Clear Path Ensemble: Black Sand (2025)
Out of Wellington, this ensemble lead by multi-instrumentalist Cory Champion neatly fuse Afro-Cuban and Latin influences, West Coast cool jazz of the late 1950s, a little calypso and ambient electronica. And the piece Cascade d’Arts picked up Best Jazz Composition in mid-October. More damn fine local jazz in a bumper year.
Next: Clear Path Ensemble, Solar Eclipse; Devil’s Gate Outfit, When the Rivers Run Red
