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Jazz Articles about Damon Smith

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107

Album Review

Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Volumes & Surfaces

Read "Volumes & Surfaces" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
June 16, 2024

Jason Stein, a saxophonist with a penchant for pushing boundaries, brings his avant-garde sensibilities and razor-sharp technique to the fore in Volumes & Surfaces. Known for his dexterous command of the bass clarinet, Stein has made a name for himself in the jazz world with his innovative approach and fearless improvisation. His contributions to this album are no exception, as he seamlessly blends precision with spontaneity, creating a dynamic and engaging listening experience. Stein's work with the trio, alongside bassist ...

Album Review

Gregorio / Smith / Bryerton: The Cold Arrow

Read "The Cold Arrow" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
May 28, 2024

Maybe the surprise release of 2021 was the trio recording Room Of The Present (Fundacja Słuchaj!). Adventurous bassist Damon Smith and percussionist Jerome Bryerton have had a long working relationship as a duo, in various groups and settings, large and small. Adding the clarinetist and composer Guillermo Gregorio was quite the revelation. The trio is back with a new studio session, ten tracks of which only two were composed. Still, one might get the impression that all were taken from ...

102

Album Review

Jason Stein / Marilyn Crispell / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: spi-raling horn

Read "spi-raling horn" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
May 25, 2024

spi-raling horn by these genre-destroying avant-garde jazz artists is a whirlwind journey through the vast landscapes of jazz, where the boundaries between tradition and innovation blur into a kaleidoscope of ultrasonic exploration. This album is not just a collection of tracks, but a sonic crusade led by a quartet of virtuosos who wield their instruments like sorcerers conjuring spells. From the start, listeners are transported into a realm where bass clarinet giant Jason Stein with legendary piano great ...

Album Review

Jeb Bishop, Pandelis Karayorgis, Damon Smith: Duals

by Mark Corroto
February 19, 2023

The Jeopardy answer is “three to the power of 2." If you buzzed in fast enough with “what is the album Duals“? You would be correct. The three musicians, trombonist Jeb Bishop, bassist Damon Smith, and pianist Pandelis Karayorgis recorded these 33 duos in Boston between the fall of 2021 and the summer of 2022. While we promised there would be no math, the equation 'three to the power of 2' actually equals three separate discs each with duo combinations ...

Album Review

Jason Stein / Damon Smith / Adam Shead: Volumes & Surfaces

Read "Volumes & Surfaces" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
June 13, 2022

Damon Smith might be the hardest working man in show business. Free-jazz show business, that is. If there is a performance or recording somewhere in the States or Europe, there is a very good chance his double bass is in attendance. You name an improvising artist and he's recorded with them, from Roscoe Mitchell to Joe Morris, Jaap Blonk, Joëlle Léandre, Peter Kowald, Sandy Ewen, Burton Greene, Joe McPhee, Fred Van Hove and Henry Kaiser. The list is practically endless. ...

Album Review

Seth Andrew Davis, Michael Eaton, Kyle Quass and Damon Smith: Ghost Tantras

Read "Ghost Tantras" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
May 30, 2022

In 2020, saxophonist Michael Eaton and electronic improviser & guitarist Seth Andrew Davis together formed Mother Brain Records, designed to highlight some of the more experimental music coming out of the Midwest. The label has headquarters in Kansas City, Missouri but, if Ghost Tantras is any indication, we will not be hearing much that connects directly to that city's roots in early jazz. Those craving new avenues for adventurous free improvisation will find much to like, however. Combining ...

Album Review

Pandelis Karayorgis Double Trio: CliffPools

Read "CliffPools" reviewed by Neri Pollastri

by Neri Pollastri
March 5, 2021

Ateniese di nascita, ma ormai residente a Boston dal 1985, il pianista Pandelis Karayorgis riunisce in questo album i due piano trio—rispettivamente Cliff e Pools—con i quali aveva registrato per la Driff Records altrettanti lavori negli anni precedenti, dando vita a una formazione atipica: un quintetto con due contrabbassi e due batterie, formalmente un doppio trio che condivide il pianoforte. A fronte dell'organico e dei lunghi studi dedicati dal pianista a Thelonious Monk e Lennie Tristano, non stupisce ...