Jazz Articles

Mats Gustafsson / Ken Vandermark / Tomeka Reid / Chad Taylor: PIVOT

by Mark Corroto
September 25, 2025

Do not judge a friend for buying a lottery ticket when the jackpot climbs to some astronomical sum. The odds of hitting the winning combination may be just as astronomical, but the dollar spent buys something more valuable than probability: a few hours of dreaming, imagining another life. Speaking of combinations, the newly formed quartet Pivot feels very much like a winning ticket. Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark are no strangers to collaboration, having crossed paths in Peter ...

AALY TRIO: Sustain

by Mark Corroto
December 19, 2024

The previous recording by the AALY Trio, comprised of saxophonist (and flutist) Mats Gustafsson, double bassist Peter Janson and drummer Kjell Nordeson, was recorded 25 years prior (Double Or Nothing, Okka Disk, 2002). The reunion of this Swedish outfit is cause for celebration. If we rewind the clock a bit, Gustafsson and Janson began playing together in the early 1980s. They formed this trio in 1986 and named it after an Art Ensemble Of Chicago composition, “Lebert Aaly: ...

Sirone Bang Ensemble: Configuration

by Germein Linares
November 22, 2005

Occasionally interesting despite its noisy attitude, the Sirone Bang Ensemble's Configuration strikes the listener with oddities. Violin, saxophone, bass, and drums--an uncommon combination--join forces through six eccentric offerings. Instrumentation aside, the group's willingness to instigate an unnecessary commotion stands out most on this album.

The opening number, “Jupiter's Future," allows individual powers to shine on a loosely structured template. It is fun and unexpected, though the following tune, “Freedom Flexibility," is a better defined straight-ahead romp, with Charles ...