Jazz Articles about Andy Sheppard

About Andy Sheppard

Album Review

Carla Bley / Andy Sheppard / Steve Swallow: Life Goes On

Read "Life Goes On" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
February 7, 2020

Coming off a recent illness, the legendary composer-pianist Carla Bley has her sense of humor and political instincts intact on Life Goes On. The trio album with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and bassist Steve Swallow completes a trilogy which began with Trios in 2013 but the three have been recording together since 1994 with their first album Songs With Legs (WATT/ECM, 1995). In a 2019 interview with German magazine Kaput Bley spoke about the synergy that makes her trio work so ...

Album Review

Carla Bley: Life Goes On

Read "Life Goes On" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
February 4, 2020

Pianist / composer Carla Bley is an inspiring woman. Pianist Paul Bley was inspired to marry her, and record a full album of her compositions: Barrage (ESP-Disk, 1965), in addition to including four of her originals on Open, To Love (ECM Records, 1973). George Russell included her “Bent Eagle" on his Stratusfunk (Riverside Records, 1960). Jimmy Giuffre presented his version of her “Ictus" on his album Thesis (Verve, 1961). And if these examples date the influence of Carla Bley, consider ...

Album Review

Andy Sheppard: Romaria

Read "Romaria" reviewed by Luca Casarotti

by Luca Casarotti
July 10, 2018

ECM rappresenta quasi per antonomasia un'estetica della sottrazione, fatta di tempi dilatati, atmosfere rarefatte e poche, a volte pochissime, note: solo le note necessarie, come vuole la massima di João Gilberto da cui prende il titolo l'autobiografia di Enrico Rava, un artista che non a caso ha legato il suo nome a quello dell'etichetta di Manfred Eicher. A quest'estetica è fedele Andy Sheppard: lo conferma questo Romaria, secondo album del quartetto che il sassofonista inglese ha formato insieme al chitarrista ...

Album Review

Andy Sheppard Quartet: Romaria

Read "Romaria" reviewed by Geno Thackara

by Geno Thackara
February 18, 2018

Where so much music treats silence as an exception, Andy Sheppard's recordings find it serving more as the rule. He's never been one for weaving flashy speed runs or feeling pressure to fill space. Even when his sax lines speed up from time to time through Romaria, they serve the mood with tasteful restraint, smoothly evoking the soothing coolness of its cover. Sheppard uses the term “dream band" to describe this quartet, which is appropriate in more ways ...

Live Review

Galway Jazz Festival 2016

by Ian Patterson
October 31, 2016

Galway Jazz Festival Various Venues Galway, Ireland October 7-9, 2016 The best jazz festivals are not necessarily the biggest. They're not always the ones with the marquee names. The best festivals, without a doubt, are the ones you remember, years later, for having had a hell of a good time. Such festivals, first and foremost, are usually rooted in and celebrate community. They often promote feasting, revelry and joy. The Galway Jazz Festival ticked ...

Album Review

Andy Sheppard Quartet: Surrounded By Sea

Read "Surrounded By Sea" reviewed by Luigi Sforza

by Luigi Sforza
September 20, 2016

Si immaginino una pulsazione ritmica regolare, brani chiusi e strutturati in sezioni, armonie tensive e distensive che si alternano in base alle articolazioni delle frasi melodiche, improvvisazioni che seguono patterns e cliché consolidati del linguaggio e si avrebbe un format per certi versi omologante, avulso da ogni tentativo di ricerca creativa di uno stile originale. Per fortuna niente di questo si verifica nell'ultimo appassionante progetto musicale di Andy Sheppard, Surrounded by Sea. Non si cherchino ritmiche ...

Live Review

Andy Sheppard Quartet At The Mac

by Ian Patterson
October 13, 2015

Andy Sheppard Quartet The Mac Belfast, N. Ireland October 9, 2015 Three years on from his Belfast Festival performance with Trio Libero, saxophonist Andy Sheppard returned to the Northern Irish capital with his new quartet comprised of that trio plus Norwegian guitarist/sound sculptor Eivind Aarset. That the gig went ahead following a security alert in the city centre was a sign that people in this part of the world just want to get on ...