Kelan Philip Cohran & The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Easily one of the best new releases of the year, American jazz legend Phil Cohran has worked with seven of his sons, the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, to put together this excellent collection of seven tracks.

Usually, the HBE are a little more swinging than many of the pieces on this album (aside from the rousing 'Cuernavaca'), as this album instead exposes a more pensive and introspective side of the group.

Some of these pieces are older, like 'Apsara', which was inspired by Jackie Kennedy's trip to Angkor Wat in the 60s, while others are quite new.

I feel I don't have the proper musical knowledge to express any learned discussion of this album, but I feel confident in saying that it's one of the more beautiful things I've listened to lately, and the knowledge that this is a family affair adds a dimension to the music that I might have otherwise overlooked.