Jazz Articles
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Pol Belardi's Force: Organic Machines
by Don Phipps
On Organic Machines, Pol Belardi's Force quartet offers intoxicating, warmly accessible melodies over rock beats. Composing all 14 numbers on the album, Belardi's lyricism is buoyed by a relatively light touch on bass and the three musicians who accompany him on this outing, pianist Jerome Klein, saxophonist David Fettmann and drummer Niels Engel. All of the numbers on the album are high-spirited. Like an eagle that does not land but rather soars up and into the bright sunny ...
read moreDairo Miyamoto: Last Picture
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Now here is one very special album by an exceptional artist, who created his own unique little ethereal space in this vast musical landscape. Known for having been trumpeter Jun Miyake 's go-to mulit-instrumentalist and close friend, the late Dairo Miyamoto leaves behind an exceptional body of work for the world to discover and tops it off with one of his most refined demonstrations in Last Picture --an album that bursts with creativity and a rare sense of refinement and ...
read moreShauli Einav: A Truth About Me
by Dave Wayne
A quick glance at the song titles on Shauli Einav's third album A Truth About Me reveals a narrative thread concerning restlessness and movement. Song titles such as “Embarcadère," “The Traveler," “Nomads," and “Le Musketeer" suggest that Einav's musical inspirations are tied to journeys; both his own and others.' Listening to A Truth About Me, with its relentless, forward-leaning rhythmic drive (courtesy of the dynamic Paris-based rhythm tandem of Louis Moutin and Florent Nisse), reinforces this impression. And it's no ...
read moreAntonio Farao American Quartet: Evan
by Bruce Lindsay
Pianist and composer Antonio Faraò has a wealth of experience in jazz, beginning as a youngster in his native Italy and developing through a career that extends over 30 years. Evan, dedicated to his young son, is Faraò's twelfth album as leader. The seven originals and two covers are credited to Antonio Faraò American Quartet. The band's title reflects the fact that the recording took place in the USA and gives an indication of Faraò's musical compatriots--bassist Ira Coleman, saxophonist ...
read moreI.Overdrive Trio: Hommage à Syd Barrett
by Anthony Shaw
I.Overdrive Trio Hommage à Syd Barrett is a tribute to the late instigator and creative impetus for early Pink Floyd, often regarded as the 1960s' master of popular musical experimentation. Along with the very familiar tunes and frequently accurate reproduction of original timbres, the French trio subjects all songs to extremes of interpretation, while investigating a selection of Barrett's work from 1966 to 1969. Given the composition of this versatile trio--guitarist Philippe Gordiani, drummer Bruno Tocanne, and ...
read moreSpirit of Life Ensemble: A Little Oasis
by George Kanzler
Describing itself as “a multicultural collective, the Jersey City-based Spirit of Life Ensemble has been active since 1977 with a shifting cast of musicians. The group was an early pioneer in jazz and world music fusion; it has always included hand percussionists in addition to a drummer, and has always featured vocalists. It also has a large educational component, performing and giving classes in libraries and schools. In more recent decades, it has been a pioneering American band at jazz ...
read moreParis Jazz Big Band: Paris 24H
by Jack Bowers
Having never been to Paris, I can't bear witness to the accuracy of the Paris Jazz Big Band's musical portrayal of a dozen of the city's well-known landmarks and experiences during a typical day. What I can say is that Paris 24H presents a colorful and charming snapshot of Europe's leading tourist destination, one that beckons the indecisive traveler to come share the adventure. The idea, say co-music directors Pierre Bertrand and Nicolas Folmer, was to “give free rein to ...
read moreDavid Gibson: Maya
by Jack Bowers
Trombonist David Gibson makes an auspicious impression on Maya, his handsome tone and superior technique summoning thoughts of the late great J.J. Johnson and a couple of Gibson’s primary influences, Curtis Fuller and Slide Hampton. As one expects from Nagel Heyer, the music is solidly in the mainstream with half a dozen well–framed compositions by Gibson complementing one (“New Level”) by trumpeter John Sneider and the standards “What’s New” and “Speak Low” (the last taken at an agreeably rapid tempo). ...
read moreDavid Gibson: Maya
by Gordon Polatnick
It looks like a leader in the next wave of jazz trombone slingers has hit town. And with the arrival of David Gibson's first born CD, Maya , all are invited to stay cool and have a cigar. This fine effort is an impressive calling card for the 33-year-old Gibson, arriving in '99 from Yukon, Okla. to strike gold in the Big Apple. Before letting the dust settle around his boot heels, Gibson reckoned to kick them up in the ...
read moreDavid Axelrod: David Axelrod
by John Sharpe
Although legendary L.A. composer/producer/arranger David Axelrod has not released a new album in six years, his back catalog has been sampled by DJ’s around the world. In fact, this CD isn’t a completely “new” collection of tracks either. Seven of the nine tunes here come from sessions Axelrod recorded for Reprise in 1969, which have been buffed up with the addition of strings, vocal choirs and other orchestral flourishes. While Axelrod’s ambitious pop, rock, jazz, classical, and blues compositions have ...
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