Jazz Articles about Andrew Rathbun

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Andrew Rathbun: Shadow Forms

by Ken Dryden
June 4, 2007

Canadian jazz musicians are frequently overlooked by American jazz fans unless they record for a US-based label, but ignore Andrew Rathbun at your own risk. There is a lot to like about Shadow Forms, as there are plenty of surprising twists within these intimate performances. This talented multi-instrumentalist, primarily heard on tenor sax, also doubles on soprano sax, clarinet and keyboards during this studio session, where he is joined by bassist Scott Lee and drummer Jeff Hirshfield, ...

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Andrew Rathbun: Shadow Forms

by Budd Kopman
December 11, 2006

For some reason, I never associated Andrew Rathbun with the Canadian scene, especially as embodied in the ever-expanding circle of David Braid and Mike Murley. There is something in his playing and compositions, just like Kenny Wheeler, that I cannot place--and which renders him distinct from the others. In any case, Shadow Forms is a wonderful album and, in typical Rathbun fashion, it could not be more different from his previous release, Renderings: The Art Of The ...

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Andrew Rathbun: Shadow Forms

by Mark Corroto
November 22, 2006

After a series of challenging and complex recordings, saxophonist Andrew Rathbun gives us his “unplugged" album, minus the larger ensembles present on his earlier releases. The seven-piece Jade (FSNT, 2000) with vocalist Luciana Souza, the recording of Margaret Atwood's poetry on True Stories (Blue Moon, 2001), and even his quintet recording Sculptures (FSNT, 2002) with Kenny Wheeler focused more on writing, rather than his horn playing.

With Renderings: The Art Of The Duo (FSNT, 2006), a chamber jazz ...

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Andrew Rathbun / George Colligan: Renderings: The Art of the Duo

by Budd Kopman
May 8, 2006

Renderings could be the perfect album for the jazz lover who thinks he doesn't like classical music, or vice versa. The recording is extremely beautiful for many reasons, in no small part because of the classical music chosen on which to improvise, as well as the leaders' own classically inspired compositions. From the point of view of sheer sound, Andrew Rathbun's soprano saxophone timbre is almost flute-like in its lack of reedy coloration. Being extremely pure, it ...

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Andrew Rathbun & George Colligan: Renderings: The Art of the Duo

by Dan McClenaghan
February 17, 2006

Renderings is a no-net duo set featuring Andrew Rathbun on soprano saxophone (tenor on one number) and George Colligan on piano. The title of the opening tune--Maurice Ravel's “Menuet Sur Le Nom Du Hayden," the French impressionist's homage to the great classical composer--clues you in as to what to expect. The sound is one of understated grandeur beneath an unabashedly pretty melody. Rathbun plays soprano saxophone with a pure, rich tone, conversing with pianist George Colligan in a seamless flow; ...

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Andrew Rathbun-Owen Howard Quintet: Days Before and After

by Paul Olson
March 14, 2005

Jazz is about more than soloing. The real meat of the music is in the collective interplay of the ensemble, the responses of one musician to what another has just done, all in real time: this is happening right now. You're not going to find a more fascinating demonstration of unique musical communication than Days Before and After, the new CD from the Andrew Rathbun-Owen Howard Quintet. Both saxophonist Rathbun and drummer Howard are mainstays of the New York jazz ...

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Andrew Rathbun/Owen Howard Quintet: Days Before and After

by Dan McClenaghan
August 25, 2004

How does a jazz musician go about adding some zest and shine, and maybe a touch of modernity, to the old tried and true saxophone-and-rhythm-section format? Sometimes they use a Fender Rhodes instead the accoustic piano, and sometimes they put an electric guitar in the keyboard's place; and sometimes they add a guitar to the piano, to give a denser weave to the harmonics. Rare is the use of two guitars in the jazz world--that's more of a rock thing, ...