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Nick Biello: New America
by Paul Rauch
Upon listening to alto saxophone virtuoso Nick Biello, a quote attributed to Charles Mingus may come to mind: “If Charlie Parker was a gunslinger, there'd be a whole lot of dead copycats." “Slow down," you might say, “Biello is not Bird, not even close--nobody is." But the quote relates to Biello in that he is far from a Parker or Cannonball Adderley copycat, but he sure as heck is a gunslinger. Throughout New America, this becomes a known to the ...
Continue ReadingNick Biello: New America
by Jack Bowers
Alto saxophonist Nick Biello's New America covers a diverse and colorful landscape, one over which his able quintet glides, springs and dances with ease and assurance. Respectfully, they unravel a half-dozen of the leader's elaborate yet accessible compositions and arrangements. Biello, whose upbringing in a music-centered household exposed him to every genre from jazz and classical to rock, r&b, world music and opera, took those credits with him as he studied at New Haven, Connecticut's Hartt School ...
Continue ReadingChance Hayden: Shag Bag
by Geno Thackara
Warm springtime, sunshine, good friends—it must be time for a party. Chance Hayden is certainly feeling the joy and ready to kick off something fun. Working around pandemic restrictions left him and his colleagues ready to bounce and blow off some steam, and bagging (sorry) the iconic Ronnie Foster on keys made the perfect funk-fusion topping. The standalone single “Shag Bag" packs a drum-and-conga groove to get the backyard shaking, slathers on a dash of bright horns, then ties it ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Porter: Hindsight
by Hrayr Attarian
Trumpeter Charlie Porter has proved himself to be an inventive composer whose works are simultaneously thought-provoking and mellifluous. His third and perhaps most immediately relevant release, Hindsight, draws inspiration from the events that came to public attention in 2020. Musically, the nine originals are fluid yet complex and are peppered with sounds from other genres such as gospel, African folk and hip hop. The result is a seamless and delightfully unique fusion which delivers its message with intelligence and panache. ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Porter: Hindsight
by Paul Rauch
Portland based trumpeter/composer Charlie Porter is back, and following the trend industry wide over the past year, has released a finely crafted collection of pieces attached to a social narrative. Hindsight examines how we act in hindsight dealing with the long term societal struggles of racism, corruption and inequality. While two of the pieces feature the lyrics of Majid Khaliq and Madelaina Piazza, Porter has namaged to weave the emotional uncertainty of daily life during the Covid-19 pandemic into bittersweet ...
Continue ReadingNicole McCabe: Introducing Nicole McCabe
by Paul Rauch
If you were a young and talented jazz musician in Portland, Oregon, you would make yourself highly visible on the local scene to gain invaluable experience playing with the best the city had to offer. In addition to your more formal studies, you would extend your musical outreach from post-bop modernism to the avant-garde. Most importantly, you would constantly be rubbing musical shoulders with the elders who have mentored you to the point of having professional aspirations. This ...
Continue ReadingCharlie Porter: Discovering Horizons Past, Present and Future
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Charlie Porter is one of the most insightful, creatively brilliant and truly dynamic trumpet artists performing today. Porter straddles both the jazz and classical trumpet worlds with ease and has garnered highly-celebrated performance and recording reviews. An innovative composer and arranger as well, Porter recently performed on Joyce DiDonato's Grammy-winning recording, Songplay and released Immigration Nation on Origin Records. All About Jazz: Charlie, on behalf of All About Jazz, thanks for taking time to chat and congratulations on ...
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