MOONJUNE Records Infos

Dear MoonJune Friends
2013 was great for MoonJune Records, and I would like to remind You about 10 label’s releases that came out past year. MoonJune is about friendship and personal relationship with all musicians involved. It’s a label– a labor of love – releasing progressive music that explores boundaries of jazz, rock, avant-garde, ethno & the unknown. That philosophy will continue in 2014, and my next newsletter will reveal MoonJune‘s upcoming highlights.

If You click on the cd cover of each release, You can get more info about each album on MoonJune‘s website. Additionally, You can stream fully and for free, complete albums on MoonJune’s BandCamp page.

For those who are still into buying physical cds, MoonJune has a special cd sale until January 15: If You purchase 3-5 albums, You can receive additional album of Your choice for free. If You purchase 6-10 albums, You can receive additional 2 albums of Your choice for free. If You order more than 10 albums, the shipping is free and You can get additionally 3 albums of Your choice for free.
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Yours in Music
Happy New Year
Leonardo/MoonJune

DEWA BUDJANA “Joged Kahyangan”

Boasting a stellar lineup of modern jazz icons (Larry Goldings, Bob Mintzer, Jimmy Johnson, Peter Erskine, Janis Siegel), Indonesian guitar icon Dewa Budjana’s sixth solo album is a progressive jazz gem.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“There are whole passages where Dewa is notable by his absence, letting the rest of the guys take his music on a journey and he joins in with wonderfully fluid Metheny/McLaughlin style at just the right moment. It is a wonderfully restful album, one where time and space disappears and is replaced instead by a world filled with harmony, delicacy, and restrained power. Every piece is a classic in it’s own right, while the restraint of everyone involved in the vocal “As You Leave My Nest” is superb.” – Kev Rowland, Jazz Music Archives (5 stars)

“From start to finish, the album is arrayed with beautiful compositions and arrangements. Each musician is the perfect fit and Budjana shows himself equal to his company.” – Travis Rogers, Jazz Times

“All those guys can really play, and Budjana is quite impressive!” – Thierry Giard, Culture Jazz (France)

“While the jazz-rock often lacks in melody, that’s not the case with Dewa Budjana.” – Harry De Vries, Proglog Afterglow (Holland)

DUSAN JEVTOVIC “Am I Walking Wrong?”

The international debut of Serbian guitarist based in Barcelona, Spain, is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride: full of twists & turns you never see coming.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“Jevtovic is a guitar hero for those with little patience for the cliché histrionics that have come to define the field. While most ultra practitioners continually punctuate bold statements with speed and excess, Dusan tickles the ears with an overabundance of surprises and restraint.” – Rob Hudson, ModMove (Australia)

“Revelation! 
Totally undefined genre, trio’s music alternates contemplative atmospheres ethereal sonorities and meticulous overtones, furious odd rhythms with sharp dissonances and unleashed riffs.” – Felix Marciano, Jazz Magazine (France)

“Jevtović’s snarly tones and abrasive textures combined with his amazing fretwork are often reminiscent of the late Jimi Hendrix, perhaps without as much blues grounding, but still without being derivative in any way. His free-wheeling approach to guitar is intentionally thrashy and seemingly cavalier, but he nonetheless presents ten convincing instrumental compositions that cover a variety of styles that will have the listener hooked after the very first listen – guaranteed.” – Peter Thelen, Exposé Magazine (USA)

“With a sense for building dynamics, of rising from quiet to raising the roof, guitarist Dusan Jevtovic leads a trio around the paths blazed by Robert Fripp. … “…The sonic paths lead into the zone where dark metallic rock scrapes against jazz in a fusion more combustible than most of the music once marketed as fusion…”– Morton Shlabotnik, Shepherd Express(USA)

I KNOW YOU WELL MISS CLARA “Chapter One”

