Articles by Max Kutner
Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins at The Cutting Room

by Max Kutner
Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins The Cutting Room 2025 Tour New York, NY October 14, 2025 Mike Keneally was making an especially rare NYC appearance with his long-standing band, Beer for Dolphins this Tuesday evening at The Cutting Room. For over 30 years, Keneally has established himself as a singular force of nature as a composer and songwriter as well as a freakishly facile singer, keyboardist, and guitarist--all qualities which were ...
Continue ReadingNels Cline Consentrik Quartet at Littlefield

by Max Kutner
Nels Cline Consentrik Quartet Littlefield Brooklyn, NY October 1, 2025 Nels Cline's Consentrik Quartet returned to the stage to make a rare Brooklyn appearance at Littlefield. The formidable ensemble also included saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock, bassist Chris Lightcap and drummer Tom Rainey. One of the most striking aspects of the group is how smoothly Cline's relatively wet, heavily effects-laden aesthetic fluidly integrates with the bone dry timbres of Laubrock, Lightcap and Rainey. If Cline's role in ...
Continue ReadingLex Korten At Close Up

by Max Kutner
Lex Korten Close Up Canopy Release Show New York, NY September 19, 2025 Pianist and composer Lex Korten has been an ascendent force in the modern jazz world for several years and his appearance at Close Up represented a milestone moment for the young artist. Korten was celebrating the release his first full-length album of original material, Canopy (Sounderscore Records, 2025). From September 18th-19th, he, alongside a formidable ensemble of likeminded artists ...
Continue ReadingPhillip Greenlief: Citta Di Vitti

by Max Kutner
An exponent of the Bay Area music community, saxophonist Philip Greenlief has few equals in terms of his prolific output and diverse list of collaborative projects since the late 1970s. His Citta di Vitti is a tribute to the films of Michelangelo Antonioni and the director's main actor and muse, Monica Vitti. Taken as a whole, the album showcases a facile and dialed trio with fellow Bay Area stalwarts, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and drummer Jason Levis, who display a perfect ...
Continue ReadingMichiyo Yagi At Jazztopad Festival New York

by Max Kutner
Michiyo YagiJazztopad Festival New YorkVarious Venues New York, NY June 15-16, 2025 The opportunity to attend two performances at this year's Jazztopad Festival New York was a fortunate experience. Both events featured the brilliant Michyo Yagi on koto as a special guest, visiting from Tokyo, Japan. The Jazztopad Festival has been held in NYC for the past nine years (and for over 20 years in Poland), showcasing many of the most culturally significant members of the ...
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