Jazz Articles about Jacam Manricks

About Jacam Manricks

Album Review

As fertile and durable as the Great American Songbook is, like fossil fuels it is not an infinite and forgiving loam. It is a splendid jumping-off point, both historically and contemporarily, for the swan dive into jazz. At least tangentially, it also serves as the creative spark, igniting new, more progressive composition. This is where Sacramento-based singer Beth Duncan and, by extension, composer & lyricist Martine Tabilio deftly enter the picture. Duncan's previous two recordings Orange Colored Sky ...

Album Review

Jacam Manricks: Chamber Jazz

Read "Chamber Jazz" reviewed by Dave Wayne

by Dave Wayne
November 19, 2016

Now based in California, composer and multi-reed whiz Jacam Manricks describes himself as “Sri Lankan- Portuguese Australian-born." In other words he's the virtual embodiment of a world citizen. When it comes to his music, Manricks is unafraid to draw from pretty much any source for inspiration. The wryly-titled Chamber Jazz comprises eight Manricks originals plus a cover of Miles Davis' “Deception" and an adaptation of Jean Sibelius' “En Etsi Valtaa Loistoa" (I Seek No Power or Glory). Despite the repeated ...

Album Review

Jacam Manricks: Cloud Nine

Read "Cloud Nine" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
July 19, 2012

The euphoria-based title of Jacam Manricks' latest album makes perfect sense. After all, who wouldn't be on cloud nine with a band like this?! For his fourth album, the Australian-born, New York-based saxophonist mingles with three modernist elites who help to shape and define his sound. While Manricks' compositional prowess could easily allow him to fully script every little musical nuance conveyed on this album, he wisely allows the distinct personalities on this date to add their own thoughts while ...

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Album Review

Jacam Manricks: Trigonometry

Read "Trigonometry" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
September 10, 2010

The reason that there is seldom a wrong note played by Jacám Manricks on Trigonometry is that notes, phrases and the spiraling flow of seemingly unending lines appear to be so extremely well thought-out that nothing could possibly sound out of place. To hear the saxophonist play in soft, dulcet tones that occupy the paler colors of a woodwinds player's tonal palette is like listening to an apothecary conjuring up a mysterious aural recipe that will ultimately produce some magic ...

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Album Review

Jacam Manricks: Trigonometry

Read "Trigonometry" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay

by Bruce Lindsay
July 1, 2010

Jacám Manricks is a rich-toned saxophonist and composer with a growing body of original tunes--Trigonometry appears hot on the heels of the self-released Labyrinth (Manricks Music Records, 2009). The New York based musician has allied himself to a strong ensemble of players who happily take on the challenge of Manricks' compositions and invest them with some terrifically enthusiastic playing. The result is a bop-inspired album that can readily surprise and delight. The album begins emphatically on “Trigonometry" ...

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Album Review

Jacám Manricks: Trigonometry

Read "Trigonometry" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
June 8, 2010

This album, like the branch of math where it gets its names, deals with angles and relationships from different sides. Saxophonist/composer Jacám Manricks enjoys creating some rhythmic friction--using different combinations of instruments and musicians within his group--while also treating each piece like a fresh canvas, ready to be turned into high art. His pleasing and pure-toned sound is used to create a hybrid style that owes as much to classical saxophone writing and left-of-center jazz work as it does to ...

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Album Review

Jacam Manricks: Labyrinth

Read "Labyrinth" reviewed by Eyal Hareuveni

by Eyal Hareuveni
November 30, 2009

It is quite rare to find an up-and-coming composer/musician such as Australian-born, New York-based reedman Jacam Manricks. A PhD-level composer at the Manhattan School of Music, who has already developed strong personal compositional skills on his sophomore release as a leader, his unique and elaborate compositions reveal a deep knowledge of the jazz bop legacy and modern 20th century music. With an exceptional talent for arranging, his compositions are intelligent and sometimes challenging, defying their exquisite clarity and emotional accessibility. ...