Jazz Articles about Jon Raskin

About Jon Raskin

Album Review

Three improvisers from opposite sides of the Atlantic meet on Brötz Now!, a live recording that captures what can happen when experienced players value conversation over conquest. There is no sense of anyone trying to 'win' the set. Instead, the music unfolds as a shared inquiry, shaped moment by moment. Jon Raskin longtime member of the Rova Saxophone Quartet, has spent four decades exploring the porous line between composition and improvisation. His playing here reflects that history. He ...

Album Review

Phillip Greenlief and Jon Raskin: 2 + 2 with Shoko Hikage and Kanoko Nishi

Read "2 + 2 with Shoko Hikage and Kanoko Nishi" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
June 8, 2024

In the third decade of the 21st century saxophonists Jon Raskin and Phillip Greenlief have been slowly releasing albums from their 2+2 series. These are sessions, both improvised and using Raskin's graphic scores, which match Raskin and Greenlief with two other musicians who play the same instrument.. The second installment, the captivating 2+2 with Shoko Hikage and Kanoko Nishi, matches the saxophonists with two koto players. The koto is a plucked zither with a harp-like sound. Both Hikage ...

Album Review

Bafus - Raskin - Shiurba: Fair Shanks Suburbia

Read "Fair Shanks Suburbia" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
March 14, 2024

Fair Shanks Suburbia emerges as a noteworthy exploration into the avant-garde, where Jon Bafus (Unsilent Majority), Jon Raskin (ROVA), and John Shiurba (Anthony Braxton) orchestrate a sonic journey that transcends conventional musical boundaries. It is a cohesive narrative that delves into the complexities of suburban life through an experimental lens. From the outset, the trio sets a bold tone with their opener “Rubber Band Rattle Can," a piece that fuses chaotic rhythms with moments of startling clarity. Bafus' ...

Album Review

Jon Raskin / Phillip Greenlief: 2 + 2 with Jen Baker & Liz Allbee

Read "2 + 2 with Jen Baker & Liz Allbee" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
May 31, 2023

Innovative saxophonists Jon Raskin and Phillip Greenlief use graphic scores for a series of recordings, each with a similar pair of instruments. These collaborations are called 2 + 2. The first of these is the provocative 2 + 2 with Jen Baker & Liz Allbee. As the title indicates Raskin and Greenlief join two brass players, trombonist Jen Baker and trumpeter Liz Allbee. The resulting music, both improvised and interpreted, is a stimulating conversation of four unique yet synergistic voices ...

Album Review

Jon Raskin Quartet: Singing Songs As One

Read "Singing Songs As One" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
December 29, 2021

In 2021, innovative saxophonist Jon Raskin released a number of stimulating concerts which were initially streamed live on Oakland's NIR radio station in 2009. The last of the series is the intriguing and unique celebration of sound called Singing Songs As One. On it Raskin leads a like-minded quartet for a superbly cohesive performance. In addition, the engineer Eli Crews did some real-time overdubbing, enhancing the music's haunting effect. “Configuration and Positioning," the longest track of the set, ...

Album Review

Jon Raskin, Ross Hammond, Clifford Childers, Dana Wendel: Space and Time Blues

Read "Space and Time Blues" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
December 11, 2021

On the captivating Space and Time Blues saxophonist Jon Raskin, with three equally adventurous colleagues, puts a uniquely intriguing twist on country blues. The heavily improvised release is made up of seven interconnected parts each with a picturesque title. The result is a cinematic and evocative suite filled with warmth and spontaneity. Opening the album with a dramatic sense, “Amongst The Reeds" starts off with collective tolling sounds reminiscent of church bells. Within the somber mood that drummer ...

Album Review

Jon Raskin: The Long Table

Read "The Long Table" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
October 20, 2021

Intrepid improviser and saxophonist Jon Raskin has kept busy during the covid-19 pandemic by releasing, for the first time, several of his past recordings. Of the many exciting albums he put out in 2021 on his own Temescal label, The Long Table stands out for a few reasons. As superb as the rest of his catalogue, this 2014 date has an infectious groove and a melodic structure different from Raskin's more experimental work. It also includes two covers, one penned ...