Album Review
Duo Reflections: La Tregua
by Neil Duggan
Piano and guitar duos often face inherent challenges, as both instruments naturally occupy similar harmonic territory and can easily fall into predictable musical patterns. However, French group Duo Réflections, consisting of pianist Sylvain Rey and guitarist Leandro López-Nussa, navigate these potential pitfalls with remarkable finesse on their second album, La Tregua. While their debut focused on reworking jazz standards, La Tregua marks a major leap forward, featuring eight original compositions alongside one cover. Their adventurous spirit extends further: ...
Continue ReadingRolf Thofte: Martha's Dance
by Konstantin N. Rega
When musicians are inspired, it shows. Danish trumpeter Rolf Thofte deftly takes the reins of leadership on Martha's Dance. Dedicated to his daughter, the release has an accessible jazz style to it for a diverse audience. Though there is some free styling here and there, the tracks are well composed and keep the listener engaged. These seven compositions are further accentuated by some of Scandinavia's exceptionally talented musicians like Andreas Toftemark on tenor sax, pianist Rasmus Sørensen, Jakob Roland on ...
Continue ReadingNigel Price: It's On!
by Neil Duggan
This is the 10th release from the Nigel Price Organ Trio and like a mantra from a corporate business consultant, they have a commitment to continuous improvement, resulting in their sparkling album It's On. Acknowledged as one of the UK's leading jazz guitarists, Nigel Price has a career that has brought him multiple awards, contributions to over 60 albums and appearances with Van Morrison and Gladys Knight. He is also the founder of Grassroots Jazz, a charity that raises money ...
Continue ReadingLouis Jones III: Motions
by Paul Rauch
Drummer and composer Louis Jones III is an artist steeped deeply in the Detroit jazz tradition. A Motor City native, Jones is a prominent figure on the scene there, applying his talents across a variety of genres. That versatility is ever-present in his jazz playing but, to be clear about this, he is a jazz drummer first while being a gatherer of musical innovation from multiple sources. Motions is his most complete recording project and a formidable one ...
Continue ReadingEric Alexander: Like Sugar
by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander delivers a soulful modern tribute to Stanley Turrentine with his album Like Sugar. Recorded at the renowned Van Gelder Studios in Englewood Cliffs, NJ, with longtime collaborators David Hazeltine on piano, Dennis Carroll on bass, and George Fludas on drums, the album reinterprets Turrentine's spirit rather than simply copying it, resulting in a deeply swinging and cohesive set that blends tradition with contemporary artistry. Alexander begins this session with one of his ...
Continue ReadingJames Danderfer: If Not Now
by Jack Bowers
The clarinet, which once was commonplace in jazz (think Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Pee Wee Russell, Tony Scott, Buddy DeFranco, Jimmy Giuffre, Pete Fountain, Bob Wilber and many others), is all but absent these days save for a handful of adamant diehards such as Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Daniels, Don Byron and Ken Peplowski. That is one reason why it is always a pleasure to welcome a new voice into the choir, especially one as sharp and talented as ...
Continue ReadingTranscendence: The Music of Pat Metheny
by Kyle Simpler
Although Pat Metheny is known primarily as a guitarist, he has also established himself as one of the most influential composers in modern jazz. His music emphasizes storytelling and emotion over virtuosity. His compositions incorporate various elements from rock, Americana, and world music, adding nuances that appeal to listeners both within and outside the jazz world. With Transcendence: The Music of Pat Metheny, pianist Bob Gluck, along with bassist Christopher Dean Sullivan and drummer Karl Latham, together create a trio ...
Continue ReadingIgnasi Terraza: With Respect To Oscar And Niels
by Artur Moral
Exceptionalism is often presented with a spectacular surface. However, it also hides itself behind multiple layers of deep discretion. This is true with pianist, composer, educator and record producer Ignasi Terraza. His uniqueness is based on several facts: being the first blind person in Spain to earn--a mid-1980s achievement, without today's technology--a degree in Computer Engineering; combining this accomplishment with self-taught jazz piano, becoming over the years one of the few piano players on the Iberian Peninsula with international recognition, ...
Continue ReadingNeal Miner: Invisibility
by Pierre Giroux
Bassist Neal Miner has always been a strong supporter of jazz's lyrical tradition, and Invisibilility finds him in top form, not only as an instrumentalist but also as a composer deeply rooted in the idiom's classic origins. Joined by tenor saxophonist Chris Byars and drummer Jason Tiemann, Miner creates a trio sound that is conversational, closely connected and impressively complete. This is not a leader-and-sidemen session; rather, it is a collective where each musician shares equal responsibility for texture, pulse ...
Continue ReadingMike Clark: Standard Deviations
by Scott Gudell
The goal of Mike and Mike--as in Mike Clark on drums and Mike Zilber on saxophone--the co-leaders on Standard Deviations--was to take eight jazz and pop standards (with one Zilber original) and reinterpret them by adding their 21th century interpretation to them (with the help of Jon Davis on piano and Alex Claffy on bass). Over the course of nearly an hour, the success ratio of the quartet is high. Clark first appeared on record in the 1970s, ...
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