Jazz Articles about Jonathan Barber

About Jonathan Barber

Album Review

Jonathan Barber & Vision Ahead: Legacy Holder

Read "Legacy Holder" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
June 30, 2020

Drummer Jonathan Barber's Legacy Holder is a musical missive acknowledging the history that flows before and beyond his time, the ethos of the present, and a need to bind these streams into a single/singular statement or groundwork for himself and those who will follow. It is an album built on intellect, understanding, intuition and, perhaps most importantly, respect—for culture, curiosity, a capacity to love and do what's right, and the need to change. Leading Vision Ahead—an aptly ...

Album Review

Marie Kruttli Trio: The Kind of Happy One

Read "The Kind of Happy One" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic

by Mike Jurkovic
June 17, 2020

A gracious yet adventurous air of then and now hovers over, under, sideways, and down on The Kind of Happy One, Swiss pianist/composer Marie Kruttli's fourth disc. It's an expanding calm, a welcoming sense of command and form from a young artist finding her place in the music and its long heritage. Yet “Back to Blue" starts off The Kind of Happy One with bassist Lukas Traxel's sinister, recurring riff into which rising-through-the-generational-ranks drummer Jonathan Barber quickly breathes ...

Album Review

Steve Davis: Correlations

Read "Correlations" reviewed by Peter J. Hoetjes

by Peter J. Hoetjes
March 19, 2019

Exploration and innovation may be the aspiration of modern jazz, but trombonist Steve Davis' Correlations exemplifies the fact that nothing proves more compelling than the timeless art of gathering a group of musicians who work remarkably well together. A veteran of The Jazz Messengers, One For All, and The Jazztet, Davis has a wealth of experience sharing the stage with multiple horns, essential to this album's sextet. His “get out of the way and let it happen" approach to band ...

Radio & Podcasts

A Conversation with Drummer Jonathan Barber

by UDEiGWE
February 10, 2019

On his debut album, Vision Ahead , Jonathan Barber delivers some very well executed original compositions. These songs have introspective origins and help shape the current path of his music group also called Vision Ahead. The album features pianist Taber Gable, guitarist Andrew Renfroe, saxophonist Godwin Louis, bassist Matt Dwonszyk, and vocalists Denise Renee and Sasha Foster. Join Jonathan and me as we talk about Hartford, jam sessions, living in New York and other mildly related stuff. Playlist ...