Articles by Maurice Hogue
Jack DeJohnette August 9, 1942 - October 26, 2025
by Maurice Hogue
This show honours Jack DeJohnette, one of my all-time favourite musicians, and certainly my favourite drummer. His name is everywhere in my music collection and I am so thankful that I got to see him play live. Those performances were spectacular and so very memorable. In this show, you'll hear Jack featured in a number of different contexts. R.I.P. Jack. (There are are some other new albums in this show, from Kevin Sun, Anders Lonne Gronseth and Paul Williamson & ...
Continue ReadingPeter Evans, Shawn Lovato, Flyways & Mali Obonsawin
by Maurice Hogue
Peter Evans' new Ars Ludicra with his quartet Being & Becoming is a perfect example of how Evans has become one of the creative world's most captivating trumpeters. His music is filled with “unexpectations" and surprises. Don't pass up this recording. Preview tracks from upcoming albums should entice you too--bassist Shawn Lovato's Biotic & Flyways' Mutualism featuring pianist Mara Rosenbloom. Bassist/composer Mali Obomsawin presents a preview of her new band and next recording with a recent track recorded in performance, ...
Continue ReadingSam Gill, Federico Calcagno, Scofield/Holland & Perelman/Anderson
by Maurice Hogue
Sydney Australia saxophonist Sam Gill's new Sensemaker with his band Coursed Waters is one of the best things I've heard this year, and there are a hell of a lot of excellent recordings, so definitely colour me impressed. Sam's music sounds like it's coming out of the Berlin-New York free jazz axis. Right there also is a new album from Italian bass clarinetist Federico Calcagno & The Dolphians. Fresh on the heels of a nomination for a German Jazz Prize ...
Continue ReadingJoe Hertenstein, Mikko Pettinen, Igor Lumpert & Abbey Rader
by Maurice Hogue
If you like quartets, there's some great music from these foursomes: German & NYC drummer Joe Hertenstein with trombonist Ray Anderson, saxophonist Michael Moore & bassist Michael Formanek documented a European tour last year and set a high bar on The 7th Dinner Live. Also recorded live, French drummer Raphael Pannier fulfilled a dream of playing with Senegalese “sabar" musicians when he and his quartet joined N'Diaye Rose's group at the Saint Louis International Jazz Festival. It's a percussion feast! ...
Continue ReadingMark Turner, Perelman/Wooley, O.N.E. & Herb Robertson
by Maurice Hogue
Acclaimed saxophonist Mark Turner's new recording, Reflections on: The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, will attract attention not only for the brilliant playing, but also for the very forthright topic of a bi-racial man able to “pass" as white. Turner used as his motivation the semi-fictional account written by James Weldon Johnson, a central figure of the Harlem Renaissance &a key member of the Civil Rights movement, and the fact that passing as white happened in Turner's own family. Other ...
Continue ReadingRevolutionary Snake Ensemble, Thomas Morgan, Trio of Bloom & Monk
by Maurice Hogue
There's a bit of a celebratory tilt to this episode of One Man's Jazz as Boston's Revolutionary Snake Ensemble led by saxophonist Ken Field hits the 35-year mark with the release of Serpentine, the Dutch powerhouse Spinifex marks its 20th year of originality with the upcoming Maximus, and the whole jazz world celebrates the October 10th birthday of Thelonious Monk with the release of Bremen 1965 which has been locked away in the vaults of Radio Bremen in Germany all ...
Continue ReadingSmith / Bro / Gilmore, Henry Threadgill, Brad Henkel & Enrique Haneine
by Maurice Hogue
The masters highlight this edition of OMJ: composer Henry Threadgill leading an ensemble of six guitarists and two pianists through his unique intervallic system on the new Listen Ship, and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith in elevated company of guitarist Jakob Bro & drummer Marcus Gilmore on Murasaki, a very strong album. Other new recordings debuting this week come from American ex-pat trumpeter Brad Henkel leading a very strong quartet on Overstory, a Norwegian piano trio led by Liv Andrea Hauge, ...
Continue ReadingRodrigo Amado & The Bridge, Amir ElSaffar, Otherlands Trio & Dave Gisler
by Maurice Hogue
Highlights of this edition include one of the finest free jazz ensembles--Rodrigo Amado & The Bridge with pianist Alexander Von Schlippenbach, bassist Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten & drummer Gerry Hemingway. Their new Further Beyond is manna-like. Trumpeter Amir ElSaffar and his New Quartet continue to improvise around the maqam style of music. Bassist Stephan Crump & drummer Eric McPherson decided to not wait around to see if the Borderlands Trio was done or not; they asked saxophonist Darius Jones to join them ...
Continue ReadingSylvie Courvoisier & Wadada Leo Smith, Led Bib. Russ Lossing & Zack Lober
by Maurice Hogue
An episode filled with enticing new releases, highlighted by the musical union of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and trumpet master Wadada Leo Smth. Look for Angel Falls on end-of-year best-of lists. England's rowdy Led Bib is back as a quartet, while pianist Russ Lossing continues his string of excellent trio releases, this time in the company of bassist Mark Helias and drummer Eric McPherson. There's a taste of pure avant-garde from Havana, Cuba in Against The Jazz Police by bass clarinetist ...
Continue ReadingFieldwork, Matthieu Mazué, Aga Derlak & The Monkious
by Maurice Hogue
New releases are always about, but the new ones featured in this episode of OMJ are very, very special. First off, Fieldwork! Vijay Iyer, Steve Lehman & Tyshawn Sorey are all formidable musicians in their own right and as the trio Fieldwork the critical acclaim was huge, the potential endless. But it's taken 17 years for the jazz world to hear a Fieldwork recording again. Cue the release of Thereupon with those 17 years of individual experiences combined into this ...
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