Jazz Articles
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Johnny Gandelsman: Hemingway
by Hrayr Attarian
Documentarian Ken Burns is an accomplished storyteller and on Hemingway he tackles the life of another masterful author, Ernest Hemingway. For the soundtrack of this intriguing, three-part film a group of genre-bending modern virtuosos perform nine mesmerizing originals. Released on award winning violinist Johnny Gandelsman's In A Circle label the album features, in addition to Gandeslman, several notable artists. The Latin flavored “Un Gitanito En La Habana,” composed by Venezeulan keyboardist Gonzalo Grau, mixes Afro-Cuban motifs with hints ...
read moreWu Man & Kojiro Umezaki: Flow.
by Hrayr Attarian
The various East Asian musical heritages share some similarities yet are distinct in many important aspects. Japanese-born, USA-based composer & shakuhachi (bamboo flute) player Kojiro Umezaki joins award-winning Chinese pipa (lute) virtuoso Wu Man for a set of enchanting solos and duets on the intimate Flow. Together they highlight those shared elements and beautifully contrast the differences. The album is made up of five impressionistic movements, four of which are named after the seasons of the year. Man ...
read moreSandeep Das and the Hum Ensemble: Delhi to Damascus
by Hrayr Attarian
Patna-born and Boston-based tabla virtuoso Sandeep Das has had a long collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. For his debut as a leader, the mesmerizing Delhi to Damascus, he has put together a program of Levantine and South Asian tunes. The group, which includes Das and three colleagues, is called the HUM Ensemble and it explores themes and motifs common between the two eastern traditions. Opening with a lyrical solo from oudist Kinan Adnawi, “Parvaaz-e Noor: ...
read moreMartin Hayes and Brooklyn Rider: The Butterfly
by Hrayr Attarian
The Butterfly is a colorful collaboration between the Irish fiddler Martin Hayes and the genre-bending New York based quartet, Brooklyn Rider. Interpretations of traditional folk songs make up the bulk of the release that also includes a composition by pianist Peadar Ó Riada and a Hayes original. The uniqueness of release lies in the exchanges between Hayes and the quartet. The former plays the melodies with vibrancy and a refreshingly personal style while the latter creates intricate tonal ambiences around ...
read moreLayale Chaker and Sarafand: Inner Rhyme
by Hrayr Attarian
Arabic poetry is the primary source of inspiration for Lebanese violinist and composer Layale Chaker's innovative and vibrant debut Inner Rhyme. Recorded in New York with her band Sarafand (named after a Palestinian village that was abandoned in 1948) this original music is full of subtle wit and sublime emotion. In crafting this exquisite album, Chaker transposes traditional Arabic poetic meters to rhythmic ones. She also draws upon her western classical training as well as her Levantine heritage ...
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