The adventurous young quartet from Indonesia: an unpretentious exploration into the nature of music & musical expression.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“It’s another nascent progressive jazz-rock band from Indonesia—with the idiosyncratic moniker—brought to us by Moonjune Records. The group sound and makeup tenders yet another slant from this region that to varying degrees, impart ethnocentric folk with Western musical concepts. With its debut, the young quartet’s rite of passage is largely centered on climactic buildups, spiced with dense and haunting phraseology, where they entwine an aggregation of moody passages and breezy interludes before zooming in for the kill.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz

“..quartet led by guitarist Reza Ryan distills the influences of the UK Canterbury Scene, American fusion, and surprisingly so for a rock-jazz band, posseses a whole lot of straight jazz sensibility. Even more astonishing that these guys are mastering the most perplexing, sophisticated corners of prog-fusion with this debut release. The unity and melodiousness of this group throughout the unprectible turns they take is startling. Moreover, the music has real emotion and organic flow. Chapter One is the beginning of some fantastic sonic book.” – Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews (USA)

“..intelligent, layered jazz rock…melodic, rhythmic ingenious, melancholic and exciting. Beautiful!” – Holly Moors, Moors Magazine (Holland)

“Chapter One discloses the type of child-like wonderment that pushes a grouping of musicians to deliver themselves from the “constriction of belonging”, for they easily survive tough tests most everywhere as far as multiple genres are concerned. Technically speaking, the guys are good-to-brilliant; and if a few imperfections are detectable here and there, they enrich the formula with a measure of healthy non-pretentiousness. “ – Massimo Ricci, Touching Extremes (Italy)

simakDIALOG “The 6th Story”

The Indonesian psychedelic progressive gamelan-jazz legends deliver their most powerful tale yet: an exquisite master-class rendering of equal parts elegance and intrigue. Riza Arshad drives the music on his magic Fender Rhodes followed by one of the most talented fusion guitarists today, Tohpati.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

What a great album this is. If you like Canterburyesque jazz rock but with a twist proceed with haste!” – Sid Smith, Sid Smith’s Postcards From The Yellow Room (UK)

“…the Sundanese kendangs are the real stars of the show. They don’t merely mold the rhythms, they’re very much involved in the harmonies, too, often playing along to the entangled sequence of notes that Arshad devises. The 6th Story is world-class world fusion because of the potent unifying of rhythm with harmony, composition with improvisation, and East with West.” – Victor Aaron, Something Else Reviews (USA)

“..exploratory solos from Arshad and Tohpati, the latter’s effects-laden axe breathing fire one moment and spacy the next. But even when the keys, guitar, bass, and metallic percussion accents knot up or jab outward, those complementary kendangs (which Afro-Caribbean and Latin jazz fans would likely find akin to congas), hard right and left in the stereo field, drive the music forward more understatedly than a conventional jazz or rock drum set, giving simakDialog’s fusion an utterly unique, intimate flavor. – Dave Lynch, All Music (4.5 stars review)

“..each of simakDialog’s members is a virtuoso of his own instrument, the band emphasize ensemble playing at its finest rather than technical flash, with individual skills put at the service of the composition rather than the other way round. (…) band features a trio of percussionists in the style of the traditional gamelan ensembles. The result is a uniquely warm sound with a remarkably natural flow, capable of flashes of angularity and even brief forays into noise, yet never overwrought. In addition, though each of simakDialog’s members is a virtuoso of his own instrument, the band emphasize ensemble playing at its finest rather than technical flash, with individual skills put at the service of the composition rather than the other way round.” – Raffaella Benvenuto Berry, Fire Of Unknown Origin (USA)

“Marvellous stuff! (…) some stellar individual playing and a lot of tight ensemble interplay, and it seems that here is yet another must-buy jazz fusion album.” – Roger Trenwith. DPRP (UK)

“Throughout the disc the musicianship is scintillating. The interplay between guitar and Rhodes piano is often quite riveting as the complex fills of both instruments compete for space usually with the percussion providing a steady backdrop. Often the band explores their improvisational side which contrasts nicely with their compositional form.” – Jon Neudorf, Sea of Tranquility (USA)

