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The New Jazz Composers Octet: The Turning Gate
by Laurel Gross
Trumpeter, composer, arranger and bandleader David Weiss has been a fixture on the New York scene since returning to the city of his birth after graduating from North Texas State. Leader of the long-running New Jazz Composers Octet, Weiss continues to evolve.
The Turning Gate, the third album from the NJCO, though the first under the Motema Music label, proves that Weiss has big and excellent ears--not just in terms of his own playing and composing ... Continue ReadingThe New Jazz Composers Octet: Walkin' the Line
by AAJ Italy Staff
Walkin' the line sta per camminare sul filo di un compromesso difficile quanto fertile per il futuro del jazz: costruire una musica che abbia le caratteristiche di riconoscibilità melodica e ritmica proprie dell'esperienza afroamericana senza rinunciare alla ricerca. Proseguire la strada di artisti come Wayne Shorter - in grado di comporre melodie memorabili, poste su veri e propri terremoti armonici - e Tony Williams, con il suo swing tanto astratto quanto evidente. Dare a questo l'energia della migliore Blue Note ...
Continue ReadingDavid Weiss: The Mirror
by Michael Holman
Stills from the film Stalker, by Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky, decorate the cover of the second album from trumpeter David Weiss; and the film also lends its title to the first and most compelling track on the disc. Perhaps wisely, Weiss refrains from the otherwise obvious choice of using it for the album title as well--probably the idea of seeing all those CD spines with “David Weiss - Stalker on them didn't seem so appealing--choosing instead the title of another ...
Continue ReadingDavid Weiss: The Mirror
by John Kelman
The ability to create music that is intellectually provocative and eminently approachable is a challenge to which many artists aspire but relatively few manage to succeed. Trumpeter Davis Weiss has certainly had the opportunity to explore both sides of the equation. In high demand over the past decade, he has worked with artists including Bob Belden, Freddie Hubbard and Tom Harrell in capacities involving performance, arrangement and transcription. But it has only been since his '01 début as a leader, ...
Continue ReadingDavid Weiss: The Mirror
by Michael P. Gladstone
This is the second album for trumpeter David Weiss on Fresh Sound New Talent, following his 2001 debut, Breathing Room. The songs are all originals, except for Kevin Hays' “Our Trip" and Wayne Shorter's “Mr. Jin." The album is structured into a sextet on most of the tracks and an octet on the final two selections. The sextet members are the same musicians who appear on Weiss' earlier album.
The album opens with “Stalker," and the group charges ...
Continue ReadingDavid Weiss: The Mirror
by AAJ Staff
Trumpeter-composer-arranger David Weiss is back with The Mirror, a very solid set of sextet and octet performances which proves that today's younger jazz musicians are making compelling music right here, right now. David Weiss creates challenging structures for improvisation, but he and his sidemen always remember to swing.The opening track, “Stalker," is a prime example of how Weiss' music works. After an urgent theme statement, the improvisers negotiate a 7/4 vamp that segues into an up-tempo, hard-swinging minor ...
Continue ReadingDavid Weiss: The Mirror
by Jim Santella
With big band arrangements, David Weiss's sextet and octet stretch the boundaries of hard bop. Solid in their caricature, they romp and stomp with clarity of purpose. The trumpeter's original compositions build an intense dramatic spirit, while leaving much room for soloist improvisation.
The leader's trumpet soars lyrically with passion. He imposes a storyline on each piece. “Stalker" moves stealthily in the shadows with dramatic tension, while “Nostalghia" wanders aimlessly along familiar shores. One places the listener in ...
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