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Dan Weiss: Fourteen
by Hrayr Attarian
Intrepid drummer Dan Weiss' multi segment Fourteen is not a suite in the classical sense of the word. Although spread out over seven sections the vibrant and fluid composition flows seamlessly throughout the entire album without, distinct traditional movements. “Part 5" for instance takes off with trombonists' Jacob Garchik and Ben Gerstein's baroque refrains that thematically stem from the percussive climax that ends its predecessor. It closes with haunting vocals embellishing the melody that spill over to the ...
Continue ReadingDan Weiss: Fourteen
by Dan Bilawsky
While the ear essentially functions the same way for everybody, all people don't process sound in the same fashion. Experiences shape the way each and every person takes in what they hear. Some tend to focus in on a single sound, others key in on conversational concepts, and then there are those who are big picture listeners; drummer Dan Weiss' Fourteen, a brilliantly ambitious through-composed work, toys with all three of these angles of perception. Weiss gathered ...
Continue ReadingDavid Binney: Barefooted Town
by Troy Collins
Since founding Mythology Records in 1998, tireless alto saxophonist David Binney has alternated between issuing ambitious projects on his own label and cutting casual blowing sessions for the Netherlands-based imprint Criss Cross. Continuing this pattern, Barefooted Town is Binney's second release of 2011, following the expansive Graylen Epicenter (Mythology). Despite the limited studio time afforded Binney's Criss Cross dates, this set's intricate originals have more in common with his elaborate Mythology-based endeavors than his usual stripped-down efforts for the Dutch ...
Continue ReadingDavid Binney: Barefooted Town
by Dan Bilawsky
Saxophonist David Binney broke new ground with Graylen Epicenter (Mythology, 2011), which was a world unto itself, and shortly before that, he delivered Aliso (Criss Cross, 2010)--a jagged set of music featuring original works and some compositions from visionaries like Sam Rivers, Wayne Shorter and John Coltrane. With Barefooted Town, Binney returns for another outing on the Criss Cross label, bringing a whole batch of originals along for the occasion. While this music contains the rhythmic twists and turns, and ...
Continue ReadingDavid Binney: Barefooted Town
by Dan McClenaghan
Alto saxophonist/composer David Binney must not worry about “market saturation." He releases albums, as a leader for both Criss Cross and his own Mythology label, at a rate that many top jazz artists did during the late 1950's and early 1960's. Less than six months into 2011, he has already offered up Graylen Epicenter (Mythology) and now, on Criss Cross, Barefooted Townunder his own name, in addition to sideman and producer gigs over the years for artists like saxophonist Donny ...
Continue ReadingDavid Binney: Barefooted Town
by John Kelman
Politics isn't the only thing that increasingly demands clear vision and steadfast commitment (even if it isn't getting it). In the jazz world--where the changing landscape makes getting heard one challenge, acceptance by a broader culture that views “jazz" as a dirty word another--it takes artists with unshakable resolve to stay the course. David Binney has not only honed an instantly recognizable compositional language without the trappings of predictability, he's become a mentor for younger artists, mixing and matching from ...
Continue ReadingDan Weiss: Jhaptal Drumset Solo
by Dan Bilawsky
The use of Indian rhythms in jazz--in some way, shape or form--has become somewhat commonplace. While spicing up some improvised music with the addition of a sitarist or tablaist might be enough of an Indian-based excursion for jazz musicians who merely want to gloss over the surface of possibility, drummer Dan Weiss is no such dabbler. His extensive studies with Pandit Samir Chatterjee--a virtuoso tablaist and, as evidenced from his work with Weiss, a fine educator--have helped Weiss to expand ...
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