Articles by Mike Jurkovic
Patricia Brennan: Of the Near and Far
by Mike Jurkovic
Peerless, vibe-savvy vibraphonist Patricia Brennan minces no fools from the get go, launching Of The Near And Far with the kick-ass lead single (singles? They still make singles? In this day? In this age?) “Antilla." A new jazz standard by any stretch of the imagination, “Antilla" is a sleek, hypnotic beauty that gears you into the groove and holds you there. It is the first yin to the yang of Of The Near And Far. On the heels of ...
Continue ReadingSylvie Courvoisier: Angel Falls
by Mike Jurkovic
The history of humankind resounds with the sound of piano/trumpet duets. But not like this one. Not like Angel Falls. Because the true beauty of Angel Falls is that grandmaster Wadada Leo Smith, aided and abetted by the fervent curiosity of Brooklyn- based/Switzerland native pianist Sylvie Courvoisier, enlists the listener as an active creator in truly beatific, beautiful music. That is a magic thing that does not happen often. All too often, the audience is reduced to listening ...
Continue ReadingVijay Iyer: Thereupon
by Mike Jurkovic
Imagine for a moment that there existed a time when every individual had the chance to express themselves with just keyboards, drums, and horns. What cacophony would ensue? What revelations would be unleashed? What new politics would free one and all? Now imagine said individuals were blessed with the singular and coalescing powers and talents alive in Fieldwork--alto-saxophonist Steve Lehman, pianist Vijay Iyer, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey --and you have the trio's second, concussive and confrontational opus Thereupon.
Continue ReadingCraig Taborn / Nels Cline / Marcus Gilmore: Trio Of Bloom
by Mike Jurkovic
Maelstroms come and maelstroms go, but the maelstrom generated by a pumped-up Marcus Gilmore on Ronald Shannon Jackson's “Nightwhistlers," the concussive kicker that jump-starts Trio of Bloom, holds its storm-warning, jazz-rocking, course. That guitarist Nels Cline--cranked by the spirit of Jimi Hendrix via Bill Frisell circa late '87; and keyboardist Craig Taborn (himself a modern acolyte of Horace Silver and John Cage) add their key signatures makes for a hell of an opener. One not soon forgotten. Taborn's ...
Continue ReadingThe Brighton Beat: Victory At Last
by Mike Jurkovic
For the musically uninitiated and socially marooned, there is a perpetual sense of danceable immediacy to the big, fun Brighton Beat sound. The exact reason for that is that, at any moment--no, make that every moment--there is the potential to shake-your-money-maker around the moon and back again. Measure by measure by measure, the dance floor is going to get worn down to the studs. It is truly liberating. Utilizing a far greater freedom to enlist the studio as ...
Continue ReadingYosef Gutman Levitt: Shir Yedidot
by Mike Jurkovic
There is a restive, Christmas-time sound of new hope and expectations running throughout Shir Yedidot that is hard to fathom at first, given that the repertoire moves effortlessly from Chabad nigunim (Hasidic wordless melodies) into original compositions. It is as if the gifted trio--leader/bassist Yosef Gutman Levitt, pianist and ECM recording artist Yonathan Avishai (Joys and Solitudes, 2019; with trumpeter Avishai Cohen Playing The Room, 2019) and oudist Yagel Haroush. Haroush also adds depth and texture playing the kamancheh (Persian ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman: Armageddon Flower
by Mike Jurkovic
Ekphrastic by design, Armageddon Flower, the forty-seventh bold, forward-thinking testament pairing saxophonist Ivo Perelman and pianist Matthew Shipp is the duo's new zenith in a tireless exploration dating back nearly thirty years. It is another view from the pinnacle of their brotherhood that includes such watermark recordings as the symbiotic Live In Nuremberg (SMP, 2019), Fruition (ESP, 2022), Magical Incantations (Soul City Sounds, 2024) and the fanciful, Brazilian flavored Bendito of Santa Cruz (Cadence, 1996) which started it all.
Continue ReadingGonzalo Rubalcaba, Chris Potter, Larry Grenadier & Eric Harland: First Meeting: Live at Dizzy’s Club
by Mike Jurkovic
Let us not beat around the bush or obfuscate the obvious: First Meeting: Live at Dizzy's Club is as sweet a listen anyone can wish for or expect as simpatico luminaries--pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, saxophonist Chris Potter, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Eric Harland--take to Dizzy's stage. And command it, but not with a heavy hand or selfish aspirations. A dazzling portent, First Meeting: Live at Dizzy's Club opens all the doors and windows facing Columbus Circle and lets a most ...
Continue ReadingDave Liebman / Billy Hart / Adam Rudolph: Beingness
by Mike Jurkovic
There is something very other-worldly about Beingness. It runs on some taut meta-rhythms, courtesy of NEA Jazz Master, drummer Billy Hart, who hangs loose and fearless with award-winning, world music percussionist/composer Adam Rudolph. It sounds like free-falling. But not in a monochromatic death plunge. No, this is more a sure glide, like a leaf flirting across Bleecker in a new October, westbound breeze. A master class in hypnotic and collaborative invention, Beingness--Hart, Rudolph, and Hart's fellow NEA Jazz ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Braxton: Quartet (England) 1985
by Mike Jurkovic
Though Leo Records has previously documented Quartet (London) 1985 (1988); Quartet (Birmingham) 1985 (1991); and Quartet (Coventry) 1985 (1993), Burning Ambulance Music is proud to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the tour with this set of previously unreleased recordings from Liverpool, Sheffield, Leicester, Bristol, Southampton, Leeds, and Huddersfield. Set to be digitally released exclusively on Bandcamp on what would have been Braxton's 80th birthday, (June 4, 2025), Quartet England (1985) is an unhinged glory from start to finish.
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