Jazz Articles
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Jon Batiste & Randy Newman: Lonely Avenue
by Ludovico Granvassu
Enjoy this soulful take on Doc Pomus' “Lonely Avenue"--a song immortalized by Ray Charles, the patron saint of Jon Batiste's musical world. To make this single an even more compelling preview of his upcoming album Big Money, Batiste enlisted a fellow Ray Charles devotee, the legendary Randy Newman. Though Newman has kept a lower public profile in recent years, this track--captured in a single take in his living room--proves he hasn't lost an ounce of his gruff charisma ...
Continue ReadingPotsa Lotsa XL: Amoeba's Dance
by Ian Patterson
Like an amoeba, whose shape-shifting properties enable it to adapt to its surroundings, Silke Eberhard's Potsa Lotsa expands and contracts according to its needs. Originating as a four-horn ensemble inspired by the music of multi-instrumentalist/composer Eric Dolphy, Potsa Lotsa blasted off with Potsa Lotsa: The Complete Works Of Eric Dolphy (Jazzwerkstatt, 2010). An auspicious debut, Eberhard's quartet stripped Dolphy's compositions down to their melodic essence before reimagining--a fittingly inventive homage. Then came Potsa Lotsa Plus, an octet featuring ...
Continue ReadingSvetlana: Reel to Remix: Night at the Movies Reimagined
by Konstantin Rega
Russian-born, New York-based singer Svetlana finds inspiration by being playful during post-production on Reel to Remix: Night at the Movies Reimagined. Taking six tracks from her 2019 release, Night at the Movies (Starr Records), the singer reconfigures her original takes, spicing things up. Though some might say that this style of remixing can seem gimmicky or overworked, Svetlana is fresh in her approach and the ways the songs move away from where they once were. “Pure Imagination" is ...
Continue ReadingOlie Brice Quartet: All It Was
by Mark Corroto
Bassist Olie Brice wears the title of Mr. Inside/Mr. Outside with remarkable ease. Equally adept in free improvisation and structured composition, Brice moves fluidly between extremes. His work with improvisers such as Tobias Delius and Mark Sanders on Somersaults (Two Rivers, 2015), or with Paul Dunmall on The Laughing Stone (Confront, 2023), exemplifie his outside approach. Meanwhile, his release Fire Hills (West Hill, 2022), where he composed material for both trio and octet, showcases his talents on the more structured ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Pianist Irving Flores
by AAJ Staff
Meet Irving Flores From his early beginnings as a child prodigy leading Orchestra Tamalipas to victory at the tender age of ten, to becoming a nationally treasured artist in Mexico, Irving's journey has been nothing short of legendary. Now based in San Diego, California, Irving continues to push musical boundaries and innovate within the jazz genre, contributing richly to its evolution and reaching new audiences through his performances and recordings. Irving's career is marked by notable collaborations and ...
Continue ReadingSteve Millhouse: Looking Back to Today
by David A. Orthmann
In an era when athleticism, blatant egotism, and cacophony are all too common elements of jazz performance, it is refreshing to hear a record populated by players who exhibit give-and-take, musicality, and a willingness to listen and share sonic space. Six-string electric bassist Steve Millhouse's Looking Back to Today is a sterling example of a bass, saxophone, and drums trio in which each musician expresses himself to the fullest without overreaching or making a mess of things.While Millhouse, ...
Continue ReadingAntonio Adolfo: Carnaval - The Songs Were So Beautiful
by Pierre Giroux
Veteran pianist, composer, and arranger Antonio Adolfo has long been a master at capturing the essence of Brazilian music through a jazz perspective. On Carnaval (The Songs Were So Beautiful), Adolfo draws on a wide range of traditional Brazilian carnival styles-- sambas, marchinas, marchas-rancho, and frevos--to create a vibrant and richly textured album that bursts with celebration while leaving space for nuance and reflection. This is not a jazz adaptation of Brazilian music; it's Brazilian music elevated with jazz sophistication ...
Continue ReadingChuck Mangione, Joe Farnsworth, Sarah Wilson & Hermon Mehari
by Joe Dimino
Welcome to Episode 918 of Neon Jazz--a journey that kicks off in true style with the soulful synergy of Paris-based trumpeter Hermon Mehari and pianist Tony Tixier on their new organic duo project, Soul Song. Hermon, with his deep Kansas City roots, continues to illuminate the European jazz scene with grace and power. From there, we tip our hats and say a heartfelt farewell to the legendary Chuck Mangione, revisiting a classic cut from his iconic Feels So Good album--a ...
Continue ReadingSaihs: Distopìa
by Neil Duggan
Distopia is the debut album from Italian sextet Saihs, formed in Florence, Tuscany, in 2023. Although each track is credited to a single composer, the process of shaping each piece was the result of two years of intensive rehearsal sessions at the Scuola di Musica in Campi Bisenzio, under the guiding hand of director Massimo Barsotti. Under his mentorship, the group defined their nine original compositions, along with a reinterpretation of Bud Powell's “Celia." With their typical sextet ...
Continue ReadingMelbourne guitarist Nick Freer, Eelco Van Zanten, Gavin Harrison, David Binney and The Outernet
by Len Davis
Kick off your musical journey today with Melbourne guitarist Nick Freer and his latest albumApperseptions . From the Netherlands, Eelco Van Zanten shares Eel Fusionkastel followed by Canadian guitarist Joel Grundahl. British drummer Gavin Harrison joins forces with guitarist Nick Johnson and bassist Evan Marien for some stand out fusion, then a ballad with bite from The Outernet featuring Phil Turcio. Pat Petrillo brings fresh drum energy and we wrap up the new releases with Saxophonist David Binney and drummer ...
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