Articles by Joshua Weiner
At The Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings
by Joshua Weiner
Pianist Keith Jarrett is the only artist with his own subheading on the main menu of ECM Records' new US website. That attests to his fruitful association, beginning in 1971 and continuing to the present day, with the independent German label known for its dedication to artistic freedom and beautiful sound. Though a series of strokes has sadly silenced Jarrett since 2018, ECM continues to enrich his discography with both new releases (a series of 2016 European concert recordings, including ...
Continue ReadingIgor Willcox Quartet: Time Traveller
by Joshua Weiner
Brazilian drummer Igor Willcox is the descendant of a multi-generational family of musicians, with a conductor-arranger father and vocalist mother. With Swiss phenom Jojo Mayer as a teacher and three decades of performing under his belt, it is perhaps not surprising that Willcox's playing is superb. What astonishes on the Igor Willcox Quartet's fusion album Time Traveller is the quality of the compositions, the rapport of the musicians and the clear but muscular sound quality. Instrumental pyrotechnics abound, but always ...
Continue ReadingPiano Four-té: Keyboard Masters Delight On A Quartet of ECM Luminessence Vinyl Reissues
by Joshua Weiner
Blue Note. Verve. Impulse! Prestige. Just saying the name of such storied jazz record labels immediately conjures up each one's distinct aesthetic, from the music to the cover art. Over the past half century, the German ECM label has earned its place in this pantheon by steadfastly following its own vision, perhaps best summed up by its motto: “the most beautiful sound next to silence." ECM's “Luminessence" vinyl reissue series pays tribute to the label's impressive legacy. Its most historic ...
Continue ReadingThe Sun Rises Again on Strata-East Records
by Joshua Weiner
Fans of classic post-bop, avant-garde, and spiritual jazz rejoiced at the news of Mack Avenue Music Group's partnership with Strata-East Records, a pioneering independent label founded in 1971 by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell. Many Strata-East releases are being reissued on CDs, deluxe all-analogue vinyl LP packages, and digitally through streaming services, many for the first time since their original issue. The first pair of vinyl reissues, mastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearant Audio directly from the original ...
Continue ReadingVince Guaraldi: It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!
by Joshua Weiner
The series of complete Peanuts television special soundtracks put out by Lee Mendelson Film Productions continues to thrill fans of Vince Guaraldi, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the gang. After the highly successful Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving animated specials, the stage was set for 1974's It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! Recorded over two days at Wally Heider Studios in Guaraldi's hometown of San Francisco, the soundtrack--resurrected for the first time from the 16-track master tape and freshly mixed--features the ...
Continue ReadingPosi-Tone Swingtet: In Jazz We Trust
by Joshua Weiner
The Posi-Tone Records label, founded and run by producer Marc Free and engineer Nick O'Toole, celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2025. Given the many upheavals in the music business since 1995--the rise of file sharing, the introduction of iTunes, iPod, and iPhone, the decline of the compact disc concomitant with the rise of streaming services, the shrinking influence of major labels with the rise of self-released music, and the recent rediscovery of vinyl--the label is justly proud not only to ...
Continue ReadingLarry Goldings: I Will
by Joshua Weiner
Larry Goldings is best known as an organist with a particular gift for bass lines, as exhibited on high-profile releases such as the Grammy-winning Trio Beyond--Saudades with Jack DeJohnette and John Scofield (ECM, 2007). Nevertheless, he trained as a classical pianist and has stuck to the 88's for several recordings, including well-regarded work with Jim Hall and 1997's Awareness (Warner Brothers), with bassist Larry Grenadier and Paul Motian on drums. Arriving nearly three decades later, Golding's piano trio album I ...
Continue ReadingJazz, Gnu and New: ECM Reissues To Excite Vinyl Fans
by Joshua Weiner
ECM's “Luminessence" series pays tribute to the impressive legacy of Manfred Eicher's label, founded in Germany in 1969. Several of its most historic and beloved releases are being reissued on audiophile vinyl cut from the original analog tapes (or, in the case of more recent albums, from high-resolution digital masters) and presented in heavy gatefold sleeves with original artwork along with additional photos and liner notes. The vinyl pressings are flat, glossy, and nearly flawless, and the sound that Eicher ...
Continue ReadingVince Guaraldi: Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown
by Joshua Weiner
The series of complete Peanuts television special soundtracks put out by Lee Mendelson Film Productions continues to provide a treasure trove of musical delights for fans of Vince Guaraldi, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the gang. Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown came out in 1975, and it certainly sounds like it, thanks to the expanded palette of instruments available to Guaraldi. In addition to the piano and electric piano featured on earlier specials, we hear the new ARP Solina String ...
Continue ReadingGeorge Cables: I Hear Echoes
by Joshua Weiner
Pianist George Cables has released a steady stream of albums as a leader since the mid-1970s, but may be best known to listeners as a stalwart side man whose contributions to a slew of classic records by the likes of Freddie Hubbard, Art Pepper, Dexter Gordon, Bobby Hutcherson, Joe Henderson and Woody Shaw never fail to enliven the proceedings. I Hear Echoes, another in a string of strong releases on High Note Records, was released on his 80th birthday, though ...
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