Articles by Carl Medsker
Bark Culture At Solar Myth
by Carl Medsker
Bark Culture Solar Myth Philadelphia, PAAugust 21, 2025 Midway through an extended road trip, Bark Culture returned to Solar Myth in their hometown of Philadelphia for an evening, taking the stage before a standing room only audience. Formed in 2021, Bark Culture is comprised of Brazilian ex-pat Victor Vieira--Branco on vibraphone, Joey Sullivan on percussion, John Moran on bass and recent addition Sam Yulsman on piano. The enthusiastic response to the opening introductions suggested a ...
Continue ReadingNick Finzer: The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1
by Carl Medsker
Listening chronologically to seven of Nick Finzer's preceding albums is enlightening and entertaining, making several aspects of his musicianship abundantly apparent. His trombone sound is full and expressive, his playing melodious and he can soulfully sing a ballad. Six albums, dating back to 2013, featured his highly talented sextet, a significant accomplishment that enhances the depth and confidence of the recordings. But Finzer's evolving skills in arranging his fresh compositions truly distinguish his work. He choreographs his bandmates amidst lovely ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Casimir: Balance
by Carl Medsker
The dynamic London underground jazz scene has produced a stellar roster of innovative musicians over the last decade or so. Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Binker Golding, Moses Boyd and Theon Cross, to name a few, meld bebop, hip hop, grime, reggae, dub, calypso, afrobeat and classical musics into fresh, novel hybrids. Bassist and rising star Daniel Casimir's milieu for his last two albums, Boxed In (Jazz Re:freshed, 2021) and Balance (Jazz Re:freshed, 2024), was a jazz orchestra plus strings. He ...
Continue ReadingJaleel Shaw: Painter Of The Invisible
by Carl Medsker
For twenty years, Jaleel Shaw has steadily built a robust career that includes a lengthy apprenticeship with Roy Haynes, steady work as an in-demand sideman and mentoring the next generation at the Manhattan School of Music. Painter Of The Invisible caps two years of significant events: Dave Holland enlisted him in his 2024 quartet along with Kris Davis and Nasheet Waits, after which he fronted a band at the 2024 Newport Jazz Festival for the first time. Then, in March ...
Continue ReadingSteve Nelson: Ceora
by Carl Medsker
For those who love the bright, ringing sound of the vibraphone, this is something of a golden age. In addition to an abundance of talented musicians dedicated exclusively to the vibraphone, numerous percussionists also employ mallet instruments over an expansive range of styles. On the double CD A Common Language (Timeless Records, 2025), veteran Steve Nelson interprets fifteen well-known standards accompanied by Joris Teepe on bass and Eric Ineke on drums. The trio setting allows Nelson to shine across a ...
Continue ReadingFreedom Art Quartet: First Dance
by Carl Medsker
Raucous, brash and freewheeling, First Dance by The Freedom Art Quartet is rooted in the past yet fresh and contemporary. The album should sound familiar to those who have ventured outside the mainstream and spent time with Ornette Coleman and the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Those forces are strong in the band, but labeling them retro avant-garde would be unfair and simplistic. There are echoes of New Orleans second lines, a heavy dose of the blues, post-bop elements, a nod ...
Continue ReadingDavid Ecker: How to Rebuild
by Carl Medsker
Attempting to enhance jazz with classical music trappings is nothing new and has previously yielded mixed results. Often, the music comes across as saccharine, or the strings serve as mere window dressing to add a faux classical touch. At best, when the two worlds are creatively combined, the emergent results are something new and vibrant. Frequently, though, the jazz component and its companion classical group alternate and support each other, which, although it can be beautiful at times, dodges the ...
Continue ReadingJames Brandon Lewis Quartet At Solar Myth
by Carl Medsker
James Brandon Lewis Quartet Solar Myth Philadelphia, PA June 9, 2025 Freshly minted album in hand, the James Brandon Lewis quartet filed down the center aisle of Solar Myth and took the stage before a sold-out, anticipatory audience. Then, they rocked the house, establishing themselves as a top-ranked, forward-looking power quartet. Boiling over with talent, they have honed their skills, empathy and group dynamics over five albums and five years together. Lewis, Aruán Ortiz (piano), ...
Continue ReadingEnsemble Novo At Mount Laurel Library
by Carl Medsker
Ensemble Novo Mount Laurel Library Mount Laurel, NJ June 8, 2025 In a spacious, windowed corner of the Mount Laurel, NJ public library (yes, library), amidst the Silent Zone signs, Ensemble Novo was anything but. The beautiful, sultry and sometimes melancholy sounds of Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova filled the room and drifted soothingly through the building. Since 2013, Ensemble Novo has visited the libraries, art galleries, parks, gardens, breweries and restaurants in ...
Continue ReadingBehn Gillece: Pivot Point
by Carl Medsker
Posi-Tone will have released 253 albums in its post-bop contemporary mainstream jazz space with Pivot Point by Behn Gillece. Maintaining freshness and avoiding formula could become a creative challenge for any such productive label, but Gillece avoids that potential pitfall through well-written songs, crafty arrangements and excellent musicianship. The sequencing of songs is also thoughtful, varying in meter, style and emotion. Pivot Point is sufficiently complex and intelligent to warrant multiple listenings, but is simultaneously lots of fun.
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