Jazz Articles about Jason Adasiewicz

Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown: Varmint

by Jerry D'Souza
February 12, 2010

Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz brings a wide ranging sensibility to his compositions. He has a strong feel for mainstream jazz that he pursues and invigorates with a range of free idioms. The music thrives and blossoms, not only in the potency of the mix, but also in its invention and surprise. His band mates enrich the tunes with their own visions even as they acknowledge the written note.

Adasiewicz wrote all the music for this record, except for Andrew Hill's “The ...

Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown: Varmint

by Raul d'Gama Rose
January 25, 2010

Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz appears to imagine a world exploding with the most unimaginable sound possible, bringing to life what he hears in his inner ear. Varmint is brimming with the unimaginable as Adasiewicz and Rolldown, comprising of cornetist, Josh Berman, woodwinds multi-instrumentalist Aram Shelton, bassist Jason Roebke and drummer Frank Rosaly hit a wonderful groove. Together the quintet pushes open the doors of perception, letting in a bright and vibrant new idiom of jazz. The gently resonant ...

Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown: Varmint

by Mark Corroto
December 6, 2009

Jason Adasiewicz's quintet Rolldown, has been together since 2004, and Varmint, its second release, again invites you into Mr. Peabody's “wayback machine" (from The Rocky And Bullwinkle Show of the 1960s) to explore ancient history with a modern ear. That ancient history is the 1960's New Thing, and our explorers are armed with the knowledge of just how that story ended.Adasiewicz, a prime player in the continual resurgence of Chicago jazz, can be heard with Josh Berman (Old ...

Jason Adasiewicz's Rolldown: Varmint

by Troy Collins
October 19, 2009

Varmint is the sophomore follow up to Rolldown (482 Music, 2008), the self-titled debut of vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz's quintet. Inspired by the avant-garde innovations of such late 1960s Blue Note recording artists as Eric Dolphy, Andrew Hill, Bobby Hutcherson, Jackie McLean, and Grachan Moncur III, Adasiewicz continues to explore the tenuous divide between inside and outside forms, while gradually developing his own sound.

From supple kaleidoscopic shadings to ringing, metallic cascades, Adasiewicz's dynamic versatility as an improviser has ...

Jason Adasiewicz: Rolldown

by John Sharpe
June 7, 2008

Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz has likely listened to a lot of Monk. Not that this adventurous quintet outing is another addition to the already crowded oeuvre of Monkian repertory, but more because the disjointed rhythms, odd suspensions, long tones and variable tempos echo the late pianist's angularity and obliqueness.

This set was recorded back in 2005, following a year's sabbatical during which Adasiewicz composed the seven pieces heard here (actually eight when you include the video only “Hide"), begging the question ...

Jason Adasiewicz: Rolldown

by Troy Collins
May 21, 2008

Former indie rock drummer turned jazz vibraphonist, Jason Adasiewicz has slowly but surely made his mark on the vibrant Chicago jazz scene. With musical roots in the alt-country circuit, the former drummer for Pinetop Seven and singer Edith Frost is now a regular sideman to Fred Lonberg-Holm, Rob Mazurek, Nicole Mitchell, Mike Reed and Ken Vandermark.

The self-titled debut of his Rolldown ensemble shares more than a passing similarity to the classic mid-60s Blue Note sessions of such ...

Jason Adasiewicz: Rolldown

by Mark F. Turner
May 21, 2008

Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, is one of a number of rising new vibe players of particular note, including Mike Pinto, Dan McCarthy, Chris Dingman. His percussive, piano-like abilities on the instrument are perceptibly clear on his aspiring debut, Rolldown, leading his working band of the same name--Josh Berman (cornet), Aram Shelton (reeds), Jason Roebke (bass) and Frank Rosaly (drums); all of whom are a part of the vibrant Chicago progressive music scene.While the recording draws clear influences from 1960s ...