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Jazz Articles about Rob Clearfield
Itamar Borochov: Arba
by Jerome Wilson
Trumpeter Itamar Borochov is originally from the Middle East but is part of the New York jazz scene. He plays a quarter-tone trumpet which helps bring an unusual expressiveness and calm to his sound, This is well-suited to the music he plays which is steeped in the chords and scales of the Mediterranean area where he grew up. Tracks such as “Abraham" and “What Broke You?" spotlight the ethereal beauty of Borochev's sound as he broods over Rob ...
read moreRob Clearfield and Quin Kirchner: Concentric Orbits
by Troy Dostert
Listeners familiar with the current Chicago jazz scene will need no introduction to pianist Rob Clearfield and drummer Quin Kirchner. Both have been intrinsic to others' projects over the years, such as Matt Ulery's Delicate Charms (Woolgathering, 2019) and Greg Ward's High Alert (Sugah Hoof, 2020), but their most prominent partnership to date is probably Kirchner's own The Shadows and the Light (Astral Spirits, 2020), an absorbing double album with infectious grooves galore, many of which were anchored by Clearfield's ...
read moreJoshua Jern Jazz Orchestra: Lockdown
by Jack Bowers
After taking a pleasant and romantic Midnight Stroll in 2019, trumpeter/composer Joshua Jern's Chicago-based Jazz Orchestra (like almost everyone else) began a coronavirus-decreed Lockdown but has emerged two years later from that self-imposed hiatus swinging harder and more often than ever. As before, most compositions and all arrangements are by Jern; and as before, the orchestra performs them with ardor and panache. This time around, however, there is a formidable new “weapon" on two tracks ("A Stretch ...
read moreCaroline Davis & Rob Clearfield PERSONA: Anthem
by Neri Pollastri
Disco di jazz moderno composto tutto da originali, con l'esclusione di “Miss Ann," omaggio a Eric Dolphy, Anthem ruota attorno alle personalità dei due leader, la sassofonista Caroline Davis e il pianista Rob Clearfield. Entrambi non ancora quarantenni, i due non sono ancora artisti di primissimo piano, ma hanno alle spalle diversi album a proprio nome e vantano collaborazioni interessanti: la Davis era ospite nell'ultimo disco pubblicato da Lee Konitz prima della scomparsa, Old Song New; Clearfield lo abbiamo apprezzato ...
read moreChad McCullough: Forward
by Paul Rauch
Trumpeter Chad McCullough has an identifiable sound—his striking, bold tonality, and his penchant for stark contrasts compositionally. His previous four releases on Origin Records, featured artists encountered during his tenure in the Pacific Northwest. His association with drummer and Origin founder, John Bishop, resulted in the formation of his quartet with Belgian pianist Bram Weijters. In two releases, Urban Nightingale (Origin, 2011), and Imaginary Sketches (Origin, 2011) he established a cerebral, pastoral sound of intriguing melodies presented in storyline fashion. ...
read moreChad McCullough: Forward
by Dan McClenaghan
Since his excellent recording debut under his own name, 2009's Dark Wood, Dark Water (Origin Records), trumpeter Chad McCullough has co-led a handful of forward-leaning discs with Belgian pianist Bram Weijters and one with Slovakian pianist Michal Vanoucek, in addition his work as sideman and his contributions to a few leaderless ensemble sets. Forward is just his second outing with his name on the album cover as the sole leader. His is a consistently strong catalog, but McCullough ...
read moreMatt Ulery: Delicate Charms
by Neri Pollastri
Nuovo album del contrabbassista chicagoano Matt Ulery, che riunisce in quintetto alcuni suoi frequenti collaboratori per realizzare un lavoro di brillante e articolato jazz moderno. La formazione vede il leader affiancato dal pianista Rob Clearfield e dal batterista Quin Kirchner, mentre la front line è composta dal sax contralto di Greg Ward e dal violino di Zach Brock, che con Ulery ha recentemente pubblicato l'ottimo Wonderment. L'ora abbondante di musica, tutta del contrabbassista, si suddivide in sette brani ...
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