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Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe

by Steve Plever
A glance through the track list--with covers of Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye and two swing-era vocal standards--could give you the wrong impression. Yes, this is a very accessible and soulful album, but it is serious and heartfelt jazz, with Orrin Evans' personal stamp making it work. Blues, soul and gospel sounds share the stage here with swing, straight-ahead and avant-garde influences--no surprise given Evans' decade of playing with the Mingus Big Band. Evans' piano sets the tone ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)

by Vincenzo Roggero
Musicista non ancora quarantenne, da noi poco conosciuto,Caleb Wheeler Curtis sassofonista, trombettista, compositore newyorchese, licenzia il suo album più ambizioso, un doppio CD che già dal titolo fa presagire qualcosa di assai lontano da un rassicurante mainstream. The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery, questo il titolo (ogni riferimento a Frank Zappa è puramente casuale), è un doppio CD che presenta due differenti trii, registrati a pochi mesi di distanza. Nel primo, che porta ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)

by Paul Rauch
Caleb Wheeler Curtis is one of the more daring musicians in jazz today, not only in his approach to playing the saxophone, but in his fearless dedication to his own musical conceptions, expressed clearly in his original compositions. That daring and dedication can be equally attributed to many of the shakers and movers of modern jazz, including one Thelonious Sphere Monk. On his double album release, The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani, 2024), Curtis ...
Continue ReadingCaleb Wheeler Curtis: The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Deluxe Edition)

by Troy Dostert
There has always been room in jazz for those creative minds who can bridge the gap between the heart of tradition and the leading edge of change. In the world of saxophonists, Thomas Chapin, Arthur Blythe, Julius Hemphill or David Murray easily come to mind. Multi-instrumentalist Caleb Wheeler Curtis has similarly explored this terrain for years, and like his forebears, he often does his best work in a trio format. His August in March (Imani Records, 2023) was an imaginative ...
Continue ReadingMonk Meets Bears on Caleb Wheeler Curtis's Latest

by Lawrence Peryer
Caleb Wheeler Curtis, the Brooklyn-based saxophonist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist, is set to release his most ambitious project yet. The upcoming double album not only showcases his considerable talents but also reimagines the music of Thelonious Monk for modern listeners. The new release with the intriguing title The True Story of Bears and the Invention of the Battery (Imani Records), manifests Curtis's creative restlessness through a willingness to place his own compositions side-by-side with a great. A Tale of ...
Continue ReadingInterview with Caleb Wheeler Curtis plus new music from Camille Thurman, Steve Coleman and the Five Elements and Delia Fischer

by Hobart Taylor
Hobart Taylor interviews saxophonist and composer Caleb Wheeler Curtis and celebrates other great sax players Camille Thurman, Steve Coleman, Jessica Jones, Vi Redd and Ornette Coleman. Playlist Camille Thurman"Pursuit With A Purpose" from Origins (Hot Tone Music) 0:00 Camille Thurman Freedom" from Confluence, Vol.1: Alhambra (Epidote) 6:56 Host Speaks 19:55 Jessica Jones Little Melonae" Nod (New Artists) 22:04 Steve Coleman Lush Life Cadenza" from PolyTropos--Of Many Turns (Pi) 31:00 Host Speaks 42:42 Elsa Nilsson Neneo, Charcao, Chacay" ...
Continue ReadingOrrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band: Walk A Mile In My Shoe

by Angelo Leonardi
Il nuovo disco di Orrin Evans e della sua Captain Black Big Band ci ricorda l'importanza delle radici per la comunità musicale afroamericana: il gospel, il blues, le big band, i cantanti e strumentisti storici. Una risorsa che è anche identità collettiva e forza culturale. Come ha sempre fatto in passato, il pianista e bandleader di Philadelphia s'ispira alla tradizione per rinnovarla e arricchirla, con passione e freschezza. Stavolta le orchestrazioni sono funzionali alle interpretazioni di quattro prodigiosi ...
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