Native - Futurism (2009) / jazz, сontemporary jazz

With the release of Futurism, native celebrate ten years of making music and for their fifth album they have really pulled out the stops to produce something special. The opening track is the very catchy Skydive, a great dance tune with a soaring soprano sax riff that is achingly familiar even on the first listen, and it's bound to become a mainstay of their live set like their classic tune Diva. It's also one of three tracks on the album where the band is accompanied by strings, creating a full and lush sound.

After the Opening Session interlude, the uptempo tracks continue, firstly with the flute-driven Shine and then the Latin-tinged Blow Up The Jazz!, which has dancefloor written all over it. Just a few tracks into the album and there is already so much to like.

The band take a breather for a couple of tracks with Moon Breath, a nice string-laden waltz and Real Friend, a cafe-style number. For me, though, the band are at their best when they move up a gear and the next portion of the album features three strong tracks ~ a version of Charlie Parker's My Little Suede Shoes, the flute-led Radionics and the title track, Futurism, again featuring string accompaniment.

Moonless Planet is a beautiful downtempo track with some great sax and evidence that Tomoyoshi Nakamura is not just an accomplished player, but also a very capable composer who is continually improving.