Abstract Index Playlist - July 8/10

I've blogged about the Claudia Quintet, the best chamber jazz band in the world, before. With Royal Toast, they've done it again with another challenging and successful set of dense ensemble work that succeeds on every level.

Whether fiercely polyrhythmic or totally strung out and momentumless, the Claudias swing with an identifiably jazz feel, but are at ease with a dizzying array of genres and techniques.

What’s always so scary about this band is the songwriting: even if the listener may not know where the melodies are going, there is a distinct sound to each song to give it identity. And it’s so tough! Sample ready moments abound, whether in the dense, non-specific African textures of “Sphinx” or chillwave ready atmospheres of “Crane Merit” where minimalist breaks hang on for trancelike minutes at a time, like some post-rock fantasy gone mad. "American Standard", heard this week has a similar impact except with a syncopated cascade of notes from all members which turns the song inside out. Guest pianist Gary Versace fits right in on piano, adding to the percussive richness overall and another fiendish solo voice in full throttle rhythm fantasies like “Keramag”.

Podcast

it's about that time/willie nelson - miles davis (columbia)
american standard - the claudia quintet (cuneiform)
you talk too much - rudresh mahanthappa's indo-pak coalition (innova)
lal lal hothon pe - brass menazeri (porto franco)
pombaral - sao paolo underground (aesthetics usa)
caranito - peregoyo y su combo vacaná rmx by natural self (jus like)
batumata - nogdog & the bumps (no label)
hurt so bad - philly devotions rmx by dmitri from paris (bbe)
half moon - the swyannes (gallo)
tungalala - son palenque (soundway)
kid conga - leo justi & mc miltinho (no label)
clap trap - joe (hessle audio)
the origin - natural self rmx by eliphino (tru thoughts)
basta ya - el remolon feat. lido pimienta (zzk)
superpeople - earl sixteen (ariwa)
culture tree - i and i djangdan (bibim productions)
culture dub - echo (in tha chamber)
watcha - dub project 2 (m)
cave grill - arch m (no label)
palmflower black - mantrakid (urbnet)
free - bilal (plug research)
on a cloud - platinum pied pipers rmx by 14K (no label)
the U.N. plan - shafiq husayn (plug research)
yaya - mr. ok feat larose (masalacism)
war in the streets - webcam hi fi (no label)