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Jazz Articles about Alejandro Arenas
James Suggs: For All We Know
by Jack Bowers
Every bandleader who enters a recording studio presumably does so with a specific game plan either in hand or in mind. And as is true of any idea, some outcomes are better than others. James Suggs, a splendid trumpeter, has enlisted several able sidemen for support on his second album as leader, For All We Know. What he has not done--surely unwittingly--is develop a blueprint whose parts are better than average, and in some cases, it must be conceded, less ...
Continue ReadingJustin Chart: Night Heat
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist Justin Chart is known for his cinematic, entirely improvised, live sessions. A stalwart of the Los Angeles, and Southern California, jazz scene, Chart has several superb albums to his credit. His 2024 record, Night Heat, maintains the same level of sophistication and spontaneity. It is culled from two separate appearances with different sidemen and consists of ten, relatively short, tracks that focus mainly on the intricacy of the melodies and the dynamic ensemble sound. For instance the ...
Continue ReadingLa Lucha: Everybody Wants To Rule The World
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist John C. O'Leary III, bassist Alejandro Arenas and drummer Mark Feinman, fast friends since they first met at the University of South Florida in 2006, draw on very different backgrounds and myriad sources when performing together as La Lucha. Whether digging into the Great American Songbook, exploring material from pop and classic rock radio, tapping into the Latin-jazz lexicon, or alluding to classical refinement, they manage to operate with a collective openness that's rare. The piano trio tradition tends ...
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