Jazz Articles
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BAN BAM: Bianca Gannon, Carole Nelson, Meilana Gillard and RBG Trio At Crescent Arts Centre
by Ian Patterson
Bianca Gannon, Carole Nelson and Meilana Gillard / RBG TrioBAN BAMCrescent Arts Centre Belfast, N. Ireland January 21, 2024 What do an Indonesian candy floss seller, a Hawaiian bird and the video game Sega Genesis all have in common? Well, in one way or another, and to different degrees, they all informed the music on a memorable BAN BAM (see below) triple bill in Belfast. The artists in question were, in running ...
Continue ReadingMike De Souza: Chrysalis
by Neil Duggan
For many musicians, the silver-lining of enforced isolation during the pandemic was the time to write and refine new compositions. The event enabled guitarist Mike De Souza to explore concepts for the six tracks that make up his second album, Chrysalis. This follows on from his debut, Slow Burn (Self-produced, 2019). Added impetus came from forming a new quintet, adding two new members to his existing trio. The music on the album is a rock/jazz hybrid that melds ...
Continue ReadingBallister: Smash and Grab
by Mark Corroto
A listener might have a premonition when they drop the needle on the hot pink vinyl version or push the play button on the CD or digital download of Smash And Grab by the trio Ballister. They understand, or have knowledge by way of the trio's ten previous releases, that a storm awaits them. The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love conjure a tempest of sound that simply refuses to become background music.
Continue ReadingMr. Chair: Better Days
by Geannine Reid
In the perpetually evolving landscape of fusion music, Madison, Wisconsin's own Mr. Chair introduces another compelling chapter with their latest album Better Days. A quintet with a diverse sound palette, Mr. Chair's idiosyncratic mix of jazz, classical and prog-rock opens up endless possibilities for musical genre blending. Before we dive into the heart of this auditory journey, let's take a moment to introduce the ensemble. On bass, we have Ben Ferris laying the rhythmic groundwork. José Guzmán is ...
Continue ReadingNew Releases, Birthday Shoutouts, 50th Anniversary of Court and Spark & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast includes new releases from Rose Mallett, Tony Jones and Jessica Jones, Ian Shaw, Lisa Hilton,{Kristen R. Bromley, Jo Harrop plus preview singles from Kelly Green and Andrea Wolper, with birthday shoutouts to Max Roach (100!), Cheryl Bentyne, Kate McGarry, Peter Eldridge, Chelsea McBride and Sade , among others. At the close of the 2nd hour, a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Joni Mitchell's Court and Spark. Thanks for listening and please support the artists ...
Continue ReadingTake Five with Saxophonist Nick Stefanacci
by AAJ Staff
Meet Nick StefanacciPop/jazz saxophonist, music educator and philanthropist Nick Stefanacci has been a lover of music and performance his entire life. Having started playing saxophone at age 10, he began performing at 16 with the then-rising southern rock guitarist, Derek Trucks. Stefanacci has since worked with some of the industry elite, including, Latin Grammy Award-winning rock group, Diamante Electrico, hip-hop legends Ja Rule and DMC (RunDMC), Cindy Bradley, Dog Eat Dog, Bernard “Pretty" Purdie, and The Four Tops to name ...
Continue Readingاسم [ism]: Maua
by Mike Jurkovic
Where would the world be without the clang and the clamor of sensory heightened free-jazz blowing purposeful and wild throughout the realm and surrounding tenements? This is an unsung understanding understood by fellow wayfarers, handed down by the elders and experienced by all who listen. Pianist Pat Thomas understands all this and reassures you of it on the right rollicking Maua, a tight as a snare drum, free jazz free-for-all that does not get on your nerves halfway ...
Continue ReadingMarshall Gilkes and WDR Big Band: Life Songs
by Jack Bowers
Maryland-born trombonist Marshall Gilkes, who spends much of his time working in and around various jazz bases in North America, returns to his “second" home, Cologne, Germany, for Life Songs, his eighth album as leader and third with his former employer, Cologne's world-class WDR Big Band. Gilkes spent the years 2010-13 in the WDR trombone section, shortly before he and the ensemble released the widely praised albums Koln (Alternate Side, 2015) and Always Forward (Alternate Side, 2018). ...
Continue ReadingAdam Holzman, John McLaughlin, Antoine Fafard and Brett Garsed
by Len Davis
The Big Picture from Adam Holzman and Brave New World, Black Light from John McLaughlin, CMD & The Nomads-Live, Antoine Fafard, Larry Coryell, Tom Coster and Steve Smith. Chris Minh Doky-Live, Allan Holdsworth, Tigran Hamasyan and Brett Garsed. Playlist Adam Holzman “Iron Curtain" from The Big Picture (Escapade) 00:00 John McLaughlin “Panditji" from Black Light6 (Abstract Logix) 08:25 Allan Holdsworth “The Fifth" from Blues For Tony (Moonjune) 16:45 CMD & The Nomads-Live “Spherical" from The Board Tapes (Red ...
Continue ReadingCorrie Dick: Sun Swells
by Geannine Reid
Corrie Dick is a multi-instrumentalist who has recorded on drums, piano, vocals, synth, guitar, and trumpet. As a composer, Dick is known for his dynamism, his melodic slant, and his playfully subversive melding of genres. Presenting his sonically inventive drumming, which has a rhythmic epicenter of a new era of innovative British jazz, is Dick's release Sun Swells . The album's theme is to create a folk-rock-jazz with rock instrumentation and color by Rob Luft on guitar and Tom McCredie ...
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