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Jon Batiste, Frank Morgan, Jack Mouse & Jonah David
by Joe Dimino
Welcome to the 896th episode of Neon Jazz, where the groove never stops! We kick things off with the electrifying Jonah David, spinning a fresh cut from his highly anticipated 2025 album, Waltz for Eli. Then, we take a time-traveling leap back to 1955 for a sizzling classic--Frank Morgan's fiery rendition of “The Champ." This hour is stacked with groundbreaking sounds, featuring the bold innovations of Okonski, The Offline, and the John Lindvall Trio. Plus, we dive into fresh magic ...
Continue ReadingMike Holober & The Gotham Jazz Orchestra: This Rock We're On: Imaginary Letters
by Jack Bowers
This Rock We're On, acclaimed composer and pianist Mike Holober's 2024 recording as leader of the Gotham Jazz Orchestra, is challenging to summarize in mere words, as it consists of a multi-part suite (on two CDs) which blends jazz, classical and art songs in a thematic environment that uses a series of “imaginary letters" from a half dozen writers, artists and activists. Holober's orchestral response to them is the premise for “a meditation on the beauty of nature and the ...
Continue ReadingFrancesco Bearzatti and Federico Casagrande: And Then Winter Came Again
by Brian Morton
This liner-note begins, unusually, with a charitable appeal. Music reviewers and critics labour in obscure conditions, but this is not an appeal for better pay or more respect. Many of these poor souls suffer from a deeply embarrassing ailment that directly bears on their ability to function at all. As first the co-author and later sole author of a very large jazz reference book, I've had the symptoms for years. The condition is known to the very few doctors who ...
Continue ReadingSandeep Chowta with Richard Hallebeek, Anthony Papamichael, The Hass Company, Chris Minh Doky and much more
by Len Davis
New music from 2025 with Sandeep Chowta and Richard Hallebeek, Anthony Papamichael with Jimmy Haslip and Simon Phillips, Yellow Jackets with their latest Fasten Up and Norwegian bassist Terje Gewelt. The Hass Company with with guitarist's Frank Gambale and Samuel Hallkvist, Australian guitarist Josh Meader, and Sardinian Trumpeter Paolo Fresu. New York drummer Curtis Nowosad, bassist Chris Minh Doky. Some old favourites starting with Brazillian guitarist Lari Bassillio, EKKO 3 with Gerald Gradwohl, Norwegian progressive band Krokofant, Melbourne Jazz violinist ...
Continue ReadingGrateful Dead: Idiosyncratic Improvisationalists
by Doug Collette
As the Grateful Dead morphed from an eccentric folk-blues group into an eclectic jam juggernaut, the band adopted an idiosyncratic approach to improvisation they would then hone over three decades. Regular shifts of personnel nurtured an ongoing alteration of the Dead's musicianship, as did the growing wealth of original material the group interspersed with a wide range of cover songs. The following selections taken from the arc of the iconic unit's history illustrate how their distinctive means of playing together ...
Continue ReadingWajdi Riahi at Brussels Centre for Fine Arts
by Ieva Pakalniskyte
Wajdi Riahi The Centre for Fine Arts Brussels, Belgium February 23, 2025 Brussels' Centre for Fine Arts, Henry Le Boeuf Hall, played host to Wajdi Riahi's solo piano concert last Sunday of February. The intimate atmosphere was further enhanced by the unusual seating arrangement, with audience members surrounding Riahi on stage as well as filling the traditional seating area. This created a palpable sense of connection, drawing everyone closer to the the music. A ...
Continue ReadingJohn Lamkin: Hot
by Tony Poole
Best known as a dedicated music educator, Dr. John Lamkin II has spent decades shaping the next generation of musicians as Director of Bands at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. But in 1984, he stepped into the spotlight with Hot, a dynamic blend of fusion, R&B, and straight-ahead jazz-funk that showcased his prowess as a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader. Originally a private press release, the album has remained a sought-after rarity--until now. Born and raised in Atlantic ...
Continue ReadingRobby Ameen: Live at the Poster Museum
by Jack Bowers
Unlike some drummer-led albums, wherein it is hard to determine who is actually piloting the ship, there are no doubts about who is in charge on Live at the Poster Museum--and that would be none other than Robby Ameen whose sharp and forceful timekeeping enlivens the heart and soul of every number, lending them a sizable measure of their exuberance and swagger. That is especially meaningful considering that Ameen is traveling in fast company, overseeing a burnished ...
Continue ReadingKinan Azmeh, Yazz Ahmed, Arturo O'Farrill, Mortelle Randonnée & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Enjoy a playlist featuring heartfelt and original tributes to Carla Bley, and projects enriched by Arabic, West-African and Indian traditions.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Mortelle Randonnée “Musique Mecanique I" La reine uphone (Mr. Morezon) 0:16 Host talks 5:28 Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra “Blue Palestine Part Two" Mundoagua--Celebrating Carla Bley (Zoho) 7:08 Host talks 12:43 Yazz Ahmed “Though My Eyes Go ro Sleep, My ...
Continue ReadingLuis Vicente: Come Down Here
by John Sharpe
Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente hits pay dirt with Come Down Here. Although he explores a range of styles from poised but unfettered outings such as Chamber 4 (FMR, 2015) and For Sale (Clean Feed, 2015), to fire music collaborations with the likes of tenor saxophonist John Dikeman on House In The Valley (Clean Feed, 2023), the free bop here perhaps plays to his strengths best of all. Simple themes offer abundant inspiration, allowing him free rein for a melodicism that ...
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