Jazz Articles
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Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Ki
by Dan McClenaghan
The sound of Ki is deeply steeped in deliberation, dignity and old-world stateliness. This, coming from the long-term team of trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and pianist Satoko Fujii, might surprise those who have followed the duo's trajectory over its quarter-century-plus existence. Fujii and Tamura stir up musical pots and pans in a startling array of styles. Most of the dishes they cook up are avant-garde--Fujii's boisterous big band stews, Tamura's truculent treks spiced with electricity and/or extended trumpet technique tom foolery ...
Continue ReadingMichiyo Yagi At Jazztopad Festival New York
by Max Kutner
Michiyo YagiJazztopad Festival New YorkVarious Venues New York, NY June 15-16, 2025 The opportunity to attend two performances at this year's Jazztopad Festival New York was a fortunate experience. Both events featured the brilliant Michyo Yagi on koto as a special guest, visiting from Tokyo, Japan. The Jazztopad Festival has been held in NYC for the past nine years (and for over 20 years in Poland), showcasing many of the most culturally significant members of the ...
Continue ReadingDom Franks' Strayhorn: Duality Pt: 02
by Neil Duggan
Having whetted our appetite with Duality Pt: 01 (Self-Produced, 2024), saxophonist Dom Franks, together with his band StrayHorn, returns with Duality Pt: 02, revealing another side of the saxophonist's impressive range as a composer. Whilst the first release leaned into funky Hammond grooves inspired by Larry Goldings and Joey DeFrancesco, this follow-up moves in a different direction. This time the inspiration stems from the vibrant sounds of 1970s Brazilian jazz. Central to the project is Brazilian arranger Luiz ...
Continue ReadingIncluding tunes heard, bought and artists featured at this year’s We Out Here Festival in the UK
by Andy Crowther
New material from International Anthem, Gary Bartz, Brian Jackson, plus tunes from Charles Stepney and other artists from this year's We Out Here festival in the UK. Playlist Rotary Connection “Memory Band" from Rotary Connection (Cadet Concept) 00:00 Makaya McCraven “Butterscotch" from In The Moment (International Anthem) 03:39 Ramsey Lewis “Julia" from Mother Nature's Son (Cadet) 06:27 Clifford Jordan “Eddie Harris" from Glass Bead Games (Strata-East) 10:47 The Harold Land / Blue Mitchell Quintet “Mapenzi" from Mapenzi (Concord) ...
Continue ReadingKenneth Dahl Knudsen: Beyond 'Sound American' – Crafting a Nordic Jazz Identity
by Ieva Pakalniskyte
What does finding an authentic musical voice in a genre so deeply connected to history and geography mean? The answer for Danish double bassist, composer, and educator Kenneth Dahl Knudsen is to transcend limitation and let identity shape the sound. A restless presence on the European jazz scene, Knudsen has resisted the pressure to “sound American" and instead draws from his Scandinavian roots, folk song, church music and rock energy, while taking influences from collaborators worldwide.
Continue ReadingHingetown Jazz Festival 2025
by John Chacona
Hingetown Jazz Festival Various venues Cleveland, OH August 30, 2025 It would surprise no one if this review of the third Hingetown Jazz Festival in Cleveland began, as such pieces often do, by noting how the festival has grown. But that would not exactly be accurate. By the most common measure of such things, the size of the audience, this year's audience looked a lot like 2024's (this writer was not at the ...
Continue ReadingTatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante: The Sound of Raspberry
by Mark Corroto
This LP may be the revelation of 2025--or a sonic ordeal, depending on your tolerance for noise and your grasp of history. Japanese drummer Tatsuya Yoshida and Mexican saxophonist Martín Escalante met at the perfect moment in December 2023 to record 14 tracks at Tokyo's Bar Aja. The result, The Sound of Raspberry, is the love child of punk rock and free jazz, fed through a grinder and pulverizer until nothing but raw nerve remains. The sound is head-spinning, in ...
Continue ReadingSean Vokes: Mundane Fascinations
by Anastasia Bogomolets
On his second release for his own indie label, Minor Third Records, pianist and composer Sean Vokes invites listeners into a deeply personal sonic world where everyday moments are transformed into vivid, emotionally charged musical snapshots. Mundane Fascinations is a collection of original compositions inspired by images, concepts or fleeting moments and developed with the same emotional precision a film composer might bring to a scene. Vokes shared that the album began with the song “Rain," which he ...
Continue ReadingNew Music From Tintweiss, Perelman, Irabagon And More
by Bob Osborne
On this edition of World of Jazz there is a selection of new releases coupled with more exciting music from the re-release of the Strata-East catalogue and to open a fascinating snap shot of late-'60s free jazz. Playlist Steve Tintweiss and The Purple Why “California Sandra" from Live In Tompkins Square Park (Inky Dot Media) 00:00 Anna Webber & Angela Morris Big Band “Just Intonation Etudes for Big Band -Unseparate 1" from Unseperate (Out Of Your Head ...
Continue Reading(Mostly) Not the Usual Suspects
by Patrick Burnette
The Bastards delve into the fecund fields of fusion once again, focusing on that most electric of decades, the 1970s. This excursion sticks mostly to lesser-known stars in the fusion firmament, but there's one exception to this rule. That exception likes his finger-picking fast and his cover-girls nekkid.Playlist Discussion of Passport's album Hand Made (Atlantic) 2:51 Discussion of Ryo Kawasaki's album Juice (RCA) 15:17 Discussion of Herman Szobel's album Szobel (Heartcore) 26:44 Discussion of Neil Ardley's album Kaleidoscope ...
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