THE WRONG OBJECT “After The Exhibition”

The Belgian prog heavyweights return triumphantly to center stage, shattering the progressive jazz template and dancing madly on its remains.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“The sonic spectrum will be filled by devices that make sounds, bold sounds. Musical notes from vibrating steel and fibrous material. Notes from zeroes and ones and tangible forces being applied to all manner of receptive surfaces. It will redefine the term elasticity and the physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of an electric charge. It will also groove. The groove just mentioned with keep you rapt with counts not always divisible by even numbers and detours to unexpected realms of both wild and wilful origin. Through all this there will be a logic that will emerge and then settle in a previously unknown region of your mind. When all this is done and the change has been absorbed by both direct report and osmosis there will be the opportunity to live what you have learned. The next time you pick up that plank that you are so enamoured with, the one that you spend days with to the exclusion of all else, it will speak to you in a new voice.” – Rob Hudson, ModMove (Australia)

“With avowed influences including everyone from Mingus to Bartok, Soft Machine and Gong to Terje Rypdal, The Wrong Object are quintessential MoonJune artists, and After the Exhibition, with its rumbustious, uncompromising, full-on jazz-rock sound, could not reasonably be mistaken for the production of any other label. (…) tricksy ensemble passages, skilfully negotiated by a sharp-eared, fiercely interactive band, giving rise to a series of blisteringly eloquent Delville solos as well as powerful, gutsy contributions from the saxophones and keyboards. (…) this is an unequivocally enjoyable album from a full-throttle band at the top of its game.” – Sebastian Scotney, London Jazz News (UK)

“If ever there was an example of progressive music making that shows evidence, if any were needed, that long rambling excursions on barely developed themes are not necessarily the best way to grab a listener’s attention, then this marvellous record is it. If you are a fan of music that revels in the sheer joy of its creation without appearing in the slightest bit boastful or self-aggrandising, then you need to buy this and treat yourself!” – Roger Trenwith, DPRP (UK)

“After the Exhibition is as lively, intricate, vivid as anything else you’ve likely ever heard. There is an issue of meandering repetition (which seems to be inherent in the style), but if you’re into this kind of music, you’ll no doubt find The Wrong Object to be one of the most engaging acts still keeping avant-garde jazz alive.” – Jordan Blum, Sea Of Tranquility (USA)

DIALETO “The Last Tribe”

A “take no prisoners” progressive rock steamroller. From the opening chords, guitarist Nelson Coelho gives clear evidence that the band is ready to tread over new ground — and fully prepared to take it by force!
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“The Last Tribe (mixed and mastered by fellow paulista Fabio Golfetti of Violeta de Outono, who has recently joined Gong) will not fail to appeal to lovers of instrumental progressive rock, especially those who set a great store by technically proficient yet soulful guitar playing rather than lightning-fast shredding.” – Raffaella Benvenuto Berry, Fire of Unknown Origin (USA)

“A neat and essential album in terms of harmonic progressions, in many points it’s reaching spectacular sonic impact.” – Alfonso Tregua, La Luna Di Alfonso (Italy)

“An enjoyable album that puts Dialeto in the center of attention in progressive rock circuits.” – César Inca Mendoza Loyola, Autopoietican (Peru)

“Dialeto appears to have settled into a well defined sound as of 2013, utilizing a fairly vast canvas to craft their own brand of harder edged, instrumental progressive rock. Economic, sparse and effective on one hand yet richly layered with plentiful of details on the other, they merrily wander wherever they want to go, to the enjoyment of listeners with a taste for easily accessible music and challenging escapades both. A CD that should appeal to fans of progressive rock looking for something subtly different and occasionally demanding, especially those amongst that crowd who prefer their music to be of the instrumental variety.” – Olav Bjørnsen, Progressor (Norway)

