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Toms Rudzinskis: Interception
by Mark Corroto
Even the most seasoned sommeliers can be caught off guard when presented with a wine from an uncharted region. That might be your first reaction to Interception by the Toms Rudzinskis Quartet. The Latvian-born composer and alto saxophonist offers a vibrant, nuanced session brimming with both tart and sweet tonal qualities. This vinyl LP (and digital) release follows his previous self-released works, the quartet album Abra (2014) and the quintet-led Abyss (2023). Accompanying Rudzinskis are pianist Alex Koo, ...
Continue ReadingAlex Koo / Attila Gyárfas / Ralph Alessi: Identified Flying Object
by Mark Corroto
Belgian-Japanese pianist Alex Koo and Hungarian drummer Attila Gyárfás formed the duo Identified Flying Object to explore fully improvised music that has one foot in jazz, one in chamber music, another in minimalism, and a fourth in electronic manipulations. Their initial release Galactic Liturgy (2017) is followed up here with the addition of Ralph Alessi's trumpet and piccolo trumpet. Alessi, along with Mark Turner, was heard on the stunningly beautiful Appleblueseagreen (Clever Tree Records, 2019). Where Galactic Liturgy ...
Continue ReadingAlex Koo: Appleblueseagreen
by Dan McClenaghan
The Belgian/Japanese pianist/composer Alex Koo enlisted a pair of first call allstars, saxophonist Mark Turner and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, forming an acoustic chamber trio that brings his vision to life on Appleblueseagreen. The title is taken from the literal translation of the Flemish word “appelblauwzeegroen," to describe a color of ambiguous personality. The music is cinematic, with the first three tunes, “enuD," “Dune" and “Funeral March," giving off a vibe of deep, ruminative sadness, like a soundtrack to the aftermath ...
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