Articles by David Lighton
Will Vinson: Stockholm Syndrome
by David Lighton
Saxophonist Will Vinson performs the oft-attempted but rarely accomplished feat of producing fresh and original music with an open affection for tradition. He carefully walks the tightrope, all the while risking falling--on one side into shallow mimicry, and on the other into art music. Stockholm Syndrome--Vinson's first Criss Cross release and an appropriately heady mixture of standards and originals--finds the alto saxophonist developing a distinct and personal lyricism. The album brings together five of New York's best ...
read moreWill Vinson: The World (Through My Shoes)
by David Lighton
Recorded at Freddy's Back Room in Brooklyn, The World (Through My Shoes) marks alto saxophonist Will Vinson's first live release. The music, documented over two nights, offers a genuine portrait of a working band creating distinctive contemporary music. The core of the program is comprised of Vinson originals. His writing and arranging display a keen respect for the jazz tradition, as well as an obvious fluency in the current jazz languages. Most important, however, his tuneful arrangements ...
read moreAssaf Kehati, Billy Hart, & Noam Weisenberg: Trio Music
by David Lighton
Assaf Kehati Trio featuring Billy Hart Twins Jazz Washington, D.C. June 5, 2010
In recent years, the guitar trio--with bass and drums--has reached mythic status. Once an obscure instrumentation, the setting has been elevated to new heights by young guitarists seeking the kind of interplay for which the piano trio is so lauded--the very interplay so written about that it has become a cliché to even mention. After all, who has not read ...
read moreMarcus Strickland at Bohemian Caverns, Washington, D.C.
by David Lighton
Marcus Strickland TrioBohemian CavernsWashington, D.C.May 1, 2010
The current stream of tenor saxophonists is often lamented by older generations of musicians and fans alike as decidedly postmodern: producing artifice over art. And while this has been a frequent, and often unfounded critique of the old guard's throughout the history of the music, it perhaps has new resonance today. Technique has reached ever-dazzling heights in the advent of the super-musician. As such, it is not surprising that Chris ...
read moreLage Lund: Unlikely Stories
by David Lighton
It is a great pleasure to watch the evolution of a musician--to witness the synthesis and refinement of ideas. And so it has been the case with Norwegian-born guitarist Lage Lund--who, in three short years of recording as a leader, has arrived at a new creative plateau. Lund's first two recordings, Standards (Self Produced, 2007), and Early Songs (Criss Cross, 2008), displayed the guitarist's uniquely current sense of swing, and considerable technique. They cemented his burgeoning reputation as ...
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