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Doug Hall's Best Releases Of 2020
by Doug Hall
An extraordinary time for musicians facing an unprecedented scale of impact on their lives and profession as artists. Nevertheless, for the listener, a range of incredible compositions were released in 2020 under these circumstances. I have highlighted just some of my favorites. However, truly, my support goes out to the whole jazz community, and may there be “light at the end of the tunnel" for all of us in 2021. Brian Landrus For Now BlueLand ...
Continue ReadingOne Lineup, Two Approaches
by Jerome Wilson
These two releases have the same instrumental lineup, a jazz quintet fronted by saxophone and trumpet plus a string quartet. They even use the same trumpet player, Michael Rodriguez. However the two CDs take this formation down different paths. Brian Landrus For Now Blueland 2020 Baritone saxophonist Brian Landrus goes in an openly romantic direction here, leading a set of thirteen relatively compact original compositions and jazz standards. He and ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: For Now
by Doug Hall
Low-register reed specialist and multi-instrumentalist and composer Brian Landrus confronted a difficult period in his life and used adversity to inspire a passionate declaration in song on his 2020 release For Now (BlueLand Records). He took advice from the late valve-trombonist, composer and educator Bob Brookmeyer, “book a recording session before you have the music composed—then you have a goal." Alternating between the baritone saxophone and the bass clarinet, Landrus creates wonderful lower-range tones and compositions with instruments ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: For Now
by Jack Bowers
On For Now, his tenth album as leader, multi-reed specialist Brian Landrus gives voice to the many faces of romance, using as his means of expression a talented core quintet, amplified on several themes by a four-member string section, with arrangements by the notable opera composer Robert Aldridge. While Landrus plays four instruments including flute and alto flute, he sticks for the most part to baritone sax and bass clarinet, soloing on one or the other on almost every one ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Generations
by Angelo Leonardi
«Se qualcuno ti dice che non puoi fare qualcosa, sai proprio che stai facendo qualcosa di speciale». Queste parole di Bob Brookmeyer hanno sostenuto Brian Landrus nella stesura di quest'ambizioso progetto orchestrale, che ha confermato le parole del grande trombonista e arrangiatore, ricevendo generali consensi. Tutto è iniziato nell'estate del 2014 quando Landrus preparava il PhD in composizione classica con Robert Livingston Aldridge alla Rutgers University. Dopo mesi di innumerevoli revisioni le partiture hanno iniziato a prendere ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Generations
by Jerome Wilson
With Generations baritone saxophonist Brian Landrus has created an ambitious set of music for full orchestra that is based in jazz but also touches on classical music, hip hop and reggae, giving prominent position to instruments like harp and vibraphone to give his ensemble an airy, spacious sound.It all begins with the five-movement “Jeru Concerto," Landrus' tribute to one of the icons of his instrument, Gerry Mulligan. It mostly consists of his baritone swirling through a lush, slow ...
Continue ReadingBrian Landrus: Generations
by Dan Bilawsky
Brian Landrus established himself as a composer of great strength and substance, and rose to his position as one of the foremost low reed specialists on the scene, through albums like the expansive Mirage (Blueland Records, 2013) and the trio-centric The Deep Below (Blueland, Records/Palmetto Records, 2015). But even well wrought and absorbing dates like those don't properly prepare you for this. Generations brings together a twenty-five piece jazz orchestra to realize Landrus' broad-minded, wide-eyed compositions in stunning fashion. We ...
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