Juniper - Slowly Rolling Camera (2018)
A prime example of what I call “concentration music.” Not too busy that you can’t also work on something else, but doesn’t fade entirely into the wallpaper. You can keep your head bobbing or your foot tapping (my hopes of learning this modern style of jazz drumming lead to some pretty frantic and not-particularly-in-time foot taps, but you have to start somewhere)
There has been an ton of music released in the last 15 to 20 years that fits into this same notch. Jazz purists might say that it doesn’t have much in common with jazz, but that all depends on how you look at it, and who you count as “real jazz.” It’s a chump’s game that I try to stay out of. I just dig it.
This is actually the band’s first all-instrumental record, after releasing a couple with a vocalist previously. There’s a nice mix of spacey and organic sounds that keep the texture varied from one track to the next.
Tracks I Liked
Helsinki - The band is Welsh, I think, but who doesn’t love Helsinki?
Nature’s Ratio - a nice little low key trumpet lead
Eight Days - a lovely stretched out track; one of two featuring the always-busy Mark Lockheart on sax
