Jazz Articles
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Rachel Eckroth & John Hadfield, featuring Petros Klampanis: Olhos de Gato
by Katchie Cartwright
Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield were in Greece to record Speaking In Tongues (Adhyâropa Records, 2025). The freewheeling piano-drum duo found themselves with an extra day in Athens after finishing the recording, so they decided to enlist bassist Petros Klampanis for another little session, just for fun. No expectations, just a bit of free improvisation. At one point, they pulled out Carla Bley's “Olhos de Gato" (aka “Sad Song"). The piece is deep and beautiful, in the kind ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth & John Hadfield: Speaking In Tongues
by Katchie Cartwright
John Hadfield wrote “Blood Moon" in shocked response to learning that, in 1504, during his fourth transatlantic voyage, Christopher Columbus had used his knowledge of an upcoming Blood Moon eclipse to manipulate reluctant indigenous Jamaicans into granting him food and supplies. The Jamaicans had been fooled before by Columbus' unfair trade practices and wanted no part of him, that is until he made them believe that it was his magic that had turned the moon a fiery red-orange and caused ...
Continue ReadingOfri Nehemya: Time Traveler
by Neil Duggan
This is the debut album from Israeli drummer and composer Ofri Nehemya. It features compositions written over a decade ago that have developed and evolved over the intervening years as his influences widened and his career took flight. As a 17-year-old Nehemya joined Israeli saxophonist Eli Degibri quartet before moving to play on a global tour with bassist Avishai Cohen. His next move was to New York, where he recorded albums with Omer Avital before a collaboration with ...
Continue ReadingClaire Cope: Every Journey
by Dan McClenaghan
Consider British pianist, composer/ bandleader Claire Cope. She debuted as a fully formed artist via her excellent septet set Small World (Self Produced, 2020), a deftly crafted classical/jazz hybrid. On her second recording, the album at hand, Every Journey, she employs an eleven-piece ensemble, building on the atmosphere of her debut, painting translucent layerings and weaving a loose net of textures into gorgeous, expansive soundscapes. With composer-bandleader Maria Schneider as a major touchstone, Cope creates luminous arrangements. She cites Schneider's ...
Continue ReadingSivan Arbel: Oneness
by Katchie Cartwright
Sivan Arbel's compositional practice is alternately “nerdy," as the singer-composer describes it, and “stream of consciousness." In her studio, she labors meticulously over the nuts and bolts: rhythmic patterns, harmonic changes, melodic turns. Once the fundamental elements are in place, though, she sits at her piano and “squeezes the sponge," improvising words and music freely, reaching into deeper levels of consciousness. She records everything and then listens back, editing and refining what she has created. Her scores for Oneness are ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth & John Hadfield: Speaking In Tongues
by Mike Jurkovic
There is something wistful and empowering about wanderlust pianist/composer/electronics Rachel Eckroth's acoustic sensibility that holds a lot of sway with many of her listeners. This falls into direct opposition to her electronic side which, as cool as it sounds, can lean a tad too easily into the blurry, pop-oriented tendencies of Vangelis, Kraftwerk, or Gary Newman. Sure Eckroth makes these endearing old genres sound exciting now, but it is her pure piano playing that truly does the trick.
Continue Reading9 Horses: Strum
by Neil Duggan
There are no prizes for guessing that this album from 9 Horses is called Strum because every track features the sound of a strummed instrument. There are over 20 stringed instruments involved, with mandolins, violins, guitars, banjos, basses and pianos, in various combinations, forming the main components. They are strummed, plucked or otherwise coaxed into life by a core trio of mandolinist Joe Brent, violinist Sara Caswell and bassist Andrew Ryan. Although there are many stringed instruments, that does nothing ...
Continue ReadingMeg Okura & Kevin Hays: Lingering
by Neil Duggan
Jazz albums that feature violin-piano duets are uncommon. With two instruments, the musicians need to synchronise at a deep level and if successful, they can elevate their performance and the listening experience from good to great. To achieve this they need to be receptive to every move the other makes. Each musician needs to be adept at quickly adopting a harmony or creating a counter melody. Those traits are fully exposed here, as no overdubs, filters or effects were used ...
Continue ReadingDanny Fox Trio: Time Took Care of It
by Neil Duggan
Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Danny Fox has an eye-catching background. He has studied with John Kamitsuka, Fred Hersch, Ethan Iverson and Garry Dial, and performed with artists as varied as Bruce Springsteen, Cassandra Wilson and Emmylou Harris. Since 2008, he has led the Danny Fox Trio with Time Took Care of It being their fourth album. The time the trio have spent working together is evident from their cohesive interplay in taking the classic piano trio format in challenging new ...
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