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Chapter Eight: Cosmic Conversations and Carnaby Street
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 Django slept the deep, exhausted sleep of a conquering hero until well past noon. When he finally surfaced, reality felt more vibrant, more surreal, than any dream. The previous night replayed in his mind in vivid flashes: the roar of the Ronnie ...
Continue ReadingSnowpoet: Heartstrings
by Andrew Hunter
Snowpoet, led by the creative partnership of Lauren Kinsella and Chris Hyson has been releasing reliably engaging, curious music since 2014's self-released Butterfly. Heartstrings, their fourth full length record, was written through a series of group improvisations from which the ten songs here grew. Moving away from their accustomed writing habits was a bold decision considering the strength of their carefully crafted writing in the past. Regardless of approach, Heartstrings opens on reassuringly familiar ground. Hyson's harmonic sense ...
Continue ReadingBrad Turner: Trio Plus One It's All So
by Pierre Giroux
Brad Turner has long been celebrated as one of Canada's most versatile and expressive artists, whether delivering shimmering lines on the trumpet, crafting emotionally resonant compositions, or, as he does on Trio Plus One, It's All So, showcasing his refined pianistic voice. The album features nine tracks--eight of which are Turner originals-- affirming his stature not only as an instrumentalist but also as a composer of rare intuition and breadth. Joining Turner are long- time collaborators Darren Radtke on bass ...
Continue ReadingAttentive listening suggested! Terry Riley, Ingrid Laubrock, Roscoe Mitchell and Kaze with Koichi Makigami
by Hobart Taylor
This week we explore the peripheries of jazz featuring composer Terry Riley who turns 90 this year, contemplate musical and literal koans from Ingrid Laubrock and friends, receive “Transmissions" from Roscoe Mitchell, join Wadada Leo Smith with Amina Claudine Myers on a “Central Park" ramble, and then there's Kaze with Koichio Makigami Playlist Host Speaks 00:00 Terry Riley “Celestial Valley" from Shri Camel (Columbia) 01:51 Catherine Sikora Susan Alcorn “Filament iii" from Filament (Self Produced) 13: 20 Host ...
Continue ReadingDave Burrell / Sam Woodyard: The Lost Session, Paris 1979
by Mark Corroto
Listeners would be hard-pressed to name another artist besides Dave Burrell who commands such mastery across jazz's entire timeline, from its ragtime origins to its most adventurous avant-garde territories. The pianist, born in 1940, brings equal authenticity to Jelly Roll Morton's classic compositions and completely free improvisation. His discography spans the works of Thelonious Monk, Billy Strayhorn and Duke Ellington, while his versatility extends across calypso, reggae, stride piano, blues, bebop and opera. Burrell made his mark in ...
Continue ReadingDayna Stephens, Allen Lowe, and the Millennial Territory Orchestra
by Jerome Wilson
This episode features music from Dayna Stephens, Allen Lowe, and Bob Dorough. It also includes the Millennial Territory Orchestra paying tribute to Sly Stone. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Ethan Iverson “Technically Acceptable" from Technically Acceptable (Blue Note) 1:01 Resonance “Gaviota" from Introductions (Mandala) 5:17 Bob Dorough “Right On My Way Home from Right On My Way Home ...
Continue ReadingPiano Four-té: Keyboard Masters Delight On A Quartet of ECM Luminessence Vinyl Reissues
by Joshua Weiner
Blue Note. Verve. Impulse! Prestige. Just saying the name of such storied jazz record labels immediately conjures up each one's distinct aesthetic, from the music to the cover art. Over the past half century, the German ECM label has earned its place in this pantheon by steadfastly following its own vision, perhaps best summed up by its motto: “the most beautiful sound next to silence." ECM's “Luminessence" vinyl reissue series pays tribute to the label's impressive legacy. Its most historic ...
Continue ReadingChapter Seven: The Night London Heard
by Alan Bryson
Chapters 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 The afternoon soundcheck at Ronnie Scott's legendary jazz club in Soho was, by all accounts, explosive. Django, testing the room's acoustics and the house equipment, had let fly a few signature runs that left the jaded sound engineer and a handful of ...
Continue ReadingGoGo Penguin: Necessary Fictions
by Geno Thackara
What exactly is the entity known as GoGo Penguin? After several recordings developing a niche they call “acoustic electronica"--an amorphous recipe of rock-and techno-oriented hooks played on jazz instruments in real time--one might have thought we had the answer to that question with the eponymous GoGo Penguin (Blue Note, 2020). Like many self-titled albums, it made a clear statement of identity with a defining sound. Then again, it was soon followed by a companion remix album (Blue Note, 2021) of ...
Continue ReadingMichael Dease: City Life: Music of Gregg Hill
by Paul Rauch
Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill is on a remarkable roll, authoring an impressive run of compositions represented on eight albums released on the Origin Records label. Each has featured a bandleader associated with the top shelf staff at Rodney Whitaker's jazz program at Michigan State University. City Life (2025) is the third under the leadership of trombone great Michael Dease. The two-disc release includes 19 compositions from Hill, and features a cast of some of the most powerful voices in jazz ...
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