Articles by Martin Gladu

Paul Motian / Chris Potter / Jason Moran: Lost In A Dream

by Martin Gladu
May 23, 2010

Flitting like drunken fireflies, luminescent tones flutter out of a saxophone, tracing capricious, spasmodic lines. In the background, washes of cymbals and softly-brushed snare sweeps weave discretely fine-spun rhythms around a shy piano that is busy rocking drowsy chords to sleep. Fragmented, almost to the point of abstraction, the music nevertheless expands, ebb and flowing placidly like sea waves licking at a sandy beach, pulse-less yet its life beating strong.If a modernist spin on the old cubist aesthetic ...

Ralph Towner / Paolo Fesu: Chiaroscuro

by Martin Gladu
May 4, 2010

In a stuffed, empty room, rays of moonlight spill through a cobwebbed window and come licking a tired hardwood floor to the feet of an old, stiff chair. On it, the silhouette of a guitar; its strings, silent. At its side, a second chair with an embossed trumpet planted alongside a lonely music stand completes the tableau. Music was made in this imaginary place. But the tones have since vanished in the still air, leaving a feeling of nostalgia and ...

Chris Cheek / Victor Prieto: Rollo Coaster

by Martin Gladu
March 17, 2010

Chances are you have never heard the accordion played the way Victor Prieto plays it. Indeed, much like Toots Thielemans established the harmonica in the jazz lore huffing and puffing bop lines through his teeth, Prieto breaks the glass ceiling hovering above the crown of Cyrillus Demian's patented invention, squeezing improvised airs with a technical assurance that deserves more widespread recognition.Long known for catapulting the French valse musette, the Bohemian polka, the French-Canadian reels, and the festive music ...

Sam Sadigursky: Words Project III Miniatures

by Martin Gladu
March 16, 2010

There is something of genius in Sam Sadigursky's musical poeticizing. Indeed, besides his knack for casting the most uncanny yet perfect voices for his eclectic and at times Kafka-esque sets, the Brooklyn-based reedman/composer is rapidly becoming the beacon of modern jazz-informed musical prosody. In this capacity, he replenishes the dormant format with a daring, integrated approach to composition, cadence and arranging, while remaining creatively respectful towards the texts he sets to music. As unsettling as some of his arrangements may ...

The Trio: Live @ Charlie O's

by Martin Gladu
March 4, 2010

There are a myriad of different opportunities for in-demand drummer Peter Erskine to invest himself in, both as a musician and as an entrepreneur. Why then would he elect to bivouac at a local bar to play standards? Well, it may have something to do with the fact that that's what jazz is; jamming on show tunes in venues where you can just drop in any night of the week and listen to or make music for a motley crew.

Let's Do It!: Recordings by Mark Egan, Carl Fischer and Terje Lie

by Martin Gladu
February 23, 2010

The great Miles Davis did it. Chick Corea did it with different groups. Michael Brecker did it with family. Even the educated John Scofield did it. Not to mention Mike Stern. They all did it and we lauded them for it. Most college big bands in America reserve some time in their sets to do it. Even the electrifying Chris Potter regularly lets loose and does it.Nothing more natural than getting busy on a steady, thrusting groove and ...

Emilio Solla & The Tango Jazz Conspiracy: Bien Sur!

by Martin Gladu
February 3, 2010

Things are rarely as they initially appear, as if the eye--and by extension, the written word--is but a trickster requiring closer scrutinizing. Saint Bernard of Clairvaux was indeed right when he claimed “If you wish to see, listen; hearing is a step towards vision."Take for example Bien Sur!, by pianist Emilio Solla and his Tango Jazz Conspiracy band. If the pairing of the stately Argentinean dance with jazz in the same breath is an instantaneous turnoff, read on ...

Ike Sturm: JazzMass

by Martin Gladu
November 23, 2009

Ike SturmJazzMassSelf Produced2009

Ask any jazz fans if he or she knows “When The Saints Go Marching In" or John Coltrane's anthem “A Love Supreme" and you will most probably get an affirmative nod. Those versed in the music's history might even know Duke Ellington's “Come Sunday" or his Grammy Award-winning piece “In The Beginning, God." Yet the idea of jazz as a sacred art form has not found a place in ...

Taking The Chill Out Of Autumn: Arturo O'Farrill, Mario Adnet and Somi

by Martin Gladu
November 1, 2009

Northerners are like squirrels. Come winter, northerners transform into creatures akin to the squirrel. Stocking up on the last ray of sunlight, natural warmth and high-protein goodies while the increasingly cold winds strip the trees of their multicoloured coats. Northerners adopt the fluffy-tailed creature's autumnal regimen in preparation for the harsh months ahead.For those who finds no solace in the local hockey team's victories nor in the practice of winter sports, music becomes a mandatory element in the ...

Gary Peacock / Marc Copland: Insight

by Martin Gladu
October 27, 2009

Chiefly known as pianist Keith Jarrett's choice bassist, Gary Peacock has nevertheless continually invested himself in a myriad of projects not involving his once marathoning employer. One such endeavor is this duet recording with pianist Marc Copland. Taped during his stint with Copland's New York Trio in May 2005 and October 2007, Insight captures the moodier, more poetic side of their sporadic association.An oft-overlooked veteran who has worked with such illustrious artists as Kenny Wheeler, John Abercrombie and ...