Jazz Articles about Edward Simon

About Edward Simon

Album Review

Al pubblico del jazz non piacciono molto le compilations ma questa del pianista Edward Simon è speciale. I diciassette brani del doppio CD sono stati scelti da lui--come bilancio e riflessione personale nel 25° anno della sua attività da leader--e forniscono una variopinta retrospettiva delle sue tappe musicali. «L'idea mi è venuta l'anno scorso (2019) quando ho compito 50 anni--ha detto al Columbia Daily Tribune--La raccolta è nata da uno spirito di celebrazione e dalla consapevolezza di quante cose siano ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: 25 Years

Read "25 Years" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
September 29, 2020

Pianist Edward Simon immigrated to the United States from his native Venezuela while still in his teens. He stayed, and carved out a successful career in music. His fiftieth birthday rolled around, and the artist decided it was time to take a look and listen back. In a musical journey that spans the titular 25 Years, Simon has crafted a lot of music, employing a Latin/jazz/classical approach with a seemingly effortless refinement, making sounds that are unfailingly engaging and beautiful. ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: Sorrows & Triumphs

Read "Sorrows & Triumphs" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
May 6, 2019

La figura di Edward Simon ha punti di contatto con quella di Guillermo Klein. Entrambi sudamericani sono pianisti, compositori e bandleader residenti da decenni negli Stati Uniti (Simon s'è trasferito dal Venezuela a 12 anni per studiare alla Performing Arts School di Filadelfia) e realizzano personali sintesi tra jazz contemporaneo, folklore dell'America Latina e raffinate soluzioni colte. Dopo giovanili collaborazioni con Greg Osby, David Binney Kevin Eubanks, Bobby Watson e Terence Blanchard, il pianista ha guidato piccoli ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: Sorrows & Triumphs

Read "Sorrows & Triumphs" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann

by Friedrich Kunzmann
August 14, 2018

Following in the footsteps of the critically acclaimed eponymous debut record (Red Records) and subsequent sophomore outing Océanos (Criss Cross Records), in 2007, Edward Simon has now once more gathered together the power quartet Afinada, featuring Brian Blade on drums, David Binney on sax and bassist Scott Colley. With the addition of the Imani Winds chamber quintet and the striking presence of guests Gretchen Parlato on vocals and guitarist Adam Rogers Sorrows & Triumphs proves one of the most intricate ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: Sorrows & Triumphs

Read "Sorrows & Triumphs" reviewed by Jerome Wilson

by Jerome Wilson
May 25, 2018

This project by pianist Edward Simon blends together many diverse elements. The music combines classical formalism with jazz energy and is performed by a combination of Simon's jazz quartet, Afinidad, and the woodwind quintet, Imani Winds, with some guest musicians added in. The compositions themselves are movements of two separate suites written by Simon, “Sorrows And Triumphs," inspired by Buddhist philosophy, and “House Of Numbers," inspired by numerology, rearranged into a cohesive set of music. The end result of all ...

Album Review

Edward Simon with Afinidad & Imani Winds: Sorrows & Triumphs

Read "Sorrows & Triumphs" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
April 12, 2018

Pianist Edward Simon's sensitivity, eloquence, strength, and intelligence stand in full view throughout this gorgeous collection of material plucked from two different suites. “Sorrows and Triumphs," the older of the two, which draws inspiration from Simon's study of Buddhism, first surfaced in 2009. “House of Numbers," taking cues from numerology and weaving cross-cultural implications into its fabric, saw its debut in 2016. Here, four numbers from the latter, three from the former, and a wondrously flowing opener originally penned for ...

Album Review

Edward Simon: Latin American Songbook

Read "Latin American Songbook" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
January 3, 2017

Dall'attuale residenza di San Francisco, Edward Simon rammenta le musiche che hanno segnato la sua infanzia. “Uno dei vantaggi di essere cresciuto in Venezuela--scrive nelle note del CD--sono stati i differenti influssi musicali provenienti da tutte le parti del continente americano e dai Caraibi. C'è tanta grande musica esistente in questa parte del mondo che si potrebbe facilmente dedicare un album ad ogni Paese e senza essere all'altezza di rendergli giustizia." Per questa ragione il pianista ha deciso di scegliere ...