Articles by Neil Duggan
Meg Okura & Kevin Hays: Lingering
by Neil Duggan
Jazz albums that feature violin-piano duets are uncommon. With two instruments, the musicians need to synchronise at a deep level and if successful, they can elevate their performance and the listening experience from good to great. To achieve this they need to be receptive to every move the other makes. Each musician needs to be adept at quickly adopting a harmony or creating a counter melody. Those traits are fully exposed here, as no overdubs, filters or effects were used ...
read moreVasilis Xenopoulos Paul Edis Quartet: Feels Like Home
by Neil Duggan
The various meanings of home are the themes behind Feels Like Home--somewhere to belong to, a place to rejoin loved ones, a birthplace. This is the second album from Vasilis Xenopoulos and Paul Edis. They began playing together 20 years ago, when they both relocated to London to study. It follows on from A Narrow Escape (Paul Edis Music, 2016). Leading Greek saxophonist Xenopoulos is a flag-waver for straight-ahead jazz and can be found as co-leader of the ...
read moreTim Garland: Moment Of Departure
by Neil Duggan
For Tim Garland, the title, Moment of Departure, describes the “dive into the fresh unknown as improvisors, leaving the solid ground of what has been composed." Many of the tracks were inspired by the free-flowing artwork of Turkish painter Esra Kizir Gokcen. Her own migrant narrative provides the alternative meaning for the title. This combination of musical control and liberty has been at the heart of the Lighthouse Trio, who will mark their 20th anniversary in 2024. The ...
read moreFederico Chiarofonte: Underbrush
by Neil Duggan
Underbrush is the first project led by drummer and composer Federico Chiarofonte. The title is appropriate as it alludes to the undergrowth from which biological forms emerge, as well as a secure space where concepts can flourish. Those natural world elements are also reflected in many of the track titles, all eight of which were composed by Chiarofonte. Chiarofonte is among those imaginative drummers who take on leadership and compositional roles as well as their role as rhythm ...
read moreMaurizio Minardi: Invisible
by Neil Duggan
Success, if it is attained, comes quickly to only a small minority of musicians. Being in the right place at the right time is often a major factor. Others have a longer journey, one that involves a gradual refinement of their craft over a range of projects. It may take more time, but those experiences can be rewarding to the artist and to the listener. One artist who appears to be on such a journey is Italian composer, pianist and ...
read moreJustin Salisbury: Evergreen
by Neil Duggan
Where do you start if you want to play at Carnegie Hall? Growing up in the small town of Clatskanie, Oregon, is probably not the obvious choice. Pianist Justin Salisbury has certainly put in the miles, playing in France, Egypt, China, Cambodia, Italy and North America as well as Carnegie Hall. He was aided in that journey by a move to Boston to study at Berklee College and by learning from other pianists on the Boston scene, including Ray Santisi, ...
read moreBilly Marrows and Grande Família: Penelope
by Neil Duggan
London-based guitarist and composer Billy Marrows brings us a new 12-piece chamber-jazz ensemble, Grande Família. It is a family affair with members of his extended family and a wider circle of close friends and musical associates making up the group. Their debut album, Penelope, is released in memory of Marrows' mother, Penny. Most of the music was written by Marrows as a surprise for his mother during her battle with cancer. All proceeds go to World Child Cancer, a charity ...
read moreBlewitt: Exploring New Boundaries
by Neil Duggan
Formed with the intent of making a synthesis between classical music and jazz, Blewitt are an Italian trio, with Exploring New Boundaries being their debut album. That combination may have been their original intent, but along the way, they have added rock, avant-garde rhythms, jazz standards and strands of Mediterranean folk music to make an intriguing mix. Blewitt consists of pianist Stefano Proietti, bassist Oscar Cherici and drummer Gian Marco De Nisi. All the band contributed to the ...
read moreTrio HLK: Anthropometricks
by Neil Duggan
Albums featuring standards are fairly common. Trio HLK start with this approach and then bend and invert it to create their own musical dialect. All seven compositions on Anthropometricks use sections of jazz standards as their base. The trio then put these ingredients through their version of a musical blender to create something unique. As pianist and composer Richard Harrold says “Each piece is new but shards of the original can be glimpsed within." He does mean shards; these are ...
read moreOn a Limb: When the Skies Parted
by Neil Duggan
When the Skies Parted is the third album from the Cincinnati trio, On A Limb, but their first since they moved to New York in 2021. It follows on from Replaying the Tapes (Honestly Records, 2020). There are six tracks over the 45 minutes of the album, five composed by pianist Andrew Haug and one written by bassist Ethan Marsh. The trio is completed by drummer Charlie Schefft. Some of the compositions were developed during the pandemic, when they rehearsed ...
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