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Roxana Amed: Salir de la melancolía
by Ludovico Granvassu
The history of pop and rock from Argentina is remarkably rich. Yet outside Latin America, icons such as Luis Alberto Spinetta, Charly García, Gustavo Cerati, and Fito Páez remain less celebrated than they deserve. With her album Todos los fuegos (Sony Latin), Argentine singer Roxana Amed took it upon herself to give a little contribution to their visibility--and “hear-ability"--through a set of jazz-inflected renditions of classics from the '70s and '80s. She's joined by a top-notch band featuring fellow Argentine ...
Continue ReadingDavid Helbock, Julia Hofer: Sexy M.F.
by Ludovico Granvassu
Back in 2012 Austrian pianist David Helbock released a beautiful tribute to Prince, entitled Purple (Traumton Records). On his 2025 album Faces of the Night (ACT Music) he returns to his love for the Minneapolis wizard covering two of his songs--including one he skipped the first time around, “Sexy M.F." For Faces of the Night, Helbock teams up with his new co-pilot, the versatile Austrian bassist and cellist Julia Hofer. On this catchy rendition of “Sexy M.F." they are joined ...
Continue ReadingZé Ibarra: Morena
by Ludovico Granvassu
With its lush, imaginative blend of Brazilian Popular Music, jazz, progressive rock, and pop, AFIM (Coala Music/Mr Bongo, 2025)--the sophomore release by Brazilian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Zé Ibarra--offers plenty of reasons to feel optimistic about the state of modern music. Firmly grounded in Brazil's rich musical legacy, it stands as a case study in how to be forward-looking while steering away from computers and AI. Add the elegant string arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum, and you have an album for ...
Continue ReadingChris Thile: Club G.R.O.S.S.
by Mike Jacobs
The then-20-year-old mandolinist and future MacArthur Genius Award winner takes a thrilling and decisive jazz romp with saxophonist Jeff Coffin and bassist Byron House that shows his genius to know no stylistic bounds. From the album Not All Who Wander Are Lost (Sugar Hill, 2001). ...
Continue ReadingChris Tarry: Rest Of The Story
by Mike Jacobs
Canadian bassist Chris Tarry released his last album, Rest of the Story (Nineteen Eight, 2011) as a CD / book hybrid before effectively exiting music to become a full-time writer. As the title track shows, he is an uncommonly talented composer as well as a fine bassist. Hopefully it won't be the last musical endeavor heard from Mr. Tarry. Featuring Pete McCann, Dan Weiss, Henry Hey and Kelly Jefferson. ...
Continue ReadingBerklee Indian Ensemble featuring Shankar Mahadevan: Five Peace Band
by Mike Jacobs
From December 2016, the uber-talented Berklee Indian Ensemble takes on the John McLaughlin composition “Five Peace Band" with Shakti's master vocalist, Shankar Mahadevan presiding. Among many other things, the staggeringly tight voice/guitar, voice/violin unison lines, and improvisations will likely have you questioning if these are students or masters--or both. (The answer is yes.) ...
Continue ReadingCarmen Staaf: Monk's Mood
by John Chacona
There is an iconic image in Charlotte Zwerin's 1988 documentary film Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser that shows Monk, cigarette in hand, silently contemplating a misty Manhattan skyline. As heard on her recording Sounding Line (Sunnyside Records, 2025), Carmen Staaf's arrangement of “Monk's Mood" that begins with Dylan Vado's spectral bowed vibes perfectly captures the soft-focus melancholy of the image. That Staaf's piano style bears little resemblance to Monk's speaks to the enduring influence of his music, the ...
Continue ReadingNicholas Payton: #bamisforthechildren
by Ludovico Granvassu
Nicholas Payton's Triune (2025), brings listening joy galore, fueled by the deep chemistry of his all-star lineup: esperanza spalding on vocals and bass and Karriem Riggins on drums. Payton last worked with them some fifteen years ago in one of his earlier bands, and with all three in constant demand, this reunion was long in the making--less a question of whether it would happen than when. Released by Smoke Sessions Records, the album affirms music's capacity to uplift. ...
Continue ReadingEmma Dayhuff: Jaribu
by Ludovico Granvassu
Innovations & Lineage: The Chicago Project marks the much-anticipated leader debut of a bassist whose profile keeps rising, Emma Dayhuff. Now increasingly active in Los Angeles--where the scene is ever more intertwined with Chicago's--Dayhuff chose to return to the city that shaped her for this album. As the title suggests, the record is about both innovation and lineage: the currents that seeped into her musical DNA and perhaps became even clearer after she left Chicago. One pivotal moment ...
Continue ReadingEmma-Jean Thackray: It's Okay
by Ludovico Granvassu
Enjoy one of the--many--highlights from British trumpeter and singer Emma-Jean Thackray's Weirdo (Brownswood Recordings), a remarkable album that is not only musically engaging but also a testament to the cathartic power of music--its ability to transform grief and pain into creative inspiration. Listening to the captivating melodies and grooves of this release it may come as a surprise that this record evolved from the unexpected loss of the singer's partner. Jazz and funk offering the constitutive elements for ...
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