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Jazz Articles about Dayna Stephens
Mark Murphy, Folk Artist: Hiding Place
by C. Michael Bailey
Mark Murphy's 2018 release Pocketful of Rainbows (Self Produced, 2018) was a surprise stand-out recording that year. Now, this Mark Murphy is not that Mark Murphy (1932 -2015), icon of jazz vocals. This Mark Murphy is a singer/songwriter whose 2016 release, Slip Away (Mini Movie) scored points for one of Downbeat Magazine's recordings of that year. Murphy returns with Hiding Place, a slim collection of seven songs, originals mixed with imaginative covers, in keeping with his previous offerings.
Continue ReadingTommaso Gambini: The Machine Stops
by Angelo Leonardi
Trasferitosi a New York, dopo aver studiato al Berklee College, il 28enne chitarrista torinese Tommaso Gambini debutta con un album maturo e ricco di sottigliezze, ispirato dal racconto distopico di Edgar Morgan Foster “The Machine Stops," tradotto in italiano col titolo “La macchina si ferma." Pubblicato nel 1909, lo scritto anticipa alcuni temi approfonditi successivamente da George Orwell, Aldous Huxley e Philip K. Dick descrivendo un universo totalitario dove tutto è controllato da una “Macchina," adorata come divinità e adibita ...
Continue ReadingDayna Stephens Trio: Liberty
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Saxophonist Dayna Stephens, bassist Ben Street and drummer Eric Harland, together with two handfuls of original compositions, make Liberty a hip and bopping success. Who needs chords, when three voices and tones are able to interact so seamlessly and easily with one another--carefully planting ideas, picking them up and elegantly developing them over the continuing stream of bars and measures? Stephens' round tone and clear melodic language are remarkably well accompanied in a set of tunes made up of catchy ...
Continue ReadingAlicia Olatuja: Intuition: Songs From The Minds Of Women
by Angelo Leonardi
È un tributo alla creatività delle donne in generale e delle cantautrici in particolare, questo di Alicia Olatuja, che interpreta composizioni di Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell, Violeta Parra, Sade Adu, Kate Bush e altre. Alicia ne aggiunge di proprie e partecipa come arrangiatrice in un progetto fortemente sentito e condiviso col produttore Kamau Kenyatta, noto per il suo ruolo nel successo di Gregory Porter, e con Ulysses Owens Jr. Alicia Olatuja è una versatile mezzosoprano, maturata ...
Continue ReadingAl Foster: Inspirations and Dedications
by Peter J. Hoetjes
On paper Al Foster's resume as a supporting artist reads better than most other jazz drummers. He's recorded albums with Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Frank Morgan, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner}, and a comeback-era {Miles Davis, among a plethora of others. Chances are, those who aren't familiar with his name have heard him somewhere, and for the first time since 2002, they can hear him on Inspirations And Dedications as a band leader. As its title suggests, the album ...
Continue ReadingDayna Stephens: Gratitude
by Geno Thackara
Dayna Stephens is happy to be here. It's not just in the obvious “Hello Clevelaaaand!" sense you'd get from any visiting performer saying hello to a crowd (not that that's a bad thing), but a heartfelt conviction. After a battle with a rare kidney disease and a life-saving donation from his aunt, the New Jersey saxophonist is acutely aware of how great it is to still be present and able to make beautiful music. His picturesque eighth album is meant ...
Continue ReadingDayna Stephens: Peace
by Angelo Leonardi
C'è un gruppo stellare accanto al sassofonista Dayna Stephens per il suo quinto disco da leader e il risultato non poteva che essere pregevole per equilibrio, lirismo e adesione ai valori fondanti del jazz moderno. Il percorso musicale è quello di un concept album caratterizzato da una precisa linea espressiva: undici ballad di autori vari (c'è anche il nostro Ennio Morricone) unite dalla stessa estetica ed esaltate nella loro dimensione cantabile. La musica si snoda in un dialogo rilassato e ...
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