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John McNeil: Sleep Won't Come
by John Kelman
Anyone who has suffered from a bout of insomnia knows what trumpeter John McNeil is talking about with Sleep Won't Come. First there are the mental gymnastics as you try to settle your mind down, but instead you find yourself plagued with a barrage of ideas that just won't quit. Then you try the relaxation devices: visualization and deep breathing. Then you look at the clock, realizing that it's already 4:00 AM, and even if you do manage to get ...
Continue ReadingJohn McNeil: This Way Out
by Sean Patrick Fitzell
A veteran musician with more than 35 years of experience, trumpeter John McNeil has played in a variety of settings including Horace Silver's quintet and the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. His latest effort, This Way Out, finds him fronting a quartet of veteran drummer Joe Smith and two nascent improvisers from Spain: tenor saxophonist Gorka Benitez and bassist Giullia Valle. The quartet navigates McNeil's idiosyncratic tunes adroitly, sounding like they have played together for years. His clean, fluid lines ...
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