Articles by Hrayr Attarian
Gustavo Cortiñas: The Crisis Knows No Borders
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer Gustavo Cortinas is one of Chicago's most imaginative and exciting composers. This is not solely due to his brilliant creativity but also because he explores socially aware and relevant themes. He has honed a unique style that is easily recognizable as his own. His sixth release as a leader, the superb The Crisis Knows No Border, is about the impact of human-made climate change. Cortinas leads his quartet through the 10 provocative and richly-textured, interlinked originals ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman & Tyshawn Sorey: Parallel Aesthethics
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Ivo Perelman and drummer/pianist Tyshawn Sorey are two of the most imaginative improvisers on the creative music scene. Perelman, who thrives in small groups, particularly duets, is as prolific as he is innovative. Meanwhile, the versatile Sorey, who also composes, is a consummate experimenter who successfully embraces diverse styles. This meeting of brilliant minds results in the superb Parallel Aesthetics, a two-disc set of spontaneous musical conversations. The overall ambience is expectant and the exchanges vary from ...
Continue ReadingRyoko Ono: The Days
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Ryoko Ono may not be well known in the United States, yet she has been active for almost two decades in her hometown of Nagoya, Japan. Both as an independent artist and with her genre-defying ensemble Ryorchestra, Ono has recorded several superb albums. The haunting The Days, on the New York based Relative Pitch label, is her first US release. Made up of nine solos, most named after days of the week, this set is entirely improvised. ...
Continue ReadingKevin Fort: Everything I Love
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist Kevin Fort is a virtuoso improviser and an imaginative composer with a refreshingly novel style rooted firmly in the mainstream tradition. In addition to playing with several Chicago-area artists, Fort leads a cohesive trio that has created a unique, delightfully textured sound. It is mostly with this ensemble that he has recorded his four superb albums, the last of which is the disc at hand, the captivating Everything I Love. A mix of standards and Fort's originals, ...
Continue ReadingSohrab Saadat: SoSaLa: 1994-Live At CBGB
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist and composer Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi, who goes by the stage name SoSaLa, has had a fascinating and varied career. A musicians' rights advocate and label owner, Saadat was born in Zurich to Iranian parents and is currently based in New York. He, however, spent several years working in Tokyo. The provocative and captivating 1994-Live at CBGB comes from this phase of his life. Recorded at the storied club of the title with a Japanese quartet, the music is dubbed ...
Continue ReadingKeri Johnsrud / Shawn Maxwell: C8H10N4O2
by Hrayr Attarian
Vocalist Keri Johnsrud is a master of subtlety. She delivers intricate songs with elegance and grace, making them sound deceptively effortless. Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell is one of the most innovative members of the Chicago creative music scene. Both are also accomplished composers. All these elements make their collaborative effort C8H10N4O2 (the chemical formula for caffeine) stimulating and delightful. A concept album, C8H10N4O2 represents a hectic day. Bookending it are two takes of “Peace," one labeled “720 AM" and ...
Continue ReadingMichael McNeill: Barcode Poetry
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist Michael McNeill approaches music like an abstract painter. Thus his work is dynamic, multi-hued, and textured. The captivating Barcode Poetry, his fourth album as a leader, finds him expanding his palette with unorthodox instrumentation. His quartet includes, in addition to trumpeter Dave Ballou and percussionist Shelly Purdy, innovative pedal guitarist Susan Alcorn whose passing a few months after this music was recorded adds poignancy. “Timeigrant" opens with McNeill's percussive chords in a dramatic tone. Ballou echoes the ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman São Paulo Creative 4: Supernova
by Hrayr Attarian
On the imaginative Supernova intrepid saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins forces with three of his countrymen for a stimulating set of spontaneous music. The quartet calls itself the São Paulo Creative 4 and performs a seven-part suite that draws inspiration from celestial phenomena. The seamless flow of ideas from one reed player to the other and from one track to the next gives the album its thematic unity. The opening track, “White Dwarf," starts with a bluesy dirge that ...
Continue ReadingKaren Borca, Paul Murphy: Entwined
by Hrayr Attarian
Bassoonist Karen Borca has impeccable credentials, both as an improviser and performer. She was one of the groundbreaking pianist Cecil Taylor's students, and a large part of her recorded output has been in collaborative settings with other Taylor disciples. Most notably, Borca has appeared on four superb discs by her late husband, and Taylor's side man, saxophonist Jimmy Lyons. Given her impressive résumé, it is surprising that she has not appeared as a leader until Entwined (Relative Pitch, 2024).
Continue ReadingES Trio: The Foreign In Us
by Hrayr Attarian
German saxophonist and clarinetist Edith Steyer is a consummate improviser. Her spontaneously created work defies genres, blending jazz, ethnic, and Western classical influences. On April 6, 2023, Steyer appeared at the Elastic Arts venue in Chicago together with two of the city's most distinctive musicians, pianist Mabel Kwan and percussionist Michael Zerang. The material from this stimulating concert was soon afterward released as The Foreign In Us on the progressive label Relative Pitch. The album comprises five duos ...
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