Jazz Articles
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Paul Dietrich's Elemental Quartet: A Small Patch of Earth
by Richard J Salvucci
Anyone who spends much time watching contemporary instrumentalists on the internet is bound to come away impressed. Modern players, it sometimes seems, can do just about anything. And that is particularly true of some instruments in the brass family, where the advances in technique and range over just a half-century are particularly impressive. There are many trumpet athletes, able to leap impossible intervals in a single bound and circular breathe their way smoothly through half a concerto and generally play ...
Continue ReadingJames Williams: I Fall In Love Too Easily
by Artur Moral
Several factors hinder the enduring legacy of a figure like James Williams: a limited discography as a leader, curtailed by his deep commitment to teaching and early death, the frustrating unavailability of much of his published work in both physical and digital formats, lacking even a partial retrospective compilation, and, not a minor issue, a name that complicates searches and causes ongoing confusion on streaming platforms and websites. This makes his current visibility scarce and fragmented. The ten records with ...
Continue ReadingDwayne Clemons: Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls
by Jack Bowers
On Center of Gravity, veteran trumpeter Dwayne Clemons displays his astuteness and savvy in a generally impressive session recorded in September 2023 at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City, leading a sextet in which he shares the front line with alto saxophonist Amanda Sedgwick and tenor Aaron Johnson. This is a colorful and broad-shouldered date wherein everyone more than pulls his (or her) weight, with the horns adeptly supported from end to end by pianist JinJoo ...
Continue ReadingSons d'Hiver 2025
by Luciano Rossetti
A collection of photos from a part of the Sons d'Hiver in Paris from January 24, 2025 to January 28, 2025 featuring Hamid Drake, Pasquale Mirra, Moor Mother, Mats Gustafsson, Irreversible Entanglements, Louis Sclavis, Géraldine Laurent, Dave Douglas, Aja Monet, Kris Davis, Antonio Borghini, Pierre Borel and many others. ...
Continue ReadingJakob Bro, Nikara Warren, John Patitucci, Wayne Shorter, Alex Koo & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Brooklyn, Brussels, Copenhagen and Paris are the stations this playlist stops at before entering into zero gravity orbits with Wayne Shorter.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 NIKARA presents Black Wall Street “Inner City Blues" The Queen of Kings County (Switch Hit) 0:16 Host talks 9:05 Alex Koo feat. Ambrose Akinmusire “Hey Man, We Should Play Sometime" Blame It on My Chromosomes (WERF) 10:41 Host talks 15:56 Jakob Bro ...
Continue ReadingDennis Adu: Tereza
by Ian Patterson
Trumpeter, composer and bandleader Dennis Adu is a key figure on Ukraine's jazz scene, not just as an outstanding musician but also as an educator. Whether leading small ensembles or big bands, Adu has a penchant for arranging intricate, harmonically appealing multiple horn parts. “Tereza," from his album Sunlight Above the Sky (LableWhoAble, 2021 ) is a great illustration of the warmth in both Adu's arranging and (from minute 02.14) his playing. The septet on this track features Boris Mogylevskiy ...
Continue ReadingIvo Perelman São Paulo Creative 4: Supernova
by Hrayr Attarian
On the imaginative Supernova intrepid saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins forces with three of his countrymen for a stimulating set of spontaneous music. The quartet calls itself the São Paulo Creative 4 and performs a seven-part suite that draws inspiration from celestial phenomena. The seamless flow of ideas from one reed player to the other and from one track to the next gives the album its thematic unity. The opening track, “White Dwarf," starts with a bluesy dirge that ...
Continue ReadingA Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz: Part 1
by Ian Patterson
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The history of jazz in Ukraine can be traced fairly precisely according to academic, literature teacher and jazz journalist Alexander Yudin. Writing in The History Of European Jazz: The Music, Musicians And Audience in Context (Equinox Publishing, 2018), Yudin credits Yuliy Meitus with leading the country's first jazz band. Meitus' band, which consisted of vibraphone, violin, drums and percussion, reportedly gave the first jazz concert in Ukraine ...
Continue ReadingPerceptions Trio: The Wicked Crew
by Dan McClenaghan
If it is decided that the unadorned saxophone could use some enhancements, pedals can be plugged in to bring electricity and “effects" to the mix. Then add an electric guitar (with effects), and an acoustic drummer setting up the grooves, and you have the Perceptions Trio, with their album The Wicked Crew. Charley Rose wields the juiced-up sax, Silvan Joray adds neon colorations with his very electric guitar and Paulo Almeida rounds things out in the drummer's chair, ...
Continue ReadingMichael Bisio, Fred Moten/Brandon Lopez & Rainer Brüninghausen
by Maurice Hogue
There seems to be a bit of growing trend to exploring the confluence of poetry and jazz, and this is right down my alley. New York poet Fred Moten and bassist Brandon Lopez have released two albums with Gerald Cleaver that feature stirring free improvisation in lockstep with Moten's political and questioning words. Now Moten and Lopez have combined to release Revision. It's a very worthy addition to the category. Highly respected bassist Michael Bisio leads an off-the-path quartet on ...
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