Jazz Articles about Christian Dillingham

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Christian Dillingham: As It Relates To Now

by Glenn Astarita
May 6, 2026

Bassists who spearhead recordings encounter a fundamental challenge. The apparatus that anchors the ensemble remains the most difficult to position at the forefront without the result appearing as a gimmick. Christian Dillingham evades this pitfall on As It Relates To Now not through excessive technical displays, but by ensuring every choice carries weight. The double bass does not merely exist for exhibition; it governs the proceedings. The selection of a trio--comprising Dillingham, Greg Ward on alto saxophone, and ...

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Markus Rutz: Many Moons

by Jack Bowers
December 12, 2025

Chicago-based trumpeter Markus Rutz traverses a largely straightforward path on Many Moons, the ninth recording as leader of his own ensembles--on this occasion, his Third Coast Sounds, a sturdy sextet with slightly shifting personnel. Tenor saxophonist Brice Winston shares the front line on five of the album's eleven engaging tracks, alto Sharel Cassity on four, with saxophonist and album producer Greg Ward sitting in on the colorful finale, “Time to Spare," which he also composed. Rutz wrote half ...

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Markus Rutz: Many Moons

by Ken Hohman
November 24, 2025

Orson Welles once quipped, “I'm not such a fool as to not take the moon seriously." Journeyman Chicago trumpeter Markus Rutz takes this sentiment to heart with his fine recording, Many Moons, which finds him under the spell of our silvery satellite, leveraging it as a muse for the passage of time and a melancholy reflection of life's varied chapters. Vacillating from judiciously selected covers (Van Morrison's “Moondance"), catchy originals ("Penumbra") and jazz standards ("Blue Moon" and “Blue ...

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Christian Dillingham: Halcyon

by Hrayr Attarian
December 4, 2024

On the intriguing Halcyon, his second release as a leader, Chicago bassist Christian Dillingham explores folkish motifs in a haunting ambience. The music here is a mix of his own compositions and covers of diverse backgrounds that showcase, once again, his versatility. The band has quite a unique sound, thanks to its collective virtuosity, with guitarist Matt Gold's incandescent pedal steel giving it a rootsy flavor. For instance, singer-songwriter Gillian Welch's “Lowlands" has a buoyant and a tad ...

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Christian Dillingham: Cascades

by Maurizio Zerbo
April 9, 2024

Questo CD può rappresentare una bella sorpresa per chi non segue i mille rivoli del copioso panorama discografico statunitense. Ne è protagonista il bassista Christian Dillingham, già distintosi per la rara versatilità nel padroneggiare la cultura eurocolta, la tradizione jazzistica e il mondo del gospel grazie alla pluripremiata collaborazione discografica con il cantante Kirk Franklin. Nel brano d'apertura si individuano i principali orizzonti espressivi di un progetto fondato sulla semplicità tematica, sull'esplosione gioiosa e innodica di una musica ...

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Notable Releases from Christian Dillingham and Others

by Jerome Wilson
December 10, 2023

Here is a look at some notable albums released in the latter half of 2023. Ilya Dynov Bridges Self-Produced 2023 Drummer Ilya Dynov leads a small group session of straight-ahead jazz played with an edge and swinging deftness. The music runs the gamut from the rolling urgency of “Constellation," and the soulful lope of “For Those We Love" to the jagged high-stepping of “Blue." Pianist Jihee Heo consistently breezes nimbly over ...

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Christian Dillingham: Checking in from the Third Coast

by David Bixler
November 1, 2023