Home » Jazz Articles » Gustavo Cortiñas
Jazz Articles about Gustavo Cortiñas
Juanjo López: Above, Beyond, Within
by Troy Dostert
In our troubling national moment of intensified nativism and ethnic fearmongering, it can be edifying to encounter the stories of people whose lives are directly affected by the current climate. One of them is Juanjo López, a guitarist now well-established in the Chicago scene but who came years ago to the United States with his family from Mexico. His story, reflected in his second release, Above, Beyond, Within, is about much more than geographic relocation, however. There is a strong ...
Continue ReadingGustavo Cortiñas: A Jazz Drummer's Call To Action
by Lawrence Peryer
Today, the Spotlight shines on drummer and composer Gustavo Cortiñas.Gustavo's latest album, The Crisis Knows No Borders (Desafío Candente Records), tackles climate change head-on through music that's both urgent and beautiful. Working with guitarist Dave Miller, saxophonist Jon Irabagon, and violinist Mark Feldman, he's created compositions that explore how global warming sparks conflicts, drives migration, and connects us all, whether we like it or not.The Chicago-based artist has built a career using jazz as a medium ...
Continue ReadingGustavo Cortiñas: The Crisis Knows No Borders
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer Gustavo Cortinas is one of Chicago's most imaginative and exciting composers. This is not solely due to his brilliant creativity but also because he explores socially aware and relevant themes. He has honed a unique style that is easily recognizable as his own. His sixth release as a leader, the superb The Crisis Knows No Border, is about the impact of human-made climate change. Cortinas leads his quartet through the 10 provocative and richly-textured, interlinked originals ...
Continue ReadingNew Releases From Cortiñas, Muñeses, Wexler And More
by Bob Osborne
On this show we have a variety of new releases including latin jazz, classical crossover, and, live cuts. In addition a re-release of a classic album from Keith Jarrett and a dip in the archive for music from John Abercrombie and Julius Hemphill. I also continue my deep dive into the recent re-releases of Ivo Perelman's Leo Records catalogue. Playlist Gustavo Cortiñas “The Basic Economy Farsity" from The Crisis Knows No Borders (Desafio Candente Records) 00:00 Matthew Muñeses ...
Continue ReadingGustavo Cortinas: Live in Chicago
by Hrayr Attarian
Chicago composer and drummer Gustavo Cortinas is a musician with a message, one of social justice. He delivers it in a style that fuses the melodic sensibilities of his ancestral Mexico with the complex syncopations of jazz. The exciting Live in Chicago documents an unedited, two-set concert that was recorded at Constellation Chicago on December 15, 2022. The quintet interprets ten Cortinas originals, some of which appeared on his magnum opus, the multifaceted and provocative Desafío Candente (Woolgathering, 2021).
Continue ReadingEmily Kuhn: Ghosts of Us
by Jerome Wilson
Emily Kuhn is a trumpet player from Chicago with a calm, lyrical tone whose music is influenced by the folk and classical worlds as well as jazz. That shows up strongly on the track “In Lieu of Certainty, Movement" here, where pianist Meghan Stagl keeps a rippling neo-classical melody going while Kuhn and guitarist Erik Skov solo in front of her with ever-increasing force and purpose. “When The World Is Young" begins with lovely drifting Spanish guitar from Skov before ...
Continue ReadingMatt Peterson: Better Worlds
by Hrayr Attarian
Chicago pianist Matt Peterson is a versatile artist who defies genres. He is both an accomplished, bop-based improviser as well as a sensitive interpreter of the Western classical tradition. Both elements of his style come together on the exuberant and captivating Better Worlds, a collection of 10 of his originals as well as a unique arrangement of The Beatles' “Blackbird." One of the highlights of the uniformly superb album is “Petrichor," which opens with Peterson's smoldering chords that ...
Continue Reading
