Articles by Scott Lichtman
Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet: Live Spirit I
by Scott Lichtman
The album Live Spirit I is a compelling listen from the Wojtek Mazolewski Quintet. The music combines the very best of free improvisation with sparse, piercing compositions and ethereal ambience. While the bassist/leader and most of his group live in Poland, this is truly a world-class performance. Wojtek Mazolewski's influence is already significant. His music has surpassed eight million streams on Spotify; he is a staple at jazz, indie and electronic dance festivals, and his albums have been ...
Continue ReadingRikard From: Sun of June
by Scott Lichtman
Pianist and songwriter Rikard From may get 360,000 listeners per month on Spotify, but I suspect a larger, as-yet-unaware audience would benefit from a thorough listen of his music. His primary sound combines the maj6/9 embellishments of Bruce Hornsby with the rollicking gospel of Keith Jarrett on a song like “God Bless the Child." His body of work is fresh and catchy, such as “Sun of June," where the listener can get caught up chilling on the grace notes and ...
Continue ReadingJohn Daversa: Junk Wagon
by Scott Lichtman
"Junk Wagon" is a singularly dynamic big band arrangement. It is a pretty wild ride, in fact. Composer/trumpeter John Diversa has completed three academic degrees in music, won numerous jazz awards, and performed with artists including Yellowjackets and Renee Olstead. His big band work truly stretches the players' chops and the listeners' ears. “Junk Wagon" opens with wah-wah horn attacks, followed by brass and woodwind trills. It does not take long to slip into a distorted guitar lead-in to a ...
Continue ReadingSora Ichikawa: Straying in Alpacas
by Scott Lichtman
The song “Straying in Alpacas" is an immensely satisfying and hard-driving tune, filled with melodic turns, alto peals, rhythmic stops, and thundering walking bass lines. While it sounds as if it could come from Steps Ahead or Yellowjackets in an earlier era, the piece is actually a concoction of rising Japanese pianist Sora Ichikawa. Ichikawa released his first album in 2023 and since has demonstrated his talents in jazz, R&B, and contemporary formations, as well as adding ear-bending electronic touches ...
Continue ReadingBarry Deister Quintet: An African Suite
by Scott Lichtman
It is not uncommon for jazz artists to borrow from world music to enliven their pieces--adding a dash of spice as it were. It is even rarer (with Latin jazz being an exception) for musicians to dive deeply into indigenous music forms and deliver an authentic, integrated sonic concept. Most unique are album-length projects that successfully meld genres while delivering an ear-pleasing, swinging whole. In this most special category comes An African Suite, a remarkable album from Barry ...
Continue ReadingMichael Brecker: Timeline
by Scott Lichtman
While the song “Timeline" is structured as a straightforward minor blues, it is nonetheless attention-grabbing and inspiring, for several reasons. First, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheny, Larry Goldings and Elvin Jones are the epitome of musicality, whether appreciated individually or as a unit. Then there is Metheny's composition: just when the listener becomes hooked on the catchy variations in the head, the band slides into a multi-bar, dotted-quarter, 11th chord progression in the chorus that lifts you out of 4/4 time ...
Continue ReadingNaomi Moon Siegel: Jeannine's Joy
by Scott Lichtman
When is the last time you heard an enthralling, pulsing jazz feel generated by a trombone-led horn section, a talking drum, cowbell, synth, an ethereal/African electric guitar, violin and rhythm section? For trombonist, composer and band leader Naomi Moon Siegel, such a blend of modern swing and world music sub-genres is her modus operandi. Siegel's vibe can best be described as “fluid;" for example, she opens with a mellow horn cadence in the studio version of “Jeannine's Joy," but swaps ...
Continue ReadingCamille Bertault Quintet at the Jazz Forum
by Scott Lichtman
Camille Bertault Quintet The Jazz Forum Tarrytown, NY January 11, 2025 How do you tell the difference between a rising star and a demonstrable phenomenon in the world of jazz vocalists? French-born Camille Bertault has proven her depth as a chanteuse, vocal innovator and composer with five albums to her name, touring Europe, Latin America and beyond, and picking up a coveted Victoires du Jazz award for best French vocalist 2023. As most of ...
Continue ReadingGrégory Privat: Zig Zagriyen and Phoenix
by Scott Lichtman
If you are looking to explore pianists with chops and compositional flair that deserve broader attention, add Grégory Privat to your playlist. Born in Martinique, he was nominated early in his career for “Jazz Revelation of the Year" in France's equivalent of the Grammys. His work spans modern swing, scored/chamber jazz, solo piano and electric fusion. This reviewer considers several of his solos to be worthy of consideration for best improvisation of the year. His composition for trio, ...
Continue ReadingOreglo: Opedge
by Scott Lichtman
This writer was persuaded to switch from trumpet to tuba in high school and, ever since has been looking for a modern, hard-grooving quartet underpinned by tuba on which to hang his fanboy hat. The moment has arrived: the band is oreglo and the song featured here is “opedge." Guitarist Linus Barry, drummer Nicco Rocco, keyboardist c-sé and tubaist Teigan Hastings lock in the listener's attention from start to finish by seamlessly switching between fusion, reggae, electronic groove, big band ...
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