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Annie Chen: Secret Treetop
by Angelo Leonardi
Nel suo secondo album la cantante cinese Annie Chen compie un bel passo avanti, imboccando un percorso più complesso ed eclettico, anche se meno accattivante rispetto all'esordio di Pisces The Dreamer. Se in quel disco del 2014 esprimeva la sua adesione ai classici modelli del canto jazz qui Annie sperimenta una sintesi tra jazz moderno e modelli vocali e strumentali di provenienza orientale. Scelte condivise da un organico culturalmente eterogeneo, comprendente il chitarrista polacco Rafal Sarnecki, il violinista giapponese Tomoko ...
Continue ReadingAlex LoRe And Weirdear: Karol
by Dan Bilawsky
To simply read about it, Karol—saxophonist Alex Lore's third album in total and first on the Challenge imprint—might seem weighted by its conceptual underpinning. Aiming to integrate “elements from Eurocentric and Black American music traditions," LoRe takes most of his inspirational cues from classical composers. Said ideal, for many, would simply lead to either academic exercise or quaint “swinging the classics" scenarios. LoRe doesn't succumb to either fate. Instead, he operates by his own rules and runes, using the seed ...
Continue ReadingLucas Pino's No Net Nonet: That's a Computer
by Jerome Wilson
Lucas Pino is a New York-based tenor saxophonist who leads the No Net Nonet, a band that fits snugly into the jazz tradition but displays its own style of creativity. Despite what this CD's title suggests, this group's music is full of emotion and warmth. That is evident from the outset with “Antiquity," written by alto saxophonist Alex LoRe; this is a floating melody that meshes undulating lines of tenor, piano and guitar together within a cocoon of ...
Continue ReadingLucas Pino: That's a Computer
by Angelo Leonardi
Dal 2013 il sassofonista e compositore Lucas Pino dirige il suo “No Net Nonet" esibendosi tutti i mesi allo Smalls Jazz Club di New York, senza trascurare altre scritture. L'organico è nato nel 2009, da allora ha cambiato solo un componente e la regolarità del rapporto spiega la coesione e l'equilibrio evidenziati in questo terzo album. Recentemente il look di Pino è molto cambiato: il giovanotto modello anni cinquanta, con capelli corti ben pettinati, occhiali alla Cary ...
Continue ReadingLucas Pino: That's a Computer
by David A. Orthmann
Lucas Pino's No Net Nonet has claimed a piece of turf within the vast, sprawling, crowded field of the jazz mainstream. Its brilliantly conceived and executed efforts resist additional stylistic distinctions. Teamwork, mutually reinforcing concerns and a spirit of adventure infuse the seven tracks of That's A Computer. The compositions and arrangements by the leader, as well as one apiece by alto saxophonist Alex LoRe and guitarist Rafal Sarnecki, are bold, invigorating and rife with details that linger in memory. ...
Continue ReadingAnnie Chen Octet: Secret Treetop
by Jack Bowers
Over the years, jazz has widened its horizons to encompass a broad range of music that many of those who practiced and/or appreciated the more traditional forms might not recognize, let alone endorse. Among the more recent genres is “world music," which embodies various rhythmic and harmonic elements of jazz without assimilating its core values. On her second album, Secret Treetop, composer/vocalist Annie Chen's octet performs world music and does it well--but it is only narrowly akin to jazz in ...
Continue ReadingLucas Pino's No Net Nonet: That's a Computer
by Jack Bowers
Saxophonist Lucas Pino's adventurous New York-based No Net Nonet is on record for the third time with That's a Computer (yes, there's a story behind that but it's too lengthy to recount here), which underscores Pino's usual flair for anomalous compositions and arrangements. Except for drummer Jimmy Macbride, who came on board in 2017, every member of Pino's group has been there from the start, eight years earlier, and that's a nice harbor from which to set sail, as everyone ...
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