Articles by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Sylwester Ostrowski: Music As A Celebration Of Life
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Polish saxophonist Sylwester Ostrowski is not only a brilliant musician and producer, but an equally successful cultural promoter. In particular, he is the founder and organizer of the Szczecin Jazz Festival, a celebrated festival he organizes in his native city. As soon as he hit the road after the hiatus forced by the pandemic, we had the opportunity to meet him and talk about his very special projects, dreams and worldviews. All About Jazz: After a long, trying ...
Continue ReadingCamille Bertault: The Fine Art of Breaking Jazz Conventions
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
After achieving overnight notoriety thanks to a dazzling rendition of “Giant Steps" which went viral on Facebook, Camille Bertault has now established herself as one of the most original and genre-defying musicians on the scene. In Le Tigre (Okeh/Sony Music, 2020), her third album after the acclaim garnered by En Vie (Sunnyside Records, 2016) and Pas de Geant (Sunnyside Records, 2017), Bertault brings contemporary music towards brilliant new directions. All About Jazz: Le Tigre is an exceptionally intense ...
Continue ReadingSarah McKenzie: A Mysterious Thing Called Songwriting
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Secrets of My Heart is the fifth studio album of the Australian singer, composer and pianist Sarah McKenzie. Released in 2019, this album represents a joyous and uncanny combination of classical jazz standards and new original compositions with a brilliant fusion between jazz, blues and latin sounds. We took the opportunity of the European tour of Secrets of My Heart to speak to the Australian Jazz Bell Award-winning about the genesis of this album, the importance of songwriting and the ...
Continue ReadingMarc Urselli: Between Bolan and Willner, tradition and innovation
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
The wait is over. The much anticipated Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T-Rex has been released by BMG after a number of vicissitudes, not least the COVID-19 pandemic, which took the album's producer Hal Willner, on April 7, 2020, one day after his 64th birthday. Angelheaded Hipster was his swan song. In true Hal Willner fashion, this tribute project features countless Marc Bolan classics covered by a motley crew of artists, ranging from household names ...
Continue ReadingEmma-Jean Thackray: Utterly Unique
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer, band-leader, solo performer and DJ Emma-Jean Thackray is, simply put, one of the most talented and versatile young musicians around. After two acclaimed EPs (Ley Lines and Walrus), she started a collaboration with Makaya McCraven and other members of the Chicago jazz scene. Her single “Too Shy" was featured in both McCraven's Where We Come From (CHICAGOxLONDON Mixtape) and then on her own debut on the increasingly influential label International Anthem, a 12" vinyl which features ...
Continue ReadingCrosscurrents Trio: East meets West
by Emmanuel Di Tommaso
The Crosscurrents Trio is comprised of three master improvisers: Dave Holland, Zakir Hussain and Chris Potter. Emanating from a multicultral septet project, which was the brainchild of Zakir Hussain, the trio developed out of the desire to explore the cultural and musical connections between the East and the West. From this perspective, music is not only a form of self-expression but rather a way of understanding reality through the deepening of human relations based on mutual respect and dialogue.
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