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Mike LeDonne: It's All Your Fault
by Jack Bowers
Even though listed on only four tracks, organist Mike LeDonne's superlative Groover Quartet performs on every one of the nine selections on LeDonne's admirable new recording, It's All Your Fault--and that's a good thing, as each member of the quartet (LeDonne, tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander, guitarist Peter Bernstein, drummer Joe Farnsworth) is an accomplished soloist and ardent team player. On the album's remaining tracks, the quartet is assimilated into LeDonne's seventeen- member big band, a taut and high-powered unit that ...
Continue ReadingJoe Magnarelli at Smalls Jazz Club
by David A. Orthmann
Joe Magnarelli Quintet Smalls Jazz Club New York, NY September 1, 2020 One hundred days may not sound like a particularly long time in the annals of jazz or, for that matter, any human endeavor. Nevertheless, in the midst of a seemingly endless pandemic that has upended every aspect of our lives, Smalls Jazz Club's persistence in presenting live jazz in a streaming format constitutes a bastion of stability and a major lifeline for ...
Continue ReadingAndy Fusco: Remembrance
by David A. Orthmann
Since 2016 SteepleChase Records has released five discs by alto saxophonist Andy Fusco. This impressive, often stunning body of work goes a long way in raising the profile of a man who had seldom been given the opportunity to record under his own name. While Fusco leads the sessions, he's the antithesis of a star or domineering force. Aside from his prowess on the horn, he possesses an unusual talent for putting together bands of uniquely talented individuals and choosing ...
Continue ReadingAdam Shulman Septet: West Meets East
by Jack Bowers
The “west" here is represented by San Francisco-based pianist and group leader Adam Shulman, the “east" by the other half-dozen members of Shulman's impressive septet. Even though the reasons that led to the alliance are ambiguous, what matters is the payoff, and that is more than admirable from any vantage point. As if to mirror the ensemble's six-and-one makeup, Shulman wrote six of the album's seven engaging numbers; the seventh (the rapid-fire “Whose Blues") was composed by ...
Continue ReadingSteve Fidyk: Battle Lines
by David A. Orthmann
Battle Lines, the inaugural release of Steve Fidyk's Blue Canteen Music label, bears the stamp of a rhythm section capable of adroitly assuming multiple identities. During large portions of three amiable, bop-oriented tracks, “Bebop Operations," “#Social Loafing" and “Sir John," Fidyk's drums, bassist Michael Karn and pianist Peter Zak move the music along without any fuss or extraneous effort. Sometimes it's easy to take them for granted, particularly if your attention is focused on Xavier Perez's tenor sax or Joe ...
Continue ReadingThe New York - Paris Reunion Quintet: Live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, Basel
by David A. Orthmann
Many of us dearly miss those life-affirming nights in jazz clubs when a band can do no wrong, blowing as if there's no tomorrow, and temporarily washing away the workaday realities of existence. The New York-Paris Reunion Quintet's Live at the Bird's Eye Jazz Club, Basel takes some of the yearning and emptiness out of waiting for the resumption of public performances. While there's no substitute for sitting a few feet away from the action, drink in hand, absorbing the ...
Continue ReadingJoe Magnarelli: On Three On Two
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Trumpeter Joe Magnarelli is and has been one of the most respected jazz players on the jazz scene for years. A native of Syracuse, New York, “Mags" has recently returned from a critically well-received European tour and has just announced release of Three On Two for Posi-Tone Records. All About Jazz: Joe, on behalf of All About Jazz, thanks for taking time to speak with us today and catch up. Joe Magnarelli: Thanks, Nick. ...
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