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Gregory Groover Jr.: Old Knew
by Pierre Giroux
With Old Knew, tenor saxophonist Gregory Groover Jr. offers a mature and deeply rooted statement that gracefully balances reverence for tradition with openness to spontaneous expression. Recorded without rehearsal and driven by a diverse group of top-tier collaborators, including Joel Ross on vibraphone, Paul Cornish on piano, Harish Raghavan on bass, and Kendrick Scott on drums, this 11-track set reveals a leader eager to let the music flow, communicate, and develop in the moment. The result is a highly interactive ...
Continue ReadingGregory Groover Jr.: Old Knew
by Jack Bowers
Even though he has surely heard this more than a few times, Gregory Groover is a pretty hip name for a jazz saxophonist. Not so much for the pastor of Boston's Charles Street AME Church, the position held by the Groover for whom he is named, Gregory Sr., who no doubt grooves in his own way. Gregory Jr. plays high-energy tenor on Old Knew, the second recording under his name, wherein he leads a sturdy quintet through its paces on ...
Continue ReadingPeter Evans: Ars Ludicra
by Fran Kursztejn
In the band's handful of releases the past decade, Peter Evans' Being & Becoming has defined itself by an unusual pattern of influence. As the former leader of superstar avant-garde quartet Mostly Other People Do the Killing, Evans has always played the agitator, the many-hats uncompromising auteur, challenging in both sonic intellect and actual practice. He lies squarely in jazz, but borrows heavily from the classical cornet repertoire, early devotional music, and as disparate sources as Detroit Techno and the ...
Continue ReadingBrandee Younger: Gadabout Season
by Angelo Leonardi
Dopo venticinque anni d'attività professionale, l'arpista Brandee Younger è balzata recentemente all'attenzione generale con accattivanti album e una nomination al Grammy Awards. L'improvviso successo non le ha dato alla testa e Brandee non sembra voler annacquare la sua musica con quelle leggerezze pop che coesistevano in qualche brano. In quest'ultimo album--prodotto dal bassista Rashaan Carter--collabora con jazzmen di primo piano ed interpreta proprie composizioni, sempre caratterizzate da freschezza melodica, ricercatezza e vivacità ritmica. Se in Brand New Life testimoniava la ...
Continue ReadingJoel Ross with John Toomey Trio at the Attucks Jazz Club
by Mark Robbins
Joel Ross is a man of few words. Actually, he was a man of no words until the end of the first set when he told the sold-out audience that the group would be back after a break. Then no more words until the end of the second set when he thanked everyone for coming and asked us to drive home safely. Ross lets his mallets do the talking and talk they did at a mile a minute.
Continue ReadingJoe Farnsworth: The Big Room
by Karan Khosla
The Big Room is about holding the fort and also about opening doors. Joe Farnsworth has logged time with Pharoah Sanders, McCoy Tyner, and Cedar Walton, but here he calls on the rising generation: alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan, vibraphonist Joel Ross, pianist Emmet Cohen, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and bassist Yasushi Nakamura. Recorded live at Smoke Jazz & Supper Club in January 2025, Farnsworth invites his fellow bandmates to contribute compositions; the album captures an intergenerational sextet that knows how to ...
Continue ReadingNeta Raanan: Unforeseen Blossom
by Vincenzo Roggero
Un album di debutto della durata di quasi ottanta minuti ha tutta l'aria di un'impresa ardita, se poi a intraprenderla è una giovane sassofonista pressoché sconosciuta si aggiunge anche una massiccia dose di incoscienza. Evidentemente Neta Raanan non si fa intimorire e con un quartetto completato dalla batteria di Kayvon Gordon, il basso di Simon Wilson e il vibrafono di Joel Ross, licenzia il notevole Unforseen Blossom. L'etichetta è la Giant Step Arts, organizzazione no-profit del rinomato fotografo Jimmy Katz, ...
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