Shirantha Beddage - Departures [Rhea Records 006]

Put out on the circuit via the Canadian Rhea Records label on October 16th, 2k26 is "Departures", the latest - and fourth - full length album outing conceived by composer and sax player Shirantha Beddage, brought to life with additional contributions and the help of Kevin Turcotte, Florian Hoefner, Jodi Proznick and Jim Doxas on trumpet and flugelhorn, piano, bass and drums respectively. Clearly in touch with his Sri Lankan heritage Beddage and his musical entourage take on traditional Sri Lankan melodies and poetry in two out of the seven pieces on this 49 minutes spanning longplayer with the opening cut "Musaladi Vannama (The Hare)" indulging in a deep and spiritual carefully arranged take on Jazz that's detailed and intricate, yet not necessarily heavily demanding whereas "Ukusa Vannama (The Hawk)" focuses on deep sax driven melancholia and faint echoes of echoes of what could be described as a hint of a mediterranean / anatolian Blues feel at times. Furthermore pieces like "Circling" follow suit in a more grandiose sense, making the two piece brass section shine and the piano sparkle in a classy late night fashion, the driving title track "Departures" brings the groups Jazz approach to contemporary genre adjacent dancefloors with a good portion of innate Swing and a recognizable uptick in tempo whilst their take on Vernon Duke's "Autumn In New York" provides a calm, peaceful and deeply romantic closure for the dedicated fan and follower of Contemporary Jazz sounds just to name a few.

Album artwork on Instagram!