Paper Can't Wrap Fire

メルボルン/ナーム出身のマルチ奏者、ドン・グローリによる2025年新作『Paper Can't Wrap Fire』がMr.Bongoからリリース。ジャズ/ソウル/ファンクを融合させた作品。

The third album of throwback fusion and funky soul from Don Glori, 2025s Paper Cant Wrap Fire is a feel-good summer jazz album. The stage name of Australian-born, London-based bassist and multi-instrumentalist Gordon Li, Don Glori has carved out a niche on the international nu jazz scene with his evocative, vintage-inspired grooves. These are the kinds of organic, club-friendly tracks that artists like George Duke, Lonnie Liston-Smith, and George Benson pumped out in the 70s and 80s. As Don Glori, Li crafts his own infectious songs that build upon the warm, analog vibe of those original LPs, but with a freshness and immediacy that feels genuine. While Glori impressively plays a plethora of instruments on his album, including bass, synths, percussion, and more, he also has a knack for picking collaborators who help bring his songs to life. Singer ML Hall comes on board for the romantic "Brown Eyes" and "Janet," urbane midtempo jams that wouldnt sound out of place on a classic Al Jarreau session. Similarly, Hall and singer Bianca Kyriacou team up on the hip-hop jazz-inspired "Flicker," harmonizing against a clipped beat and punchy, hard bop horn riffs. Whats also impressive about Gloris work is how, much like the original artists who inspired him, he nicely contrasts his more pop-oriented material with exploratory forays into improvisational jazz. To these ends, we get the driving modalism of "Song for Ants" and the tropical, Gato Barbieri-esque bossa nova of "Precious," both of which feature hard-swinging and throaty performances from tenor saxophonist Lachlan Thompson. If a global jazz fusion party is the mood you seek, Don Gloris Paper Cant Wrap Fire will get you there. ~ Matt Collar