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Dino Saluzzi: El Viejo Caminante
by Doug Collette
El Viejo Caminante is a natural and logical extension of Dino Saluzzi's Albores (ECM, 2020). On that solo album, the bandleader used his instrument (the bandoneon--an accordion-like instrument with origins in Germany) to mesmerize and during this companion piece/sequel, Saluzzi's interplay with his two bandmates is comparably hypnotizing. As such, the album belies the translation of its title “The Old Wanderer." Understated as is the flow of energy on cuts such as “La Ciudad De Los Aires Buenos," ...
Continue ReadingSamo Salamon & Friends: Almost Alone Vol 1
by Glenn Astarita
To keep the train on the track during the Covid lockdowns, artists must think outside the box. Such is the case with this first volume of duets performed by renowned Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon and European guitarists via the Internet by using web-based meeting programs and file-sharing processes. And besides performing on acoustic and electric guitars, Salamon incorporates a Moog synth on several tracks, largely used for textural backdrops. He also uses the body of his acoustic as a percussion ...
Continue ReadingTwo Poetic Duos
by Geno Thackara
Siril Malmedal Hauge and Jacob Young Chasing Sunsets Oslo Session Recordings 2020 Siril Malmedal Hauge and Jacob Young are no strangers to finding beauty in simplicity. They made a sleeper highlight of 2018 when they first teamed up for Last Things (Oslo Session Recordings), and their second outing offers more of the same in subtly different ways. Again the format is simple: merely guitar and voices with only a couple small additions--multiple layers of Hauge's ...
Continue ReadingSamo Salamon: Almost Alone Vol 1
by Hrayr Attarian
Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon is as prolific as he is innovative. His restless explorations have resulted in a large, versatile discography that ranges from the orchestral to the free flowing with a variety of ensembles. His 2020 release Almost Alone Vol. 1 is a set of eleven duets each with a different international guitarist. It is the first in a planned three-record series. Every track features a different set of motifs yet the eloquent lyricism of the dialogues ...
Continue ReadingOyvind Braekke: Wilderness
by Angelo Leonardi
Il trombonista Øyvind Brække è uno dei massimi strumentisti norvegesi ed è conosciuto per le incisioni Ecm col quartetto cooperativo The Source, la presenza nella Trondheim Jazzorkester e varie collaborazioni internazionali con Chick Corea, Arild Andersen e col sassofonista scozzese Tommy Smith. A cinquant'anni d'età registra il suo primo disco da leader in un sestetto strumentalmente anomalo comprendente trombone, viola e sax tenore più una ritmica con chitarra come strumento armonico. Anche i partner sono 40/50enni appartenenti al ...
Continue ReadingJacob Young/David Rothenberg/Sidiki Camara: They Say Humans Exist
by Geno Thackara
"Is it enough to watch a flower grow?" Jacob Young muses over a slow-drifting cloud of clarinet and light percussion. “Is it enough to just be, to mind our own business?" If that sounds too much like coffeehouse open-mic poetry, the natural spirit behind it is genuine enough, and the vague spoken words only pop up briefly at the bookends of this short-and-sweet free-improv outing. This trio is thinking of big things--the title represents what aliens might say upon first ...
Continue ReadingJacob Young: On ECM, founding a label and finding the "drama" in the music
by Friedrich Kunzmann
There's a lot to be said about musical excellence in versatility when it comes to guitarist Jacob Young. The Norwegian fret-acrobat came to international prominence in the early 2000s, when ECM's Manfred Eicher detected his remarkable chops and subsequently recorded and released Young's debut Evening Falls (2004) for the prestigious German label. Two more sessions followed with 2006's Sideways and Forever Young in 2014—all of which met with great critical acclaim. But even a couple of years before, upon returning ...
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