Anthony Calonico - Spacious Heart (Music From Memory) [Ambient Jazz ]

*** This blog post first appeared in TSMM's June 7th Newsletter, where you can get all the tips (and more) first ***

Music From Memory have been a long time label favourite since their auspicious inception back in 2013, and their ensuing journey has wound its way through all sorts of Balearic balminess, lysergic laziness and quietly deviant downtempo, and this new release from Anthony Caloncio is one of their finest releases to date.

So where is that line between cheese and tune? Caloncio flirts with Smooth FM rotation ignominy with the album opener “Ether”, but there’s serious depth to his crooning and the vintage drum machine adds some vintage private press charm to his ambient jazz schmaltz. He then gives the follow-up an impressive jazz infusion - trumpet, percussion and keys in cosmic harmony on the all-too-short “Hillside”. “Whispers” is ambient piano at its most gaseous - minimal improv’ meets heliumtronics; before he digs a bit deeper inside and reinforces his gentle voice with blue-eyed soulful depth on “Gray Glow.” And so the second half continues with no loss of quality or cohesion. Your new favourite ethereal singer pops up on two more cuts, and the instrumentals carry on their rarefied jazz, new age noodling, lightly stoned, unhurried and unworried way. Your new Sunday morning soundtrack awaits.

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Playlist Companion

Find Calonico in the Slow Balearic Playlist.