Since 2012, British musician Angus Fairbarn, aka Alabaster DePlume, has slowly but surely been constructing his own unique opus in which he is completely free to do as he pleases: he sings, plays the saxophone, talks, wanders around… Seeing his name in the International Anthem roster is encouraging (it’s a label he shares with Makaya McCraven, Jaimie Branch, Ben LaMar Gay, Angel Bat Dawid and Jeff Parker), and sets the tone for his music which often sounds similar to the late Arthur Russell’s. Completely off the wall, To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol.1 brings together eleven instrumentals recorded over the course of eight years, which borrows from various styles, including intimate jazz, folk, Oriental music, soundtracks to animated Japanese films and a whole host of other elements that, when assembled together, form an image based on storytelling, travelling and sharing. A strange but beautiful kind of jazz. ©️ Max Dembo/Qobuz