Jazz Articles about Hamid Drake
Nicole Mitchell and Michel Edelin: The Ethiopian Princess Meets the Tantric Priest

by Howard Mandel
Nicole Mitchell and Michel Edelin are two of the most creative flutists in music of any sort today, brilliant improvisers with highly developed sensitivities to sound who share a passion for collaborating in real time. Yet their personal approaches to playing one of the oldest instruments in the world represent two far ends of an esthetic spectrum. We have exactly the same musical interests and influences," Mitchell has said, but we come to the music from such different directions!"
read moreHamid Drake, Michael Formanek, Francesco Bearzatti, Vinnie Sperrazza & More

by Ludovico Granvassu
This week we focus on three fascinating releases which celebrate the genius and legacy of Don Cherry, after starting with a tribute to Led Zeppelin, Emma Rawicz's new project, one of the best piano trios I've heard in a long time, lead by drummer Vinnie Sperrazza, and new music by Michael Formanek.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Francesco Bearzatti Dazed and Confused" Post Atomic Zep (doKumenta) 0:16 Host ...
read moreNatural Information Society: Since Time is Gravity

by Danen Jobe
The concept of trance is one of the oldest in the world. Many older music forms embraced trance for their rituals. One is the Gnawa musical tradition originating in Kano, Nigeria and Morocco, which uses double and triple notes repeated sometimes for hours to induce a religious state while the singer sings stories of spirits. It is played on a gimbri (aka sintir or hajhuj), a three stringed instrument featuring one short and two long goat gut strings over a ...
read moreSteve Swell’s Fire Into Music: For Jemeel: Fire From The Road

by Mark Corroto
If listeners only had the one recording, Swimming In A Galaxy Of Goodwill And Sorrow (Rogueart, 2007) from Steve Swell's Fire Into Music, and did not have the pleasure of hearing the quartet live in person, there certainly would be a large blank spot in their metaphorical dance card. The trombonist Swell, bassist William Parker, and drummer Hamid Drake must also mourn the loss of the fourth member of the quartet, alto saxophonist Jemeel Moondoc (1946-2021). Much like Ornette Coleman, ...
read moreBergamo Jazz Festival 2023

by Libero Farnè
Bergamo Jazz Festival 2023 Bergamo Varie sedi 23-26.3.23 Quarantaquattresima edizione dell'importante festival lombardo: l'ultima sotto la direzione artistica di Maria Pia De Vito, che ha avuto il gravoso handicap di iniziare il suo mandato in concomitanza dell'insorgere della pandemia, che ha colpito in modo particolarmente funesto proprio questa zona d'Italia. Il nome del suo successore è stato annunciato ufficialmente nella serata conclusiva: a guidare i prossimi tre anni del festival sarà l'americano Joe Lovano, che ...
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