Jazz Articles
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Chicago Edge Ensemble: Paradoxes In Freedom
by Mark Corroto
Listening to guitarist and bandleader Dan Phillips' music can feel like trying to keep a scorecard to track all the musical lines he weaves together. Fortunately, despite his wide-ranging influences and concepts, he structures his compositions in a way that remains accessible, always grounded in the rich jazz traditions of Chicago. Paradoxes In Freedom marks the fourth release from his Chicago Edge Ensemble. The lineup remains mostly intact from their previous album, The Individualists (Lizard Breath, 2023), with ...
Continue ReadingKevin Sun, Valerie June,Brandon Woody, Mina Choi with George Cables and Gustavo Cortinas
by Hobart Taylor
New music from Kevin Sun, The Ostara Project, The Nano Brothers and a tune from Zoh Amba.Playlist Valerie June “Calling My Spirit" from Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord) 0:00 Hot 8 Brass Band “Respect My Mind" from Big Tuba (Tru Thoughts) 2:00 Ostara Project" Papa" from Roots (Rhea) 6:23 Host Speaks 11:07 History Dog “Field Recordings" from Root Systems (Otherly Love) 12:42 Brandon Woody “ Beyond The Reach Of Our Eyes" from For The Love Of It All ...
Continue ReadingSavina Yannatou: Letting the Voice Go Where It Goes
by Katchie Cartwright
Savina Yannatou flies through vast reaches of space and time as she works, like the swallows and warblers who traverse the Sahara, stopping in Greece on their annual pilgrimage to breeding grounds in the North, thousands of miles away. She is an artist “beyond category," to borrow Duke Ellington's phrase, whose programs and performances combine Mediterranean songs with sources as disparate as Early Music and free jazz. The sounds she creates are her own, kaleidoscopic yet distinctive. Over the years, ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Saxophonist/Singer/Guitarist Vanessa Collier
by AAJ Staff
Meet Vanessa Collier Vanessa Collier's sixth album Do It My Own Way was recently released on Phenix Fire Records. Recorded on analog gear with the musicians largely in one room, Do It My Own Way is sonically inspired by the classic Memphis soul sound of Stax and Hi Records, especially that of the Staples Singers. The second single “Wild As a Rainstorm," which dives deep into soul territory, powerfully gives advice to women and people who feel left out to ...
Continue ReadingBrent Jarvis: Dragonfly
by Jack Bowers
As a composer, Canadian pianist Brent Jarvis' ear is irrestibly drawn to harmonies and rhythms from well south of his usual orbit; more spefically, to the island of Cuba, from where Jarvis draws the lion's share of his inspiration for Dragonfly, his sixth recording as solo pianist or leader of a group. On this studio date, Jarvis supervises a rhythmically fine-tuned sextet, one of whose members is percussionist Jose Sanchez, and another of whom--trumpeter Miguelito Valdes--plays congas, ...
Continue ReadingSteve Johns: Mythology
by David A. Orthmann
Over the past twenty years, drummer Steve Johns has appeared dozens of times in various venues and configurations throughout Northern New Jersey and the Hudson Valley, New York area. To name but a few examples, Johns with guitarist Bob DeVos's trio at Trumpets Jazz Club, in sessions led by bassist Mark Hagan at the Old 76 House, and in a series curated by tenor saxophonist John Richmond at The Turning Point Café--all small, intimate venues--enabled listeners to see and hear ...
Continue ReadingTobias Meinhart, Vincent Peirani, Mathias Landaeus, Jon Irabagon & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Music that was recorded live, music that is about to be (or has just been) performed live, and music that is keeping us alive, in this lively set.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Ballaké Sissoko, Vincent Segal, Emile Parisien, Vincent Peirani “Orient Express" Les Égarés (No Format!) 0:16 Host talks 6:04 Vincent Peirani, Federico Casagrande, Ziv Ravitz “Salsa Fake" Jokers--Live at Bimhuis (ACT) 7:37 Host talks 20:32 Tobias ...
Continue ReadingDr. Purgatory: The Consumption: A Tragic Folkale in Six Parts
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist David Riddel}, aka Dr. Purgatory mixes up the influences of Dutch guitarist Reinier Baas, Maurice Ravel and Bjork and more. “Everything I compose is essentially influenced by her (Bjork's) 2001 album <em>Vespertine</em> (Elektra)," Riddel says. Under those influences, he has produced a futuristic, chamber jazz, {{m: Herbie Hancock-esque fantasy soundtrack of sorts with The Consumption: A Tragic Folk Tale In Six Parts. His septet, featuring his guitars, two reed players, a violin, piano, bass, and drums, makes ...
Continue ReadingConfronting AI
by David Bixler
AI-labor saving tool or existential threat? On his new recording Server Farm, saxophonist and composer Jon Irabagon contemplates the potential threat and promise of this omni-present technology. For this recording Irabagon augments his regular quartet consisting of keyboardist Matt Mitchell, bassist Chris Lightcap, and percussionist Dan Weiss with violinist and vocalist Mazz Swift, trumpeter Peter Evans, guitarists Miles Okazaki and Wendy Eisenberg, bassist Michael Formanek, and percussionist and electronic musician Levy Lorenzo. Imitating AI, Jon spent several years doing a ...
Continue ReadingPitch, Rhythm and Consciousness: Sextet
by Thierry De Clemensat
Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness is a collective of musicians who stand among the most representative of the New York jazz scene in 2025. Initially formed as a quartet, the group was founded by Tony Jones and Charlie Burnham, two of the most captivating artists of the ensemble, who are later joined by Kenny Wollesen, Marika Hughes, Jessica Jones and Rashaan Carter. Given the group's initial configuration, it is evident that their music and compositions are not meant for ...
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