Jazz Articles

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Mike Moreno: Lotus

by Dan Bilawsky
January 6, 2016

A blooming lotus is like a magnet for the eyes, calling those who appreciate beauty, vibrancy, and shapeliness to gaze upon one of nature's small wonders. Guitarist Mike Moreno's Lotus has a similar draw, summoning the ears with its enchanting sonics and chimerical ideals. On this, Moreno's fifth album, the lyrical and the fanciful stand united. The music itself can be serene and surreal, filled with iridescent colors, attractive lines, broken grooves, and beautifully shaped melodies. In ...

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Mike Moreno: Another Way

by Mark F. Turner
March 7, 2012

Though it's difficult to stand out in a climate where new names appear almost daily, Mike Moreno has proven to be one of the more identifiable young jazz guitarists in recent years. At home in a number of settings, his fluid style has been found in the abstract hip hop styling of Q-Tip's The Renaissance (Universal Motown, 2008) and has received accolades from Pat Metheny who commented that Moreno's is “A really talented guy who impressed me beyond the notes, ...

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Nick Vayenas: Synesthesia

by Greg Camphire
May 1, 2008

Trombonist and multi-instrumentalist Nick Vayenas unveils a colorful palette of ideas on Synesthesia, his debut as a leader. Vayenas and his band mates chart their own course, albeit one that uses musical maps drawn up by the Herbie Hancock Sextet on such albums as Mwandishi (Warner Bros., 1970) and Sextant (Columbia, 1972), with the resulting path fusing elements of jazz, funk, rock and electronics while bypassing the dated connotations of the fusion label.

The energetic opening track, “Voyager," makes sparing ...

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Julie Hardy: The Wish

by Budd Kopman
November 10, 2007

With The Wish, composer and vocalist Julie Hardy has immediately established herself as an identifiable force of the next generation. By combining a very attractive voice with deep interpretations with a high degree of compositional and arranging skills, Hardy has created an album of grace and depth. She is a member of drummer Kendrick Scott's musical collective and record label World Culture Music, which gives the artist total control over the creative process. Mike Moreno, whose release ...

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Julie Hardy: The Wish

by Mark F. Turner
October 16, 2007

Julie Hardy proves that she is more than just your average jazz singer on The Wish. Hailing from New Hampshire with extensive studies in jazz and classical music, she continues to grow and hone her craft since her auspicious debut recording A Moment's Glance (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2005). The recording is significant for a number of reasons. First, she is now teamed with the fledgling label World Culture Music, which has released two very notable recordings ...

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Mike Moreno: Between The Lines

by Budd Kopman
August 23, 2007

Guitarist Mike Moreno, originally from Houston, Texas and now in New York City for the last ten years, has created in Between the Lines a remarkable release that makes an immediate impact while also having much depth. Jazz is less a musical language and more a musical attitude in which personal expression is paramount. Moreno has developed a style that is quite recognizable, based on what he composes and arranges, how he plays and what he plays. ...

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Kendrick Scott Oracle: The Source

by J Hunter
June 11, 2007

The first time I saw Kendrick Scott, he wasn't supposed to be there. Eric Harland was a no-show for the Terence Blanchard Sextet's 2003 gig at the Skidmore Jazz Institute (a summer program that counts Scott as an alumnus), so Scott filled in, and acquitted himself admirably. When Terence Blanchard's Flow tour came to Albany in 2005, three weeks after Katrina wiped out Blanchard's home, Scott was a permanent member of one of the best jazz groups I've seen to ...

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Mike Moreno: Between The Lines

by Mark F. Turner
April 27, 2007

Mike Moreno's stylized and progressive playing has made him the guitarist of choice for many rising musicians' recordings including trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's Identity (MaxJazz, 2005), saxophonist John Ellis' By A Thread (Hyena, 2006) and drummer Kendrick Scott's The Source (World Culture Music, 2007). Now he's at the helm with the impressive debut Between the Lines. Enlisting help from a solid crew of young musicians including saxophonist Marcus Strickland and drummer Kendrick Scott; Moreno's eight compositions show a ...

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Kendrick Scott Oracle: The Source

by Mark F. Turner
April 18, 2007

Kendrick Scott's debut recording The Source exudes a sense of purpose with music that is carefully orchestrated, coolly executed, and has an appeal that is both contemporary and cerebral. Scott's respect for the art form is cognizant of the greats that have come before him, but clearly personifies his own voice alongside contemporaries like drummers Brian Blade and Eric Harland. He provides more than the element of keeping time by providing contour and feeling into his trap work, as recently ...