Articles by Anil Prasad
George Brooks: Global Conversations
by Anil Prasad
Being a musician isn't a career for saxophonist George Brooks, it's a journey. Navigating an expansive variety of Indian classical music-influenced environments is at the heart of his travels. Brooks is best known for leading Summit, a cross-cultural ensemble that includes bassist Kai Eckhardt, guitarist Fareed Haque, tabla hero Zakir Hussain and drummer Steve Smith. He recently released the group's second album, Spirit and Spice (Earth Brother, 2010), which augments the core lineup with collaborations with renowned Indian musicians such ...
Continue ReadingBunky Green: Urgency and Continuity
by Anil Prasad
Saxophonist Bunky Green bristles at the idea of playing by the rules. On more than one occasion, the Milwaukee, Wisconsin native was on his way to jazz stardom, but each time his principles guided him elsewhere. This is a significant reason why the highly influential musician has mostly remained unsung and out of the spotlight for decades, instead focusing his energies on his role as a leading jazz educator. For the past two decades, Green has served as the Director ...
Continue ReadingRudresh Mahanthappa: Hybrid Energy
by Anil Prasad
Rudresh Mahanthappa is a man on a mission. He's driven to integrate the saxophone into a vast panorama of settings far beyond its typical range. His output is often reflective of his Indian-American heritage, with an engaging hybrid approach that merges avant-jazz and South Asian elements. His current quartet, also consisting of microtonal guitarist David Fiuczynski, bassist François Moutin and drummer Dan Weiss, is emblematic of that direction. In addition to his own band, Mahanthappa leads or co-leads ...
Continue ReadingJoan Jeanrenaud: The Beat of the Moment
by Anil Prasad
Playing it safe is a concept in which cellist Joan Jeanrenaud has total disinterest. Her deep, varied career reflects a restless creative spirit that most recently manifested itself on Pop-Pop (Deconet, 2010), her duo album with producer and percussionist PC Muñoz. The disc seamlessly blends cello, classical, electronica, and hip-hop influences. But, perhaps, the most important element is fun, something Jeanrenaud and Muñoz clearly had a lot of when making the disc. Unlike Jeanrenaud's carefully-architected previous albums, Pop-Pop found her ...
Continue ReadingBarry Cleveland: Beyond Convention
by Anil Prasad
The personal is the political for guitarist and composer Barry Cleveland. That perspective is evident on Hologramatron (MoonJune, 2010), his new album featuring songs that serve as a response to the socio-political and religious narratives woven by the voices dominating today's 24-hour news cycles. Cleveland is unafraid of telling it exactly as he sees it, with lyrics that delve deep into the paradoxical viewpoints that inform the morass of modern partisan discourse.Hologramatron is only predictable in its unpredictability. ...
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