“…another significant offshore discovery produced by [MoonJune] to complement its roster of well-established performers and time-honored bands. Nonetheless, Dialeto is a trio that possesses the goods to make a substantial impact.” – Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz (USA)

ALLAN HOLDSWORTH “FLATTire”

The ultimate guitar maestro’s album is subtitled “Music From A Non-Existent Movie,” and easily qualifies as one of his most mysterious, yet introspective works, and possibly one of the least appreciated and understood.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“Acquiring a new multitude of voices, fusion master unfolds one of the most unusual vistas of his career.” – Dmitri Epstein, DMME (Israel)

“Compositions are agile and highly melodic. Their allure can be quite infectious as the tunes unfurl their upbeat selves. The songs pursue a meandering path, toying with each inherent melody through animated diversions. A jazzy undercurrent can be found lurking in the structure of most of these tunes, lending a sobering element to the otherwise jovial mood the music has.” – Matt Howarth, Sonic Curiosity (USA)

“With his synthaxe, [Allan Holdsworth] emulates strings and horns with dusky chord-like voicings and employs a polyrhythmic digital drum groove that establishes a hearty momentum via a progressive- rock modality. With polytonal accents and instances of lament and jubilance, he injects trinkets of sound-sculpting maneuvers into this deceptively complex piece, paced with sinewy lines and his renowned legato phraseology. Holdsworth is a master at surging into perilous flights, while tempering the waters with mournful hooks. Indeed, it’s a many-sided piece that showcases one of several noteworthy compositions. This proficiently remastered product tenders an engaging alternative to his familiar artistry. It’s an album that fell through the cracks back in 2001 and thankfully available in its multihued splendor for the present.”– Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz (USA)

SOFT MACHINE LEGACY “Burden Of Proof”

Infectious grooves, undeniably hip vibes and sizzling performances dominate the outing, as the veteran British jazz-rock masters continue to break new ground and offer listeners yet more previously-unseen facets of their dynamic musical persona.
To stream the whole album please click => here.

“The combination of thoughtful improvisations, weighty themes and punchy arrangements suits John Etheridge (guitar), Roy Babbington (bass), John Marshall (drums) and Theo Travis (sax, flute, keyboards) very well indeed on their first studio outing. The brooding chug of Pump Room or Pie Chart’s bluesy growl find Babbington getting deep down into the groove with Marshall’s dead-on drumming. The joy in much of this album is in the rhythm section’s ability to find the heart of a piece. The simmering rise and fall of Crimson And Black is a masterclass in expressiveness without ever getting in the way. Etheridge’s potent mix of acerbic angularity lend a spritely yet raucous edge, offering a rocky counter-balance to Travis’s jazzy cogitations. _
The fingerprints of SML’s past is found on Hugh Hopper’s elegiac Kings and Queens. Welcome though it is, its inclusion raises the question whether this group need to reference its lineage at all. Burden Of Proof would in no way be a lesser album were this deservedly venerated composition omitted from the running order. It’s a confident band with nothing to prove; having found their own distinctive voice there’s no longer any need for them to be looking over their shoulder.”_ – Sid Smith, Sid Smith’s Postcards From The Yellow Room (UK)

(5 stars) “Burden of Proof is, to put it mildly, absolutely exquisite. These are four musicians who are masters of their craft, and truly at the top of their game, not only as soloists but as contributors in an actual band. They’ve put together here a collection of songs that basically has something for everyone; challenging jazz-fusion, adventurous prog-rock, bits of chaotic free-jazz, atmospheric instrumental pop-jazz, and even a little hard rock. Extraordinary!” – Peter Pardo, Sea Of Tranquility (USA)

“The Soft Machine Legacy satellite moves anyway on its own revolutions, broad in its scope and ambition, impacting the new with no fear and a considerably contagious strength of life fueled by a surprising juvenile joviality. What’s their secret? Probably how to handle the burden of proof!” – Pierre Tassone, Music By Mail (Denmark)