Jazz Articles

Mike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: Trinary Motion: Live in Europe

by John Kelman
October 12, 2010

Looking more like a man in his fifties than his 72 years, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri has been stepping up the pace, with three fine but stylistically different albums in the last year: Crescent (NYC, 2010), an elegant and moving John Coltrane tribute with recently departed alto great Charlie Mariano; 2.0 (NYC, 2010), celebrating the return of the groove-heavy 1970s collective, L'Image; and Twelve Pieces (NYC, 2009), documenting his ongoing relationship with Marnix Busstra and the Dutch guitarist's trio. Trinary Motion: ...

Mike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: Trinary Motion / Live in Europe

by Jerry D'Souza
October 11, 2010

Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and guitarist Marnix Busstra demonstrated a kinetic relationship on their 2009 recording, Twelve Pieces (NYC Records); a compelling portrait of the musicians playing with and off each other. Its success spurred a tour and, happily, almost two hours of live recorded music. Tone and shape are sketched by the Mainieri / Busstra Quartet's sense of time and adventure, and it's not surprising that the music takes on a majestic scope. The ballads are haunting ...

Mike Mainieri: Crescent

by Dan Bilawsky
September 19, 2010

Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri might have initially set out to create a tribute to one saxophone giant when he recorded this album, but Crescent actually pays respects to two reed players of note. The material on this two-CD set was written and/or performed by John Coltrane or was part of his repertoire at one time or another, and his legacy looms large here. Mainieri got together with saxophonist Charlie Mariano and bassist Dieter Ilg and, with no prior rehearsal or prearranged ...

Mike Mainieri: Crescent

by Mark Corroto
July 30, 2010

Nearly forty-five years after the death of John Coltrane, jazz players still feel compelled to negotiate his music. Young cats wrestle with the harmonic complexities and attempt to conquer the saxophonist icon's mighty energy. Luckily, players like vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and saxophonist Charlie Mariano have made peace with the legend. Their document, in this two-disc set, is a fitting tribute to both the music of Coltrane and Mariano, for this was to be one of his last recordings before passing ...

L'Image (Mainieri/Bernhardt/Spinozza/Levin/Gadd): 2.0

by John Kelman
January 11, 2010

It may seem odd to take nearly 40 years to release a debut, but in the case of L'Image it's definitely a case of never-too-late. A collective formed by vibraphonist Mike Mainieri in the early 1970s, L'Image generated considerable buzz for its live shows before, on the cusp of recording its first album, circumstances forced the group to dissolve. Mainieri reunited the group in 2008 for a Japanese tour and to record 2.0, and for fans of an era that ...

Mike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: Twelve Pieces

by Jerry D'Souza
September 6, 2009

The first meeting between vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and guitarist Marnix Busstra took place when Mainieri played on one of Busstra's earlier recordings. This led to a tour during which they looked at extending that musical relationship. One aspect would be different; they would collaborate in an acoustic setting, away from the electric projects they were currently involved in. From that seed of thought sprung this highly inventive recording. Each of the twelve pieces is a revelation in terms of development, ...

Mike Mainieri/Marnix Busstra Quartet: Twelve Pieces

by John Kelman
August 8, 2009

Released in Europe as the Marnix Busstra Trio featuring Mike Mainieri but in North America as the Mike Mainieri/Mike Busstra Quartet, the name change may reflect both vibraphonist Mainieri's significant involvement and his larger cachet, but Twelve Pieces remains a compelling look at this Netherlands-based guitarist. Less known on this side of the Atlantic, on the strength of this, his seventh release as a leader since 1995, Busstra certainly deserves a broader international audience.

Twelve Pieces ...

Mike Mainieri: Northern Lights

by John Kelman
December 24, 2006

Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri has never garnered the same attention as Gary Burton, five years his junior, despite being equally cutting edge. Mainieri was one of fusion's early progenitors: Journey Through an Electric Tube (Solid State, 1968) and White Elephant (Solid State, 1969) explored new ways to incorporate a rock aesthetic with jazz. But while Burton has settled into a more mainstream comfort zone in recent years, Mainieri continues to test new waters. Northern Lights teams him with the “Norwegian Posse"--a ...

Steps Ahead: Holding Together

by John Kelman
May 16, 2005

In its early incarnations, Steps Ahead was an ongoing concern for founder/vibraphonist Mike Mainieri. The original lineup, called simply Steps, featuring saxophonist Michael Brecker, pianist Don Grolnick, bassist Eddie Gomez, and drummer Steve Gadd, had a regular New York club residence in the late '70s before recording its first three albums for a Japanese label. Personnel would gradually shift throughout the '80s, but in recent years it's become something of a revolving door, with the lineup for each tour often ...

George Garzone: The Fringe In New York

by Mark Corroto
November 1, 2000

Sometime after the death of John Coltrane and before the rise of the conservative button-down star as repertoire performer, the influence that Trane had over jazz waned. It’s not that he was forgotten, but that his music required such a commitment from a musician that it must have scared away most by sheer intimidation. Within the past twenty years, musicians like Joe Lovano, Dewey Redman, Pharoah Sanders, David S. Ware, Roy Campbell, Julius Hemphill, and George Garzone have taken up ...