Album Review: Children of Sound from Xander Naylor

-

 

 

Album:  Children of Sound
Artist:  Xander Naylor
Release Date:  April 21, 2026
Website:  https://www.xandernaylor.com

Jazz fusion guitarist Xander Naylor presents his 2026 release Children of Sound, once again exploring the symbiotic bond of jazz, improvisation, and North Indian Hindustani classical music.  Making music that is both fluid and complex, spontaneous and lyrical, upbeat and meditative, capricious and calming, sparse and layered, Naylor's compositions capture a melodicism found in polarizing facets through in-depth exploration and concerted exchanges.

Joining Naylor on the recording is his long-time mentor Samir Chatterjee on tabla, Utsav Lal on piano, Raphaël Pannier on drums, and Birsa Chatterjee on tenor saxophone.  Together, the quintet produces a lyricism laden with intriguing mysticism and cerebral magnetism.  The catchy motifs of "Future Curious" interpolate Indian accents into jazz-inspired expressions, as Lal's trickling keys offer glittery effects.  The soothing ambience of the title track is garbed in sprinkling keys and Chatterjee's fluid saxophone pouts, turning into flaring toots across "Internal External," contoured in percolating drumbeats and the elegant phrasing of Lal's keys.

The heavenly sensations of "The Gaunt Prospector" massage the aural senses, strapped in the soft swells of Chatterjee's saxophone, flexing an exotic lilt.  Combined by Naylor's ruminating guitar riffs and the gentle trembling of Pannier's drumming, the quintet creates a reflective atmosphere.  The pulsating beats of "Wild Harvest" glide into the tender musings of "Wait for the Big Fish, Part I," followed by the upbeat tremors of "Wait for the Big Fish, Part II."  Then closes the recording with Naylor's soft guitar strokes knitted along "Love Affair" and layered in Lal's dewy keys.  

The quintet communicates openly and spontaneously, connecting instinctively and cohesively.  The lyricism they produce is warm and soothing, bringing together musical cultures that result in a dimension of deeper harmony.

Musicans:
Xander Naylor - guitar
Samir Chatterjee - tabla 
Utsav Lal - piano
Raphaël Pannier - drums 
Birsa Chatterjee - tenor saxophone

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Album Review: Globetrotter from Luca di Luzio

-
Image
Album:  Globetrotter Artist:  Luca di Luzio Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.lucadiluzio.it   Guitarist Luca di Luzio's upcoming CD, Globetrotter  is an assortment of contemporary jazz tunes bridging funk, blues, soul, and Latin music.  Comprised of a few jazz standards and a handful of original works written by Luca di Luzio, a prolific guitar player who studied different styles of music, the recording expresses his personal vision of jazz guitar based on melody and groove.  Joining Di Luzio in his vision are bass guitarist Jimmy Haslip, drummer Dave Wecki, keyboardist George Whitty, and saxophonists Max Ionata and Alessandro Fariselli. From dance-funk numbers like "Jazzlife" and "Elisir" to the soft billows and reflective moods projected in "Smile" and " Buena Suerte," Di Luzio's artistry stems from his vision to make music that is aesthetically pleasing.  "Sunshower," a tune written by Kenny Barron, is a pr...
Read more

Album Review: Becoming Marlene Dietrich from Myriam Phiro

-
Image
Album:  Becoming Marlene Dietrich Artist:  Myriam Phiro Label:  Self-Released Website:  www.myriamphiro.com Smooth jazz vocalist Myriam Phiro introduces a new generation of music listeners to jazz standards that made Marlene Dietrich famous in her time from the 1920's to 1940's with Phiro's new release Becoming Marlene Dietrich .  Although Phiro immerses herself in melodies that had been Dietrich's trademark tunes, Phiro tailors the songs to her likeness.  Her illustrious mezzo-soprano register is higher on the vocal spectrum than Dietrich's contralto pitch, which stamps the tracks with her own unique nuances and inflections.  Her treatment of the verses is finessed with a distinctly soft, feminine touch and a delightfully, hypnotic resonance, setting her style apart from Dietrich's. Her vocals cradle the lyrics of "Quand L’Amour Meurt," written by Georges Crémieux and Octave Millandy, with a warmth that penetrates the listener's soul as Hyuna Park...
Read more

Album Review: The Ways In from James Zollar

-
Image
Album:  The Ways In Artist:  James Zollar Label:  Label: JZAZ Records Websites:  https://www.rsberkeley.com/james-zollar https://www.discogs.com/artist/954763-James-Zollar https://wyntonmarsalis.org/personnel/detail/james-zollar A straight-ahead jazz oeuvre, The Ways In from bandleader and trumpet player James Zollar resumes a quest where pioneers of the trumpet's sympathetic vibrations like Clifford Brown and Bill Coleman left off.  Zollar shows audiences the delightful, melodious tone of the trumpet, moving in harmony with an array of brass, woodwinds, and rhythm instruments. The robust wails of Zollar's trumpet strutting languidly along "Do Nothing 'till You Hear From Me" emotes an enduring personable trait, unwavering persistence in the face of being dejected.  The recording switches to a joyful atmosphere in "Swing Spring" with jangly beats from percussionist Chembo Corniel, interfacing with the buoyant ripples generated by Michael Rorby's trom...
Read more