Liner Notes
Dan Krimm: Second Wind
by Another Pass Productions
Dan Krimm is hardly the first artist to find inspiration in the bounteous beauty of Marin County, but in composing, recording and designing Second Wind he's crafted a musical sojourn equally fueled by locally sourced creativity. Since moving to San Rafael in 2016, he's reimmersed himself in music after several years focusing on other pursuits. With Second Wind, he's reintroducing himself as a fretless bassist, bandleader, and composer with a gift for honing singing melodic lines. And he's keeping excellent ...
Continue ReadingMichael Dease: Flow
by Howard Mandel
Everything comes together for Michael Dease and company on Flow, which should be no surprise but mustn't be taken for granted. The dynamic Mr. Dease, a consummate musician, sweeps his diverse crew of long-term collaborators and gifted newcomers through a confluence of songs rich in melody, rhythm and feeling. Pleasure-forward, Flow entices, refreshes, buoys and inspires. The album--Dease's 18th as a leader since 2005 and his 11th from Posi-Tone, all imbued with joyful engagement and flaunting stylistic variety--covers ...
Continue ReadingJovino Santos Neto Quarteto: Mais Que Tudo: Live at Kerry Hall 1995
by Bruce Phares
Sit down. Put on the best earphones you've got. A seatbelt wouldn't hurt, either. Get ready to be blown away. From the opening salvo of Jovino Santos Neto's dazzling composition “Metamorph," you're about to be taken on a musical journey of intense elation, abandon, and passion, engaging and urgent in all aspects, through the many twists and turns of what now is considered a legendary concert; the first time Seattle ears were given a chance to hear these amazing songs ...
Continue ReadingBen Thomas: The Hat with the Grin and the Chuckle
by Hector Del Curto
Ben Thomas' music lives in a world where tradition and innovation meet with effortless grace. Deeply rooted in the authentic rhythms of Argentine tango, yet fearlessly modern in spirit, his compositions offer a rich tapestry of layered polyrhythms, inventive melodies, and surprising contrasts--all delivered with intelligence, playfulness, and deep emotional weight. From the very first notes, you're drawn into a musical landscape where humor and melancholy coexist, where rhythmic intricacy never sacrifices heart, and where the spirit of ...
Continue ReadingHank Crawford: Help Me Make It Through The Night
by Arnaldo DeSouteiro
One of the first artists signed by Creed Taylor for CTI's subsidiary Kudu label, Hank Crawford suffered violent criticism during the period (1971-1978) he recorded for the label, being accused of making mellow and commercial albums. On the other hand, Hank achieved a new level of popularity during his CTI/Kudu years. Some of the eight albums he cut for the label sold over 100,000 copies with almost no promotion. And his Kudu debut, Help Me Make It Through The Night, ...
Continue ReadingSomething Blue: In The Beginning
by Michael Ambrosino
Jazz is powered by many things. Perhaps most notably, the expansive variety of independent record labels representing some of the more inspiring aspirations of the idiom. Reflecting the grit, passion and often sheer audacity to exist within an industry that makes little room for jazz, independent labels have established an expanse of music that exemplifies the very essence of the art form. For the past 30 years, Posi-Tone Records has championed this independent spirit, shining a light on a rich ...
Continue ReadingKevin Goss: Gratitude
by Kevin Goss
As I approached the “big five-oh," I started doing some thinking about how much I have to be grateful for: a supportive family, meaningful friendships, and music. I wasn't supposed to make it to the “big oh-five," but I beat the odds and, in the years since, it is my family, friends, and music that have made my life better, along with a couple of goofy dogs. “Ted's Kick" is a boogaloo blues with a bridge. I wrote ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Garbin: Rising
by Freddie Bryant
The maxim that music and math are related is a truism that seldom gets explored in a deep fashion. It lies like a cliché that we take for granted and rarely appreciate. Daniel Garbin's life and music is a true celebration of that relationship. He is an associate professor with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York (CUNY) and a multifaceted musician. His journey from an early love of ...
Continue ReadingDaniel Casares: From a Cabin in the Woods
by Daniel Casares
The Autonomous Region of Galicia, Spain has been slowly nurturing a strong jazz scene in recent decades. The extremely accomplished Abe Rábade (piano) and Paco Charlín (bass) crossed the Atlantic Ocean over two decades ago to study at the prestigious Berklee College Of Music in Boston. Upon their return to Galicia they established the “Seminario Permanente de Jazz" in the city of Pontevedra, a seminal institution in the popularization of jazz in the region. Through their network of relationships with ...
Continue ReadingRavita Jazz: Alice Blue
by Raul d'Gama Rose
In the 1939-40 academic year at Harvard University, Igor Stravinsky delivered a series of six lectures in French entitled Poétique musicale sous forme de six leçons. Stravinsky analysed the role of the critic, the requirements of the interpreter and the state of Russian music. He believed that a composer's freedom to create rose from a platform of structures which incorporated the rules of music--a process that ultimately frees the spirit. Stravinsky understood his own vocation as that of ...
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