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Jane Ira Bloom: Sixteen Sunsets
by Dan McClenaghan
Sidney Bechet pioneered the use of the soprano saxophone in jazz in the early 20s. John Coltrane brought that “straight horn" out of a relative dormancy of use in 1959 with his anthem-like take on Rodgers and Hammerstein's “My Favorite Things" on his Atlantic Records album of the same name. Steve Lacy took the soprano “out there," and Dave Liebman continues to stretch its boundaries. The name Jane Ira Bloom can be added to that list of icons. ...
Continue ReadingJane Ira Bloom: Wingwalker
by AAJ Italy Staff
Nell'arte ci sono i geni che illuminano il proprio secolo, ma anche i grandi artisti che vivono una vita appartata lontani dai riflettori, in attesa che il grande pubblico gli riservi l'attenzione che meritano. A questa ristretta schiera appartiene Jane Ira Bloom, protagonista magnifica ma trascurata del jazz contemporaneo sia pur con ben quattordici dischi alle spalle. Wingwalker ne mette in luce le doti di artista animata dal desiderio costante di aggiornamento e ricerca. Ora l'apporto discreto dell'elettronica è il ...
Continue ReadingJane Ira Bloom: Wingwalker
by Raul d'Gama Rose
On Wingwalker, as on her other albums, soprano saxophonist/electronics manipulator Jane Ira Bloom concerns herself with all things mysterious and beautiful. On this album, however, she does considerably more. The saxophonist has connected with the seemingly magical elements that lead her to expand the imagination. She does so as she lets the voice of her straight horn emerge from the depths of her soul. With impeccable, almost mystical tone and with a palette of a myriad, wondrous colors Bloom conjures ...
Continue ReadingJane Ira Bloom: Wingwalker
by Greg Simmons
Saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom is a first-class improviser and composer, and delivers a compelling case for herself on Wingwalker. Full of inventive original compositions, fine performances, and Bloom's rich, natural tone, this record is a standout. Although the soprano saxophone is less frequently heard, this record boldly demands its place at the table with its curved-bell brethren. Bloom takes composition credit for all but one track. Even so, Wingwalker has a collaborative overall feel to it. All of ...
Continue ReadingJane Ira Bloom: Wingwalker
by Wilbert Sostre
There is not a dull or cliché moment on Jane Ira Bloom's fourteenth album, Wingwalker. Her sound has been described as futuristic, and there is certainly some of that on tracks like “Frontiers in Science" and “Live Sports." But, most of all, Bloom is a master composer and musician with a truly unique sound. All compositions on the release are by Bloom, except for the standard, “I Could Have Danced All Night."Even though there are brilliant moments of ...
Continue ReadingJane Ira Bloom: Wingwalker
by Dan Bilawsky
The soprano saxophone often gets a raw deal. Many people see it as a relic from the early ages of jazz, a smooth jazz delivery method or a secondary axe that's only to be used when their alto saxophone, tenor saxophone or clarinet needs a break. While these attitudes are prevalent throughout a large portion of the jazz community, a few artists have bravely soldiered on, making the soprano their instrument of choice. Jane Ira Bloom--along with a few other ...
Continue ReadingImprovisation...Like The Weather
by AAJ Staff
By Jane Ira Bloom I thought I would talk about improvising and I should say that I'd try to talk about it because words are often difficult for me. My performance world is sonic; more poetry than prose, more like the weather than the forecast--more pliable and less specific--cloud-like and always shifting shape. Not surprisingly, music is the medium through which I prefer to communicate because it holds more energy and the process of spontaneous invention feels ...
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