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David Binney: Barefooted Town
by Dan McClenaghan
Alto saxophonist/composer David Binney must not worry about “market saturation." He releases albums, as a leader for both Criss Cross and his own Mythology label, at a rate that many top jazz artists did during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Less than six months into 2011, he has already offered up Graylen Epicenter (Mythology) and now, on Criss Cross, Barefooted Townunder his own name, in addition to sideman and producer gigs over the years for artists like saxophonist Donny ...
Continue ReadingDavid Binney: Barefooted Town
by John Kelman
Politics isn't the only thing that increasingly demands clear vision and steadfast commitment (even if it isn't getting it). In the jazz world--where the changing landscape makes getting heard one challenge, acceptance by a broader culture that views “jazz" as a dirty word another--it takes artists with unshakable resolve to stay the course. David Binney has not only honed an instantly recognizable compositional language without the trappings of predictability, he's become a mentor for younger artists, mixing and matching from ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire: When The Heart Emerges Glistening
by Troy Collins
A new generation of jazz musicians, unimpeded by the idiomatic constraints of tradition, has come of age since the end of the '80s-era culture wars. One such free-thinking artist is young trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, who was first discovered by saxophonist Steve Coleman at the tender age of 19. When The Heart Emerges Glistening is his first recording for Blue Note, following his 2008 debut, Prelude...To Cora (Fresh Sound New Talent). The session exudes a hearty romanticism, with Akinmusire's ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire: Emerging Heart
by R.J. DeLuke
"My favorite instrument is the cello," said the easygoing young musician in early February, from his apartment in Manhattan, where he referred to himself jokingly as “a hibernating jazzman." His West-Coast roots weren't taking a firm grip in the frigid temperatures of the Northeast. “Me and strings just don't get along. I can play piano; I can play a lot of different things, drums. But strings, I just don't get." Those words came from Ambrose Akinmusire, a trumpet ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire: Prelude: to Cora
by John Barron
On Prelude: to Cora, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire offers a wide-open musical perspective, inviting a wealth of influences to shape a personalized approach to improvisation and composition. Akinmusire seems content with allowing the music to fall where it may; eschewing trends and any pre-conceived notions about what is expected from a debut recording. The Oakland, California-native generously shares the spotlight with his ensemble of like-minded collaborators. Pianist Aaron Parks, vibraphonist Chris Dingman, tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III, bassist Joe ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire: Prelude: to Cora
by AAJ Italy Staff
Sarà per la compresenza di pianoforte e vibrafono, che riempiono molto. O forse per un suono troppo precisino, che lascia poco spazio all'immaginazione ed all'emozione. Fatto è che questo album d'esordio del trombettista Ambrose Akinmusire risulta troppo patinato per essere davvero convincente.Le buone idee non mancano. A cominciare dalla solenne “M.I.S.T.A.G.," sorta di colonna sonora immaginaria (ed inappropriata, come suggerisce il titolo stesso) al film “Hotel Rwanda" e per estensione al genocidio in corso in quella terra. Oppure ...
Continue ReadingAmbrose Akinmusire: Prelude: to Cora
by Mark F. Turner
New visions and colorful dreams emanate from the horn and pen of trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. You would expect the first place winner of the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition to come out with his horn a-blazing, voraciously showing his chops. While he does have the honored award and sharpened abilities, his debut recording, Prelude: to Cora, is one that walks quietly yet carries a huge stick of inspiring, focused and enlightened music that is well beyond his youthful ...
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