Articles by John Barron

Jim Rotondi: 1000 Rainbows

by John Barron
August 6, 2010

On his third release as a leader for Posi-Tone Records, acclaimed trumpeter Jim Rotondi leads a stellar quintet of New York heavy-hitters on a straight-ahead presentation of original compositions and standard fare. Featuring the unremitting vibraphone work of Joe Locke, 1000 Rainbows swings hard through up-tempo burners, ballads and laid-back funk grooves. Rotondi and Locke are as like-minded as they come, unraveling shapely bebop- style lines full of vigor and surprise. The two, plus pianist Danny Grissett, ...

Rich Corpolongo Trio: Get Happy

by John Barron
July 26, 2010

Tenor saxophonist Rich Corpolongo is a well-known figure on the Chicago jazz scene, having performed for decades with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé and drummer Barrett Deems' big band. An author of four books on improvisation, Corpolongo is known for exploring a variety of jazz styles, from standard swing to avant-garde. For Get Happy, his third release on Delmark Records, the veteran reed man recalls the piano-less trio sound of tenor giant Sonny Rollins, with a straight-ahead live ...

Nadav Snir-Zelniker: Thinking Out Loud

by John Barron
July 25, 2010

Israeli-drummer Nadav Snir-Zelniker approaches straight-ahead, swinging jazz with a joyful spirit on his debut recording Thinking Out Loud. From the opening notes of “Pizmon Layakinton (Song for Hyacinth)" anchored by veteran bassist Todd Coolman, the disc presents a trio sound sensitive to group communication and exceptional individualism. Pianist Ted Rosenthal guides the trio through an exquisite ride through ten tracks comprised of well-known standards and originals. Demonstrating a thorough understanding of the jazz drumming tradition, Snir- Zelniker creates ...

Ken Fowser / Behn Gillece: Little Echo

by John Barron
July 19, 2010

Tenor saxophonist Ken Fowser and vibraphonist Behn Gillece have been performing together since the 1990s as teenagers growing up outside of Philadelphia. Now residents of New York City, the two host a weekly jam session at Smalls Jazz Club where they've had the opportunity to perform with an A-list of jazz performers. Little Echo, the follow up to their critically acclaimed 2009 debut Full View (Posi-Tone), puts a modern twist on classic hard bop sounds with a swinging quintet performing ...

Danilo Perez: Providencia

by John Barron
July 13, 2010

Inspired by the wonderment and challenge of contributing to a healthy future for his two daughters, Panamanian pianist Danilo Pérez presents an eleven-track suite of globally conscious music, fusing elements of jazz, classical and Latin American folk music. Providencia, Pérez's debut for Mack Avenue Records, is an ambitious project, incorporating his longtime trio-mates, bassist Ben Street and drummer Adam Cruz, with an eclectic cast of guest musicians. The result is a genre-defying foray into highly-structured compositions heightened by intense improvising. ...

Archie Shepp: The New York Contemporary Five

by John Barron
July 8, 2010

Although saxophonist Archie Shepp is listed as the leader of this release, The New York Contemporary Five was really a collective; a short-lived, free jazz super-group from the early 1960s. The band, with a front line of Shepp, cornetist Don Cherry and alto saxophonist John Tchicai, was recorded live at the famed Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 15, 1963. Originally released as a two-volume set on the Sonet label, volume one of that set is reissued here for ...

Jimmy Dawkins Presents: The LERIC Story

by John Barron
June 28, 2010

During the 1980s, Chicago blues musician Jimmy Dawkins ran his own label, LERIC Records, producing original 45s by artists entrenched in the local club scene. Now these sides have been released for the first time on CD by Delmark Records as The LERIC Story, revealing the traditional and soul-influenced sounds of a dynamic group of vocal stylists and chronicling an under-appreciated era of Chicago blues. Many of the artists represented on this collection fell into obscurity and despite ...

Mikrokolektyw: Revisit

by John Barron
June 26, 2010

The Polish avant-jazz duo Mikrokolektyw has been creating a buzz on the European music scene for the last few years. Consisting of trumpeter Artur Majewski and drummer Kuba Suchar, the duo explores improvisations of the moment over electronic rhythm loops on the eleven-track disc Revisit. Having shared the stage with high-profile Chicago musicians like Fred Anderson, Nicole Mitchell and Rob Mazurek, it seems fitting that Mikrokolektyw is the first ever European jazz group to record for Chicago's Delmark Records.

The ...

Nathan Eklund Group: Coin Flip

by John Barron
June 25, 2010

NewYork-based trumpeter/composer Nathan Eklund assembles a fiery, swinging quintet for Coin Flip, his fourth release as a leader and first for Seattle's OA2 Records. The nine track disc is as much a showcase for Eklund's convincing abilities as a composer and arranger as it is for his dynamic trumpet playing. Eklund demonstrates an immense trumpet tone with technical agility, rooted in the post-bop tradition. Echoes of the late trumpet giants Freddie Hubbard and Woody Shaw can be heard ...

Wolfgang Muthspiel / Mick Goodrick: Live at the Jazz Standard

by John Barron
June 23, 2010

Guitarists Wolfgang Muthspiel and Mick Goodrick are two like-minded explorers of fretboard possibilities. Goodrick, the elder, has been a renowned performer and educator for over forty years, working with the likes of Gary Burton, Jack DeJohnette and Steve Swallow. Muthspiel, Goodrick's former student at Berklee College of Music has performed with Peter Erskine, Paul Motian and Norwegian jazz singer Rebekka Bakken, among others. On Live at the Jazz Standard, an intimate duo recording from 2008, both guitarists generate ...