Jazz Articles
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Kadi Vija: Ugly Beauty
by Nick Davies
Kadi Vija has a long history in vocal jazz improvisation and defines herself primarily as a vocal instrumentalist. Vija's music explores sounds from modernism, jazz and electronics, as well as a deep fascination with rhythmic variety. Her work at prestigious institutions such as the Berklee College of Music, Conservatory van Amsterdam and Sibelius Academy has built her status as a current modernist, open to jazz history. This release, called Ugly Beauty, sees Vija collaborating with pianist Lucas Dann ...
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by Geno Thackara
Countless musicians have tackled the songs of Thelonious Monk, but it's arguably a rare performer who comes out just as angular and quirky as the man himself. When two such voices join together, both sharing an excellent feel for his tricky offbeat sensibility, it's a distinctly unusual pleasure. Through the brief half-hour of Ugly Beauty, Kadi Vija and Lucas Dann manage to pay loving respect exploring the skewed nooks of Monk's pieces while improvising their way through to ...
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by Troy Dostert
It's hard to imagine anything more daunting for an up-and-coming vocalist than to tackle a vocal album of Thelonious Monk material--wordless, no less--with nothing more than piano accompaniment. Yet that's exactly what Finnish singer Kadi Vija has done here, along with Canadian pianist Lucas Dann. Hitting those crazy intervals and capturing the unique logic of Monk's compositions is a herculean task, and it's to Vija's credit that she does so fearlessly on these ten challenging tracks. Along the way, she ...
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