Articles by Chris Rich
Eric Zinman's Excellent European Adventures
by Chris Rich
Eric Zinman goes to Europe each year on his own dime for a varying array of shoe string gigs with people who mean a lot to him as colleagues. He usually works with Mario Rechtern and people from a community in jny: Vienna that includes expatriate, Linda Sharrock. His most recent trip was especially gratifying as he is pleased to inform us. “For the first time Mario and I, with help from friends, were able to ...
read moreA Matthew Shipp Appreciation from Yuko Otomo
by Chris Rich
I'm always looking to introduce new people to The All About Jazz readership. Yuko Otomo provided an appreciation of Matthew Shipp from her perspective as a poet and visual artist. Let Ms. Otomo take it from here. Recently, I re-read Concerning the Spiritual in Art by Wassily Kandinsky. I don't remember how many times I've read this book. There are a few Bible-like books and writings (on art) that I return to whenever I have a ...
read moreStanley Jason Zappa's Epic Gig Trek
by Chris Rich
During the second week of June, saxophonist Stanley Jason Zappa undertook a fairly demanding performance trek with two colleagues, saxophonist Catherine Sikora and percussionist Nick Skrowaczewski. It began in the Okanagan wine region of southwestern British Columbia and concluded at the Casse Tete Festival at the inland city of Prince George, around 500 miles to the north. It was held at The Exploration Place between June 13th and 15th. Zappa provided a sense of the venue ...
read moreThe Barley Pub: New Hampshire's Jazz Epicenter
by Chris Rich
The rock club era was some strange evolutionary fail done in by its bombast and bloat.Jazz still suffers from the fern bar model, a hangover from disco days and proto yuppies with combo's pumping standards to fuel brunch and drinks gluttony or provide that perfect ambiance for conspicuous consumption evenings on the town.Beyond such pretensions, a restoration rises, the brew pub tavern with sturdy yeoman food elevated just a touch to make an experience of it.
read moreMatthew Shipp: Shipp Shifts
by Chris Rich
Pianist Matthew Shipp's artistic collaboration community is a counterpart to his business community. It is its own ecosystem of multidisciplinary work, scholarly conversations and mentorship.The TrioThe trio is Shipp's main vehicle. It is, by turns, his midnight train, his slow boat to China and a way of flying home. It takes a hike, rides a bike and covers lots of ground. It sails and it soars. And who can better describe it than the ensemble proprietor ...
read moreMatthew Shipp: Shipp Shape
by Chris Rich
Pianist Matthew Shipp is very keenly attuned to the details and nuances of what has to be the most forlorn and anemic environment imaginable for anything a sensible person would call business. Think of it as the sort of business ecosystem that resembles the least habitable places on earth, say a fumarole at the bottom of an ocean.While showbiz jazz at least has a small business infrastructure commensurate with a mid-level touring rock band, free jazz has no ...
read moreJacob William Quartet: Secondary Deviations
by Chris Rich
Jacob William made his way to the Boston area from Chennai, India. He made the music school rounds well after formative years in the homeland among his peers there. He cites reed multi- instrumentalist Anthony Braxton as an important mentor and makes a fabric of community in Boston over the course of his sojourns through Wesleyan, Berklee and New England Conservatory.He is now extending his participation in higher education with positions at Bridgewater State University and University of ...
read moreMatthew Shipp: Elastic Aspects
by Chris Rich
Elasticity is expressed throughout this Matthew Shipp trio release in the deftness of transitions, the focused investigations of central elements in music and a selection structure that has its own striking cohesion. The piano gets its elaborate discovery expedition with corresponding investigations from bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Whit Dickey. Recorded in July 2011, Elastic Aspects might be heard as a suite, beginning with a stretch toward free improvisation ("Alternative Aspects"), featuring Bisio's emphatic and overt bow ...
read moreTaylor Ho Bynum Sextet: Apparent Distance
by Chris Rich
Taylor Ho Bynum SextetApparent DistanceFirehouse 122011 Taylor Ho Bynum cuts to a cornet's chase with his declaration of intent, in the liner notes to Apparent Distance, a 2010 New Jazz Works commission grant from Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation:“My goal," he writes, “is not just to blur the lines between composition and improvisation (a long-time pursuit), but to try to upend the listeners' expectations in other ...
read moreWebsite Design Tips From Max Micheliov
by Chris Rich
Max Micheliov sent this to me last week and it is so well done I had to share it. Designing Websites for Musicians We are going to talk about some purely artistic aspects of building websites specifically for musicians. The article is intended for a wide audience interested in the subject. Hopefully this will help to avoid some of the most common mistakes. Musicians will find useful hints allowing them to make a conscious decision when ...
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