Jazz Articles about Carl Michel

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Carl Michel Group: The Carl Michel Group (+)

by Todd S. Jenkins
April 1, 2001

A new-century octet that pays loving homage to the old school while looking ahead. Michel and company combine a reverence for prior jazz forms with an adventurous spirit as they tackle nine original compositions by the guitarist/leader.

One might immediately notice the presence of drummer Gerald Cleaver, who is perhaps better known for hanging around avant-garde circles (i.e., his recent work with Matthew Shipp’s New Orbit) than playing in a more mainstream context like this. Cleaver’s presence adds the push ...