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- Record Label: International Anthem
- Release Date: Mar 7, 2025
- Summary: The latest full-length release from London-based saxophonist Alabaster DePlume features strings arrangements by Macie Stewart.
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- Record Label: International Anthem
- Genre(s): Jazz
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 10
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Mixed: 1 out of 10
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Negative: 0 out of 10
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Mar 4, 2025There’s no question DePlume is a remarkable saxophonist, his orchestral arrangements with International Anthem labelmate Macie Stewart are stunning, yet the appeal is a tenderness for the listener.
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UncutMar 4, 2025The closing "That Way My Garden" typifies playing of purposeful spiritual strength, crashing through into some great beyond. [Apr 2025, p.28]
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Mar 4, 2025DePlume composed, arranged and recorded each of the songs on A Blade. The result of a departure from his usual method of siphoning off the best parts of long improvised sessions, is a meticulous, focused record.
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Mar 6, 2025It’s more restrained [than 2022's GOLD] but just as urgent: a pen scratching out a manifesto rather than a rallying cry through a megaphone.
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Mar 25, 2025‘A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole’ shows an artist undertaking the onerous task of confronting his shadow, utilising his own experience to develop a work which depicts a sense of absolution and completion. DePlume succeeds greatly in this, grounded in elegance and fragility as he shares a journey that is crafted for a collective conscience.
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Apr 16, 2025It’s an introspective album less concerned with neatly categorizing music or a listener’s opinion. The talented and eccentric English jazz musician has produced a body of work for the purpose of self-actualization.
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Record CollectorMar 24, 2025A record built around contemplations on healing and taking on your demons isn't always a soothing ride, though - at times the quirky freak folk elements come to the fore, somewhat shaking up the ground for meditation. Still, A Blade Because A Blade Is Whole is a bold and successful attempt to express oneself as he is. [Apr 2025, p.102]