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Brian McCarthy Nonet: After|Life
by Dan McClenaghan
Saxophonist Brian McCarthy, not one to shy away from a big theme, draws inspiration from the creation of the universe to craft After|Life Science says we are all stardust, compiled ultimately in all its complexities via gravity. Given that, he opens this expansive octet offering with “Nebula," referring to cosmic gasses consisting of hydrogen and deep space dust that--given gravity's propensities--coalesce into stars and solar systems consisting of planets with water, landforms and eventually us. Or something ...
Continue ReadingKenny Shanker: Vortex
by Geannine Reid
Saxophonist Kenny Shanker is an award-winning composer hailing originally from California, now residing in New York. His debut album Steppin' Up (Positone, 2011) was followed by Action City (Positone, 2014), which helped garner him the ASCAP award for composition. In 2017, Shanker released his third recording, The Witching Hour (Wise Cat, 2017), on his own imprint. In 2021, Shanker released Beautiful Things (Wise Cat, 2021). Only to be followed by Shanker's 2022 release, Vortex (Wise Cat, 2022), a collection of ...
Continue ReadingThe Peter Leitch New Jazz Orchestra: New Life
by Jack Bowers
After what Canadian-born guitarist Peter Leitch has been through in the last eight years, it's little wonder he named the ensemble he now leads the New Life Jazz Orchestra. Diagnosed in 2012 with stage 4 lung cancer, Leitch faced the choice of throwing in the proverbial towel or undergoing career-ending cancer treatment. He chose the latter, reluctantly setting aside his instrument of choice and continuing his musical career as a composer, arranger and conductor of an orchestra whose library consists ...
Continue ReadingBill Mobley: Moodscape
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Bill MobleyMoodscapeSpace Time Records2008 A major magazine's annual jazz awards poll used to incorporate a category called: “Talent Deserving Wider Recognition." If there ever was an under-the-radar talent worthy of that award, trumpeter Bill Mobley (prounounced mobb-lee) is 2008's winner hands down. And based upon his superb playing and composing/arranging efforts here, Moodscape could be the vehicle to launch Mobley towards that well-deserved wider recognition. Mobley, well respected among ...
Continue ReadingThe Mike Kaplan Nonet: How's That?
by Jack Bowers
Saxophonist Mike Kaplan and his New York City-based nonet play contemporary jazz; that is to say, jazz that is emphatically modern but neither purposely bland nor maddeningly incomprehensible.Kaplan’s debut album contains a number of tasty musical surprises, and it's one of only a handful to leave me wishing the leader had soloed more often (Kaplan does so at length only on his entrancing “Melody for My Mom”). Even so, his fingerprints are conspicuous throughout, as Kaplan wrote five ...
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