Home » Jazz Articles » Alister Spence
Jazz Articles about Alister Spence
Alister Spence Trio: Gather
by Glenn Astarita
Alister Spence Trio's Gather arrives like a mischievous breeze, stirring the leaves of modern jazz with a blend of precision and playful abandon. This Australian ensemble--Alister Spence on piano, Lloyd Swanton on double bass, and Toby Hall on drums--delivers an album that feels like a conversation among old friends who happen to be virtuosos. The eight tracks weave a tapestry of intricate melodies, rhythmic surprises and moments of quiet introspection, each piece a small universe unto itself. Spence's ...
Continue ReadingAlister Spence Trio: Gather
by Dan McClenaghan
Australian pianist Alister Spence is a master collaborator. He teams up with fellow keyboardist Satoko Fujii for various recording and live show efforts, and also with pianist Myra Melford and saxophonist Raymond McDonald. In addition, he is a founding member of the group Wanderlust, and he collaborates with guitarist Ed Kuepper in the Asteroid Ekosystem ensemble. Gather, released under the Alister Spence Trio moniker, features eight of Spence's original compositions, along with his piano artistry, and with improvisations ...
Continue ReadingKira Kira: Kira Kira Live
by Glenn Astarita
Kira Kira, a Japanese avant-garde ensemble has been at the forefront of improvisational music since 2017. Their name, translating to “glittering" or “shining" in Japanese, fittingly reflects the radiant quality of their sonic explorations. The ensemble includes an all-star lineup: trumpeter Natsuki Tamura, pianist Satoko Fujii, keyboardist Alister Spence and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Together, they blend semi-structured jazz with shades of other genres, creating a sound that is as frenzied and bustling as it is introspective and exhilarating. The album ...
Continue ReadingAlister Spence / Tony Buck: Mythographer
by Dan McClenaghan
Duo recordings, no matter what the particular instrumentation, are able to showcase musical mind-melds. Two artists conversing, trading and extrapolating on each other's ideas. Pianist Alister Spence and drummer Tony Buck try the format on for size with Mythographer. This spontaneous, one-day-session recording opens with “Dry Wood Talking." It sounds as if the talking is being done with sleigh bells in the beginning, in a tune that unfolds in a searching-for-the-center mode. “And Yet She Turns," ...
Continue ReadingThe Alister Spence Trio with Ed Kuepper Plus Other New Releases
by Bob Osborne
On this weeks show there is a focus on recent releases. There is also an Australian jazz-rock supergroup just about to embark their first tour, some classic jazz stylings in a modern setting, brand new work from cutting edge duos and exciting releases from Ricardo Pinzon, Yaniv Taubenhouse and Tony Malaby. Playlist Alister Spence Trio with Ed Kuepper “Not a Leaf in Any Forest" from Asteroid Ekosystem (Alister Spence Music) 00:00 Cooper-Moore and Stephen Gauci “Improvisation Seven" ...
Continue ReadingAlister Spence Trio With Ed Kuepper: Asteroid Ekosystem
by Dan McClenaghan
Australian pianist/keyboardist Alister Spence—with his avant-garde credibility established via free-roaming work with his trio and collaborations with pianist/composer/bandleader Satoko Fujii—takes another let's-see-what-happens exploratory step in a collaboration with guitarist Ed Kuepper on the double CD outing, Asteroid Ekosystems, a sonic trek into the extraterrestrial area of space debris between Mars and Jupiter. Or not. Maybe the title was tagged on, after the two day recording sessions, after an “off-the-cuff" show in Sydney in March of 2018. Nevertheless, that ...
Continue ReadingAlister Spence: Whirlpool
by Karl Ackermann
Australian jazz pianist and composer Alister Spence has led his own trio for twenty years, picking up regional ARIA best jazz album nominations for Flux (2003), and Mercury (2006), both on the Rufus label. Spence has led the ensembles Clarion Fracture Zone and Wanderlust and was an early member of the Australian Art Orchestra. He is best known in the U.S. as a member of Scottish saxophonist Raymond MacDonald's International Big Band, and for his adventurous work with Satoko Fujii. ...
Continue Reading
