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Jazz Articles about Otmaro Ruiz
Jeff Richman: XYZ
by Jim Worsley
XYZ could perhaps reference any number of things. Sparing us that rabbit hole, in this case it references boundaries pushed to their fullest extent with some exceptional new music from fusion guitarist Jeff Richman. Richman's previous release, Sizzle (Nefer Records 2017) was/is a record that lives up to its name. There is something to be said about not putting out a record every eighteen months, twenty-four months, or any other calendar-driven period. It would seem that Richman threw away the ...
read moreStaci Griesbach: My George Jones Songbook
by William H. Snyder
Some might question why write an All About Jazz review of an album featuring songs made popular by George Jones? Duke Ellington had the answer when he said, There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind ... the only yardstick by which the result should be judged is simply that of how it sounds. If it sounds good it's successful; if it doesn't it has failed." Staci Griesbach and her colleagues have made good music ...
read moreJohannes Luley: Qitara
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Having made a name for himself with recent and ongoing progressive rock formation Perfect Beings, Johannes Luley released his debut record Tales From Sheepfather's Grove in 2013. While said effort was of rather mesmerizing and ambient nature, strongly inspired by Jon Anderson's Olias The Sunhillow, the guitarists current outing Qitara reflects his continuing explorations of the jazz world and the many possibilities of guitar manipulation. With the support of an impressive cast of musicians Luley has crafted a versatile collection ...
read moreOtmaro Ruiz: Sojourn
by Raul d'Gama Rose
The Chambers Dictionary describes the word sojourn" as a temporary residence or stay, as of one in a foreign land." Pianist Otmaro Ruiz's musical journey offers all the right cues for his Sojourn being so apt to document. Even though it gets somewhat personal at times, it is memorable for anyone interested in taking the journey with him. The obvious association of the word Sojourn" is where all of Ruiz's simplicity ends. He has a truly complex character, in the ...
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