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Mike Fahie Jazz Orchestra: Urban(e)
by Dan Bilawsky
There's a rocky history surrounding jazz-classical hybrids. But, in truth, that has little to do with any potential incompatibility. Instead, it's usually misguided maneuvering and/or an excessive show of dominant traits from one side or the other that mars said unions. When done right a wedding of those worlds can truly birth brilliance. Just listen to Urban(e) for proof. Noted trombonist, composer, arranger and educator Mike Fahie's unabashed love for classical music and jazz is clear and ...
read moreMike Fahie Jazz Orchestra: Urban(e)
by Jack Bowers
Most Western music, irrespective of its origin and premise, inhabits the same harmonic, chordal and rhythmic universe. So it should not be surprising that classical music, in the hands of a skilled arranger, can be readily recast in a jazz idiom, even one that is housed within a big-band framework. On Urban(e), trombonist Mike Fahie's New York-based Jazz Orchestra braves that challenge, quickening Fahie's translations of works by Frederic Chopin, Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, Bela Bartok, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky and ...
read moreJohn Lake: Seven Angels
by Jim Worsley
Compelling is the first word that comes to mind in describing John Lake's debut record as a leader. Eight Lake originals, adjoined by three reimagined tunes from the past, comprise Seven Angels. A seasoned studio musician and sideman, Lake knew his time had come. He is joined by five stellar musicians who collectively build a liquid sextet. A lesser known artist doesn't have the luxury of time. He/she has to grab attention quickly. With that in mind, Lake ...
read moreWebber / Morris Big Band: Both Are True
by John Sharpe
On Both Are True Canadian composers and reed players Anna Webber and Angela Morris reimagine the language of the big band. They extend the tradition through adventurous arrangements spiced with the unpredictability of improv, by co-opting the nimbleness of a much smaller group, and reveling in non-standard techniques. Webber has already garnered plaudits for the work of her Simple Trio with Matt Mitchell and John Hollenbeck, while Morris' ventures such as the Motel Trio boast a lower profile so far. ...
read moreJeff Davis: Leaf House
by AAJ Italy Staff
Jeff Davis è tra i batteristi più richiesti della scena newyorchese e le sue collaborazioni riguardano nomi eccellenti della nuova ondata proveniente dalla grande mela quali Kirk Knuffke, Landon Knoblock, Kris Davis, Jon Irabagon, Eivind Opsvik per citarne alcuni. Davis è anche interessante compositore tant'è che il CD di debutto, We Sleep Outside, uscito per Loyal Label nel 2010, l'ha posto all'attenzione di pubblico e addetti ai lavori. Ma è questo Leaf House la prova del nove delle sue doti ...
read moreJeff Davis: Leaf House
by Glenn Astarita
Experimental drummer Jeff Davis leads a formidable piano trio that goes against the grain, as it gels to diametric pulses and opposing metrics. Abetted by pianist Russ Lossing's hammering block chords and off-center rhythmic improvisations, Davis elevates, prods and generates cyclonic intensity, yet shades or tempers the momentum during the album's introspective moments. His holistic approach to the kit yields numerous residuals, reengineering the rhythmic panorama via swirling cadenzas, fractured blues and free jazz jaunts, or winding matters down to ...
read moreJeff Davis: We Sleep Outside
by Troy Collins
The tightly knit Brooklyn scene has yielded a number of exceptional ensembles in the past few years, including Michael Bates' Outside Sources, Kris Davis' Quartet, Jon Irabagon's Outright!, Kirk Knuffke's Quartet, Eivind Opsvik's Overseas, the RIDD Quartet and Tone Collector. The common denominator uniting these various bands is drummer Jeff Davis, a former student of pianist Art Lande and trumpeter Ron Miles. An inventive improviser partial to unconventional textures and unpredictable rhythms, Davis' capricious creativity and alert responsiveness have made ...
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