The intriguing title of Microkingdom’s latest album, Three Compositions Of No Jazz, made me wonder if the Baltimore trio were making some kind of statement, serious or tongue-in-cheek, about their genre affiliations or how composed or improvised their music is. As it turns out, the title is a nod to both Anthony Braxton’s Three Compositions Of New Jazz and the ’70s post-punk “no wave” movement, and those reference points in and of themselves make a potent statement about where Microkingdom is coming from.

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J.E.L. recently came back to Mobtown to record a live in- the-studio EP. Killer jazz, no filler. Jay Seay on trumpet, Ezekiel Roebuck, Jr on piano and Larry Stokes on drums. Here are two of my favorite cuts:

Red Clay [Freddie Hubbard]

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Cherokee [Ray Noble]

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Last weekend, Jay Seay and his jazz quartet came in to track an extended EP. We used a ribbon mic on the trumpet to give it that vintage 1950s Blue Note aesthetic. To capture the upright bass, we used a combination of a contact mic at the bridge and a Neumann U87 at the bassist’s hands to capture the pluck of the strings.

We’ll be mixing the record later this month, but in the meantime, here’s a rough mix for your listening pleasure:

Milestones

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