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Jazz Articles about Michael Dessen

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Album Review

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Soundpath

Read "Soundpath" reviewed by Mark Corroto


If we alter President John F. Kennedy's 1962 moon spaceflight speech just a bit, it easily fits the big band adaptation of Muhal Richard Abrams' magnum opus Soundpath, “We choose to perform this composition not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept." Accepting the challenge was band leader Bobby Zankel and ...

2
Album Review

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Soundpath

Read "Soundpath" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala


Nel 2011 il sassofonista di Filadelfia Bobby Zankel, leader della big band The Warriors of the Wonderful Sound e promotore di laboratori di musica contemporanea, propose a Muhal Richard Abrams un lavoro compositivo che avrebbe dovuto essere affidato alla band, con la direzione dello stesso pianista. Operazioni di questo tipo erano già state realizzate da Zankel negli anni precedenti con le musiche per big band di Julius Hemphill, dirette da Marty Ehrlich, poi con composizioni di Rudresh Mahanthappa e Steve ...

10
Extended Analysis

Soundpath

Read "Soundpath" reviewed by Victor L. Schermer


Muhal Richard Abrams (1930-2017) was a revered pianist, composer and teacher of great capability and range who, in addition to his own achievements, inspired and influenced many jazz musicians in both the mainstream and avant-garde categories. Largely self-taught as a result of a personal decision to follow his own path, and early on pursuing church music, big band, blues, bebop and avant-garde jazz in his home city of jny: Chicago, he grasped music from its roots, and so was able ...

1
Album Review

Michael Dessen: Somewhere In The Upstream

Read "Somewhere In The Upstream" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala


L'organico di trio con trombone, contrabbasso e batteria non è particolarmente diffuso, ma può annoverare tra gli esempi più significativi la lunga, formidabile esperienza di Bass Drum Bone, in cui Ray Anderson, Mark Helias e Gerry Hemingway hanno scandagliato modalità espressive e dialogiche ad ampio raggio. Il trio guidato dal trombonista e sperimentatore di suoni Michael Dessen si inserisce con profitto su quella traccia, vista la vitalità e la già discreta longevità, con il primo dei quattro CD pubblicati dall'etichetta ...

73
Album Review

Michael Dessen Trio: Somewhere In The Upstream

Read "Somewhere In The Upstream" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Ace trombonist Michael Dessen is an imaginative technologist when incorporating artistically focused computer-generated sounds into his works as he once again disavows the tried and true with this all-star rhythm section. Complete with unorthodox flows and changeable rhythmic progressions, Dessen's zany and otherworldly live electronics permutations, along with some cosmic interference, offers an extra layer of excitement and curiousity. Essentially, the trio adds a phantasmagoric nuance to various movements throughout this program dedicated to the memory of jazz great, Yusef ...

9
Album Review

Michael Dessen Trio: Resonating Abstractions

Read "Resonating Abstractions" reviewed by Robert Bush


Michael Dessen is a slide-trombone virtuoso and computer musician of the highest order, and the music his trio crafts on Resonating Abstractions showcases his work as a composer in compelling fashion. Key to this success are the contributions from singular double-bassist Chris Tordini and the multi-rhythmic drums of Dan Weiss. Together they realize and expand the structures of Dessen's vision, aided by the live-sampled or algorithmic electronics on roughly half the tracks. “Grid After Grid," opens ...

Album Review

Mark Dresser Quintet: Nourishments

Read "Nourishments" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff


C'è il sax alto di Rudresh Mahanthappa a dettar legge nel brano che apre questo nuovo album del sessantunenne (il 26 settembre: auguri) bassista losangelino, per l'occasione alla testa di un quintetto ottimamente coeso entro cui si alternano due diversi batteristi. Ed è, quella di Mahanthappa, una voce iperaffermativa, viscerale, le cui scorribande solistiche (ma anche l'incidenza nei collettivi) segna massicciamente il lavoro, fino a farlo pendere qua e là fin troppo dalla sua parte. Il tratto è ora più ...


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