Home » Jazz Articles » John Raymond
Jazz Articles about John Raymond
Sean Imboden: Communal Heart
by Dean Nardi
Sean Imboden's Large Ensemble Has a Communal Heart Sean Imboden was bitten by the big band bug early on. It is understandable. Both his parents were musicians, and his father taught him to play clarinet when he was in sixth grade. As a teenager, besides playing in middle school and high school bands, he sometimes sat in on gigs with his father's ensemble. After college, he moved to New York City and became involved with the touring Broadway show circuit, ...
Continue ReadingSteve Allee: Naptown Sound
by Steve Allee
Submitted on behalf of Kyle Long, Producer/Host at WFYI in Indianapolis.If you ask the average music fan to name the greatest jazz cities in America, it's unlikely that Indianapolis would top their list. That's a shame, as those familiar with the city's history know better. They see the unique fingerprints of Indianapolis musicians across the broad timeline of jazz. In all fairness, Indianapolis, or Naptown as we locals affectionately call it, doesn't have the unrivaled depth ...
Continue ReadingBuselli / Wallarab Jazz Orchestra: The Gennett Suite
by Dan McClenaghan
This is where music for mass consumption--recorded music--started, in Richmond, Indiana, in the 1920s, in a piano factory by the railroad tracks in a glacier-carved gorge. Established in 1887, in the beginning Starr Pianos' bread and butter was pianos, but they branched out to selling other instruments and eventually photographs and records--their own records, recorded in the piano factory, taking breaks in the process when a train came by. At first, they called their recording side of the business Starr ...
Continue ReadingKind Folk: Head Towards The Center
by Jerome Wilson
Kind Folk is a quartet consisting of trumpeter John Raymond, alto saxophonist Alex LoRe, bassist Noam Wiesenberg and drummer Colin Stranahan. They recorded their first album in 2018, then went their separate ways for various reasons. They finally reconnected in June 2021 and came up with the simmering blend of jazz, rock and folk sensibilities that makes up this album. Generally, there is a subdued but close-knit feel to this music. Tracks such as “Mantrois" and “Around, Forever" ...
Continue ReadingZacc Harris Group: Small Wonders
by Mike Jurkovic
Accompanied by the hugely conversant John Raymond on trumpet and flugelhorn, saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, Expressionism-steeped pianist Bryan Nichols and the fluid viscosity of rhythm brothers bassist Chris Bates and drummer JT Bates, Zacc Harris—whose tonal voyage could be immediately likened to that of John Scofield (if only Harris didn't harken and manage all his influences so damn well)—creates on Small Wonders a very lucid, warm and easy vibe one cannot help being explicably drawn to. It is a vibe many ...
Continue ReadingZacc Harris Group: Small Wonders
by Mark Corroto
There is a theme of currents to the music of Small Wonders, although it is not stated in the titles. Minneapolis guitarist Zacc Harris pours the music from this album into your ears, metaphorically speaking. At times it is a cascade, in other places just a trickle. Either way, listeners are encouraged to float along, and going with the flow is a natural reaction to this music. Small Wonders is the second release by the Zacc Harris Group, following The ...
Continue ReadingJohn Raymond and Real Feels: Live Vol. 2
by Peter J. Hoetjes
After releasing his album Joy Ride (Sunnyside Records) early in 2018, John Raymond took his band Real Feels on the road to experiment with the songs they created. Their philosophy seems to be predicated on the song rather than the instrument, as of utmost importance. Thankfully, none of the tunes they play here seem rigid or too tightly structured, as this approach can sometimes cause. Worth noting is that while Live Vol. 2 is a live recording, the audio quality ...
Continue Reading
