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Constantine Alexander: Firetet
by Jack Bowers
On his debut recording, Firetet, Chicago-based trumpeter Constantine Alexander pays tribute to Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers, the late great Clifford Brown and modern-day disciples Nicholas Payton and Sean Jones. Alexander does not do so by imitating anyone--that would be fruitless--but the swinging spirit of Blakey, Brown and the present-day artists already noted is ever- present on what is basically a bop-centered studio session reminiscent of the classic Blue Note and Prestige albums from the '50s and '60s. ...
read moreShawn Maxwell: Story At Eleven
by Hrayr Attarian
On his 11th release, the aptly titled Story At Eleven, saxophonist and composer Shawn Maxwell leads his quartet through a four-part, cinematic suite. Utilizing electric instrumentation Maxwell endows the ambiance with a noirish undercurrent. The expansive pieces, thanks to Maxwell's writing, demonstrate ensemble cohesiveness without sacrificing the individual voices of the four musicians. Keyboardist Collin Clauson's hypnotic cascades and drummer Greg Essig's dark rustles open “Appointment With" with delightful intrigue. Maxwell's muscular and serpentine alto then sets the ...
read moreShawn Maxwell: Expectation & Experience
by Jack Bowers
On Expectation & Experience, his tenth recording as a leader, Chicago-based woodwind specialist Shawn Maxwell is accompanied by almost thirty musicians—but never by more than three on any of its seventeen tracks. Maxwell says the compositions were written during the global Covid-19 pandemic, and the musicians were mustered singly, most in their own homes. While each of the compositions has a “theme," none is readily apparent from its performance, and listeners should feel free to overlook that aspect and focus ...
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