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Tom Guarna: Spirit Science
by Friedrich Kunzmann
With The Wishing Stones (Destiny Records, 2017) New York-based guitarist Tom Guarna released something of a breakthrough album, featuring a prominently cast quartet made up of Brian Blade on drums, John Patitucci on bass and pianist Jon Cowherd. With that album Guarna perfected his personal style of composition, which sees post-bop language taken to more extensive structures filtered through modern sonic production values. Spirit Science picks up where that album left off and delivers another engaging set of modern post-bop ...
Continue ReadingRajiv Jayaweera: Pistils
by Friedrich Kunzmann
New York-based drummer Rajiv Jayaweera had quite the international upbringing. Born in London to Sri Lankan parents, Jayaweera grew up in Melbourne, where he completed his Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts before finishing his Masters in Jazz studies in New York in 2013. In the liner notes of his debut album Pistils, Jayaweera explains that the album is dedicated to his grandparents and the music on it draws inspiration from his Sri Lankan roots and ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man
by Pat Youngspiel
Back with his second effort under the Little Big moniker, Aaron Parks stretches out the concepts that had been established on the group's debut recording and presents an even tighter display of original jazz meets pop blended instrumentals. As on predecessor Little Big (Ropeadope Records, 2018), each bar and every measure of each track have been carefully conceived, logically constructed and unwound to form a complete picture. The foundations are through-composed, the band's interplay however is as dynamic and lively ...
Continue ReadingRajiv Jayaweera: Pistils
by Dan Bilawsky
While London-born, Melbourne-reared, New York-based drummer Rajiv Jayaweera's work is naturally colored by his experiences spanning those points on the map, it's his Sri Lankan heritage that most greatly informs and influences this debut. Drawing inspiration from memories of nature, sounds and scents surrounding his grandparents' garden there, Jayaweera creates a musical sanctuary and wonderland painted in vivid colors. Pistils, a title referencing the seed-bearing, reproductive portion of a flower, plays on blooming beauty at its first ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man
by Mike Jurkovic
Upon initial listening, there is a deceptive lightness-of-being borne throughout Little Big II: Dreams of A Mechanical Man that may or may not come off to some, or most, as slightly too poppy a venture. But pianist Aaron Parks and his road-running cohorts, rock toned guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard, Jr and drummer/percussionist Tommy Crane, are intuitive dealers with aces high up their collective sleeve. Hewn from the same lithe, exploratory spirit which sparked his communicative 2008 ...
Continue ReadingA Jazz Immuno-Booster: Part 5
by Ludovico Granvassu
Back to popular demand! Here's some more musical therapy for these trying times, the fifth installment of this popular mix-tape series, featuring selections by Tim Berne, Theo Bleckmann, Stefano Bollani, Tommaso Cappellato, Taylor Ho Bynum, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Mats Gustaffson, Maya Keren, Brad Mehldau, Aaron Parks, Rosa Brunello and Ben Wendel. Happy listening! Stay safe and sane with the help of great music! For details on the tunes see the playlist below. If you're curious about the ...
Continue ReadingAaron Parks alla Sala Vanni di Firenze
by Neri Pollastri
Aaron Parks Little Big A Jazz Supreme Sala Vanni Firenze 15.11.2019 Per gli appuntamenti autunnali della rassegna fiorentina A Jazz Supreme era in programma il pianista statunitense Aaron Parks, uno dei più apprezzati pianisti tastieristi emergenti, alla testa del suo più recente quartetto, composto dal chitarrista Greg Tuohey, dal bassista DJ Ginyard e dal batterista Tommy Crane, che ha da non molto pubblicato il CD Little Big. Formazione piuttosto classica, dunque, che ha espresso ...
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