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New ECM Releases, Shorter Live, And More
by Bob Osborne
ECM records continue to release an eclectic range of remarkable music which transcends narrow genre classifications and offers the listener the chance to explore new sounds and experiences. Four excellent new releases from that label are featured on this episode. In addition there is a fascinating and varied mix of new releases yet again proving that Jazz is a broad church. I close the show with an excellent live recording from the legendary Wayne Shorter from the first in a ...
Continue ReadingTracy Yang, Taylor Kelly, Quatuor Bozzini with junctQín keyboard collective and James McGowan
by Cheryl K.
During this week's two-hour program of jazz and improvised music, new music from composer and bandleader Tracy Yang, pianist/composer Satoko Fujii and trumpeter /composer Natsuki Tamura, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Taylor Kelly, Quatuor Bozzini with junctQín keyboard collective, the trio Tarbaby, and pianist James McGowan and his Ensemble. Playlist Duke Ellington “Wanderlust" from Duke Ellington Meets Coleman Hawkins (Impulse!) 5:00 Brian Landrus “Praise God" from Brian Landrus Plays Ellington & Strayhorn (Palmetto/Blueland) 3:29 Tracy Yang “Melting Arctic" from OR ...
Continue ReadingIntroducing Trombonist Dan Harkins
by Sanford Josephson
Trombonist Urbie Green, who died in 2018 at the age of 92, was part of Woody Herman's Thundering Herd in the 1950s and won DownBeat's International Critics' Award for “New Star" in 1954. While revered among his colleagues, Green is not exactly a household name among the jazz listening public. But 22-year-old trombonist Dan Harkins lists him as one of his three jazz heroes--along with the giants, J.J. Johnson and Curtis Fuller. “I really like Urbie Green a ...
Continue ReadingRempis / Adasiewicz / Abrams / Damon: Propulsion
by Mark Corroto
Do you ever imagine yourself, while listening to an album from the Chicago creative scene, as a detective in one of those murder mystery movies? The investigator has assembled a wall with a string running from the crime scene photos and victims to all the accused. They do so to visualize the connections between suspects. The same process is helpful with Chicago musicians. Saxophonist Dave Rempis had curated nearly a thousand Thursday night performances at Elastic Arts in Chicago between ...
Continue ReadingSaxophone Meets Guitar: The Dynamic Duo of Jazz
by Robert Middleton
Imagine a smoky jazz club where the deep, soulful wail of a saxophone weaves effortlessly with the nimble, melodic lines of a guitar. This rare instrumental combination is a hidden gem in the world of jazz that deserves more attention. Jazz is not just a genre--it is a universe with galaxies of swing, bebop, hard bop, and free jazz. But amidst this cosmic diversity, there's a rare constellation that shines especially bright: the saxophone-guitar quartet. Uncommon ...
Continue ReadingThe Great Hall: Perseverance Society Hall and the Beginnings of Jazz, Part 3
by Jon Sheckler
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Part 3: The Great Jazz HallPerseverance Society Hall was a multi-use facility for much of its history. But the chief use of the expansive interior was membership events. The design had even included a unique feature: a musicians' mezzanine was built at the back end of the hall. Just as benevolent societies had taken on responsibilities to the community in the wake of the defunding of the Freedmen's Bureau, the ...
Continue ReadingAlex Jenkins Trio: Black Bird
by Dan McClenaghan
An initial spin of Sacramento-based drummer Alex Jenkins' Black Bird--recorded by the Alex Jenkins Trio (AJT)--brings saxophonist Sonny Rollins' A Night At The Village Vanguard (Blue Note, 1958) to mind. Rollins rolled in the trio mode for these 1957 Vanguard shows with just his saxophone, bass and drums. Going on stage in 1957 without a chording instrument--a guitar or piano--was unusual. The album was considered groundbreaking. Now the pared-down trio format is common, for good reason--dropping the necessity of chasing ...
Continue ReadingTord Gustavsen Trio: Seeing
by Mike Jurkovic
A moving stillness undergirds and empowers Seeing, pianist Tord Gustavsen's tenth triumph for ECM. From the scraping arc through the first mood shift of “Jesus, Make Me Still" it is possible to lock in on the blue gospel vibe and shut the door to the cluttered details and emails of the day. And never mind song titles like the above or “The Old Church," “Beneath Your Wisdom" or “Nearer My God, To Thee." For three guys from the ...
Continue ReadingChristopher Zuar, Kenny Barron, and Andrea Wolper
by Jerome Wilson
This episode features a wide variety of approaches, such as large ensemble jazz from Christopher Zuar and Eberhard Weber, small group work from Kenny Barron and Artemis, and vocals from Andrea Wolper and Tiziana Ghiglioni. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Sarah Wilson “Felta Road" from Kaleidoscope (Brasstonic) 00:51 Eberhard Weber “Silent Feet" from Stages of a Long Journey ...
Continue ReadingEyal Maoz & Eugene Chadbourne: The Coincidence Masters
by Glenn Astarita
Imagine a musical universe where the avant-garde meets the absurd, where experimental jazz collides with the wild and wacky. Enter Eyal Maoz and Eugene Chadbourne, two sonic explorers who have teamed up to create a truly out-of-this-world album. It is like watching a cosmic collision between a supernova and a black hole, except instead of gravitational waves, you are treated to a cacophony of sounds that may leave you scratching your head in bewildered delight. Maoz, ...
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