AFJP - Post Bop Pawn Shop (2019)

Guitar teacher for the last 15 years at the Sherbrooke Cegep and brother of famed filmmaker Kim Nguyen, Annam Nguyen cultivates arts and jazz. For this new AFJP (diminutive of Annam’s Family Jazz Project) release, 4 years after Dim Sun Jazz, he offers us - with the help of his accomplices - a more or less modern version of bop. Far from de Grant Green or Joe Pass, reminding us of Fred Frith, as well as Nguyên Lê in his playing, this Post Bop Pawn Shop is invigorating, spicy, with just the right stuff to titillate your ears. As it's often the case, no standards here but some very personal compositions that showcase his work, the playing and the writing.

With drummer Simon Bergeron, bassist Jonathan Boudreau, saxophonist Thiago Ferté and a few surprise guests, such as trumpeter Rachel Therrien and keyboardist Gabriel Vinuela Pelletier, let's finally get into the heart of the matter. In his singular and sometimes slighly bit academic universe, the guitarist revisits with precision the essence of jazz on Nicky’s Reggae Groove, the heat of the bossa-nova on Used To Be Bossa highlighting trumpeter Rachel Therrien, which is a first in-studio meeting. In a registry that sits somewhere in between light rock and jazz, Hot Babe, the opening track is a nice intro. Jazz with rock grooves, typically contenmporary and highlighting the guitarist, as well as his musical friends.

Nice connected work, imaginative with well-thought poetic spaces. Bravo! - sortiesjazznights

Tracklist
1. Hot Babe (05:54)
2. Almost There (07:03)
3. Post Bop Pawn Shop (06:16)
4. Frigid-Air (08:15)
5. Nicky's Reggae Groove (07:03)
6. Out of Credit (06:31)
7. Used to Be a Bossa (05:46)
8. Gossip (07:46)
9. Juju (08:18)
10. Winter's Coming (04:00)