other more recent International Anthem releases, I guess. I sometimes feel like this cohort of musicians just don't feel that their music needs to be exciting.

This is great. Didn't know about this.

Don Cherry - Brown Rice Back from Rome for three minutes and already playing the Don Cherry record. I miss the days of Agharta being the kids' favourite. At least that had four sides.

Fred Anderson - The Missing Link

Art Ensemble of Chicago - Les Stances a Sophie Sadly not the Nessa version.

On the basis of this performance, I question how much AI knows about 2023... At least one of those five albums exists, so that's a step, I guess.

I accept that the top-linked page is just thumbnails, but the underlying reviews are no better. No doubt, this is a feature of Bandcamp's editorial preferences. I'm sure that Mr Sumner could write better reviews than the original reviews. I would not presume to judge a writer by the copy that he or she generates for a platform like Bandcamp, which is essentially a corporate copyrighting job, no different to "Top 5 Best Footbaths in Yekaterinburg". I certainly don't expect Mr Sumner to appear here and start to slag off Bandcamp's editorial process. Overall, I appreciate anyone bringing records to my attention, and I like the fact that these are a different set to those that have appeared on other lists. But whatever the case may be, it is not true at all that it is rare to encounter a good album review or that criticism of these particular album reviews reflects the impossibility of pleasing everyone.

If you want to read a series of reviews that is simultaneously breathless but also bland, please follow the link in the initial post. The reviews neither give the facts nor paint a "word picture". The reviewer just strings together exaggeratedly positive adjectives in a way that transfers no meaning to the reader. It is just garbage copy. The reviewer shows no personality. The reviews might as well have been written by AI as by a human reviewer, and may well have been, in this case.

William Parker and Ellen Christi – Cereal Music William Parker's new spoken word record. I found it embarrassingly poor. Looks very interesting. I didn't know about this one.

A good review is an art. My favourite is reviews that contain wider information. A lot of what I know about music has been hints I followed from well-written reviews: names referenced, etc.

Yes me too.

I find these bandcamp reviews a bit useless. Not only are they breathless but they are also bland to the point where it isn’t really possible to identify characteristics of what is being reviewed. That said, I take was Rostasi says and will give these a go.

Ada Rave – In Search Of A Real World

Arooj Aftab – Night Reign This is charming. I have no idea why it appears in the jazz year end lists. Lots of major jazz musicians do appear but basically it is an orchestrated Richard And Linda Thompson type folk record. I like it a lot more than her recent co-headliner with Vijay Iyer which I thought was po faced and dull.

Gianni Basso Quartet - Hit

That's right. He does a sort of RnB one note rhythmic honk that builds excitement and rhythm. (At least he does on tracks two and three, that's as far as I have got.)

I like how it navigates between fire music on one hand and on the other hand the possibilities inherent in Monk / Rouse.

Kenny Davern And Dick Wellstood – Never In A Million Years... Homework for the now inevitable Gen Z Dixieland and Trad jazz revival.

I think it is my favourite by that group. I also rarely remember to listen to KJ's groups of that era but am pleasantly surprised when I do.

Beny Moré – Magia Antillana

This is an extremely gratuitous armpit shot. Now on to track two. What a great track. The drunkenly percussive Monkish interplay between Thomas and Wright is just great. I'm listening to this having purchased it through Bandcamp. A bargain as far as I am concerned.

Matt Darriau Paradox Trio With Theodosii Spassov – Gambit

It was featured on Jazz Wax a while back. Really love the cover.