Tag: jazz

Nite Bjuti – Illustrious Negro Dead

     Fitting neatly into the Vodka mold of “music that isn’t the same old thing, mostly…” this cross-genre, spoken word offering from Nite Bjuti’s forthcoming (April 14) LP hits the nail squarely on the head. Says lead singer Candice Hoyes, the song: “reclaims this impassioned plea that dignity and legacy of Black artists not die in ‘conspicuous forgetfulness’ as Black people of all nations continue to face state-sanctioned racial violence and hegemonic occupation in Haiti and throughout the Diaspora,” Let’s face it: This isn’t just a problem in…

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Svaneborg Kardyb – Op

     Exploring the musical dynamics between Danish folk music and jazz, Svaneborg Kardyb is a duo that can masterfully bend these genres into modern-day compositions that include elements of ambient, alternative, and more. There are ear-worm melodies in this music as well, such as Op (seen/heard here) which is from the duo’s latest LP, Over Tage (November 2022), and is a great introduction to their music, if, like Vodka, you have never heard of them before. Op is a wonderful, rhythmic tune that…

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Klara Goliger – One Day

     Klara Goliger from Gothenburg Sweden can be categorized as alt-pop, but be careful, because that generic categorization doesn’t do justice to the massive musical influences at work here. From jazz to classical, pop to Avant-guard, alternative to rock, and if there’s an in-between genre, it’s there as well. Enter One Day (heard here), a completely enthralling musical piece from Klara’s new LP, The Piano Chair (November 2022) – featuring nine wonderful tracks that can stand by themselves, or together.  One Day’s beautiful jazzy piano plays well with…

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Snarky Puppy – Take It!

     Since Vodka found Thing Of Gold back in 2012, I’ve been a fan of Snarky Puppy. Though it doesn’t fall neatly into the philosophy of shining a light on music that is mostly hidden from view, Snarky Puppy’s live ecosystem of music performance is a thing to marvel at (see video). Take It! (seen/heard here) from their new LP, Empire Central (coming October 2022) falls squarely in the jazz-funk fusion category as far as Vodka is concerned.  Vodka…

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Carlos Eiene – Forward

     Vodka doesn’t often get terribly excited about instrumental-only music. It happens though, and quite a lot more often than it used to. It’s not that I don’t like instrumental music, I do. Listening to instrumental music is a pleasant experience, I just have a tough time getting my mind into it enough to review much of it. Some notable exceptions are Lydian Collective, Snarky Puppy, a handful of others, and now Carlos Eiene.  Carlos Eine has been a big force in the…

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