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Jazz Articles about Allan Mednard
Noah Preminger: Ballads
by Jack Kenny
Noah Preminger is a philosophical, thought-through artist who can gauge the impact of his playing and his thinking on his intended audience. It is interesting to compare Preminger's Ballads to John Coltrane's Ballads (Impulse!, 1963), an illuminating set of familiar tunes that was reputedly instigated after his quartet's first tour of Europe, with Eric Dolphy in tow. Accusations of “anti-jazz" flew. It was hoped that this step back into the Standards on his Ballads album would answer the"anti- jazz" accusations. ...
Continue ReadingJeremy Pelt: Tomorrow's Another Day
by Alberto Bazzurro
L'avvio non è dei più incoraggianti, lambendo abbastanza pericolosamente la deriva dell'easy listening, ma poi, per fortuna, le cose migliorano e questo nuovo lavoro di Jeremy Pelt, virgulto ormai quarantottenne di certo “nuovo" jazz, riprende abbastanza convintamente la retta via. O meglio la strada maestra, perché è questo il nuovo verbo cui il trombettista californiano fa riferimento, glissando con una certa disinvoltura su tutto quanto avvenuto dopo (o attorno a) l'epoca aurea di suoi colleghi di strumento quali Clifford Brown, ...
Continue ReadingCaroline Davis: Portals, Volume 2 : Returning
by Glenn Astarita
Alto saxophonist/composer Caroline Davis, a rising star in the jazz world, has unveiled her second installment of the “Portals" series, titled Portals Vol. 2: Returning. This album serves as a sonic memoir, inspired by her grandmother, Joan “Lady" Anson-Weber, and it represents a deeply personal journey of reflection and healing. As a gifted saxophonist and composer, Davis draws upon her grandmother's poetic legacy to craft a musical experience that is both moving and evocative. This album stands as ...
Continue ReadingMatt Pavolka: Disciplinary Architecture
by Glenn Astarita
Matt Pavolka, a seasoned bassist and composer, has carved a distinct niche in the New York jazz scene for over two decades. Initially focused on trombone (studying under the legendary David Baker), Pavolka's path took a sharp turn at Berklee College of Music. There, he switched to bass and blossomed as a composer, earning accolades for both performance and composition. His latest offering, Disciplinary Architecture, is a record brimming with ambition and a unique sonic atmosphere. The album ...
Continue ReadingGuillermo Klein Quinteto: Telmo's Tune
by Angelo Leonardi
Sono passati tre decenni da quando l'argentino Guillermo Klein debuttò a New York col magistrale El Minotauro (Candid) evidenziando quelle doti di fantasioso orchestratore e bandleader che abbiamo apprezzato nei vari dischi incisi col suo ensemble Los Guachos e con la Swiss Jazz Orchestra. Negli anni l'abbiamo visto esibirsi anche con organici ridotti, dal quintetto presentato al Village Vanguard nel 2014 al minimale concept album con Rebecca Martin, Larry Grenadier e Jeff Ballard (The Upstate Project, Sunnyside, 2017). ...
Continue ReadingJeremy Pelt: Tomorrow's Another Day
by Jack Bowers
Trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, a force on the jazz scene for more than two decades, simply does his own thing on Tomorrow's Another Day, the twenty-fourth album as leader of his own groups, inviting any interested listeners to come on board for the ride. Pelt's thing these days apparently includes an abundance of special effects, reverb, heavy (and at times intrusive) rhythms, leavened with occasional flashes of the remarkable improviser he can be and often is. To help ...
Continue ReadingAlex LoRe & Weirdear: Evening Will Find Itself
by Maurizio Zerbo
Attraverso questo CD, gli appassionati italiani di jazz potranno conoscere e apprezzare Alex LoRe, uno dei più talentuosi sassofonisti emergenti dell'area newyorkese. Ispirato ai grandi modelli della grande tradizione jazzistica degli anni Sessanta, Evening Will Find Itself propone una musica ben costruita, interpretata col giusto pathos. Armonicamente e ritmicamente complesse, le dieci tracce del CD ed in particolare l'evocativo “Face Unseen" attualizzano la sontuosa lezione shorteriana, facendo leva sulle fantasiose doti improvvisative del quartetto. Oltre al ...
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