Favourite Five Recent Releases
Five of the best albums from the recent postings at Elsewhere. Music too good to let slide into the archives. The Elsewhere place if you're looking for a quick fix.
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LUCIEN JOHNSON, ACCLAIMED, REVIEWED AND INTERVIEWED (2024): Reaching for a quiet place
9 Apr 2024 | 5 min read
When Wellington saxophonist Lucien Johnson released his album Wax///Wane three years ago it became an immediate Elsewhere favourite. At year's end it was in our Best of the Year list and also that of the Listener (which admittedly was a list chosen by us). What drew us to it was how different it was from most New Zealand jazz releases. In part we said, “The spirits of... > Read more
Matt Hay: Dog and Pony Show (digital outlets)
5 Apr 2024 | 1 min read
Recorded live in the studio (Darren Watson's Lamington Recording aka his lounge in Pōneke Wellington), this collection of crafted songs with their feet and heart in country-folk and Americana comes with a lived-in intimacy. And behind singer-songwriter Matt Hay are slide guitar (Watson), accordion (Craig Denham), double bass (Steve Moodie) and percussion (Delia Shanly).... > Read more
Holy Smoke
Various Artists: Moving Away From the Pulsebeat (Cherry Red/digital outlets)
29 Mar 2024 | 7 min read | 1
A week or so ago I heard a well-known host on National Radio say he knew nothing about punk and was a soft rock guy. He asked what punk was. Perhaps someone could take a few minutes and explain it in its weird diversity: British punk in the late Seventies embedded the ideas of DIY (posters, tapes, gigs, clothes etc) , opened the door to the untutored, the importance of inclusiveness,... > Read more
Everyone's on Revolver Tonight, by O-Level
Alice Coltrane: Shiva-Loka (Impulse!/digital outlets)
22 Mar 2024 | 1 min read
The rediscovery of pianist/harpist/composer Alice Coltrane in the past decade picks up speed this year with the “Year of Alice” which will see attention shone on her recordings for the Impulse! And Verve labels. The widow of John has had sporadic attention over the decades so we are forgiven if we haven't paid serious attention previously. Her original albums were hard to find,... > Read more
Charles Lloyd: The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note/digital outlets)
18 Mar 2024 | 1 min read
Even those who just casually poke around Elsewhere will know the affection and high esteem in which we hold saxophonist/flautist Charles Lloyd. One of his albums Lift Every Voice is in our Essential Elsewhere selection and frankly there are another couple we could slip in there without apology. Now 86, Lloyd brings even more quiet sensitivity and emotional care to his material as he... > Read more