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Mike Allen: To a Star
by Jack Bowers
If you're a tenor saxophonist leading a piano-less trio, much of the group's melodic and harmonic components rest squarely on your shoulders. In spite of that--or perhaps because of it--Canadian tenor Mike Allen says he prefers working within that framework, as he has been doing for many years. If that is one's choice, he may as well recruit as comrades in arms the best bassist and drummer available. On To a Star, Allen has done precisely that, ...
read moreMike Allen: Just Like Magic
by Jack Bowers
Mike Allen is another in an apparently never-ending line of talented saxophonists who seem to emerge, from time to time, from the Canadian provinces to ensnare the hearts and earn the admiration not only of their fellow countrymen but jazz enthusiasts in other climes as well. On Just Like Magic, Allen leads a deft and experienced trio whose other members are bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash. In a program that encompasses five of his original ...
read moreMike Allen: Change Is
by David A. Orthmann
Despite a handful of excellent recordings of trios led by giants like Sonny Rollins, Elvin Jones, and Joe Lovano, the saxophone, bass, and drums configuration has not been a particularly successful ensemble within the jazz mainstream. Simply stated, it’s a tough act to pull off for an extended period of time, especially for less experienced musicians. The absence of harmonic guideposts normally provided by a piano or guitar (not to mention their contribution as an additional soloist) magnifies the presence ...
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