Jazz Articles about Kevin Sun

About Kevin Sun

Album Review

New York-based saxophonist Kevin Sun went deep into the concept of memory in his The Sustain of Memory (2020) and The Depths of Memory (2023), both on his Endectopmorph Records. The first half of his 2026 project, Kevin Sun, I goes deep into...Kevin Sun? Sun takes his inspiration from seemingly everywhere: video games, sitting on hold waiting for service from the IRS phone system (track 6, “Hold Music"), John Coltrane ( track 1, “Go In"), Ryuichi Sakamoto, heavy ...

Album Review

Elijah Shiffer: City Of Birds, Volume 3: Fly By Night Blues

Read "City Of Birds, Volume 3: Fly By Night Blues" reviewed by Max Kutner

by Max Kutner
December 25, 2025

Few current composers are as restlessly inventive as saxophonist-clarinetist Elijah Shiffer. Over the past decade, Shiffer has led numerous ensembles and written an ever-expanding catalog of original music, all crafted and thematically tied closely to and informed by distinct aspects of his interests and tastes. Fly by Night Blues, the third volume in his City of Birds series, speaks to all those qualities. Like the previous two offerings, Shiffer uses meticulously transcribed songs and voices from birds native to the ...

Album Review

Adam O'Farrill: For These Streets

Read "For These Streets" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
June 11, 2025

With For These Streets, trumpeter and composer Adam O'Farrill presents a sharply contoured, richly imagined statement for mid-sized band--his most complete vision to date. Drawing on an eclectic range of influences, from 1930s-era music, literature and film to the rhythms of contemporary urban life, O'Farrill leads a wily crew of his peers through a program that moves with narrative cohesion. Though not a suite in the formal sense, the album unfolds like one, the pieces linked by emotional throughlines and ...

Album Review

Adam O'Farrill: For These Streets

Read "For These Streets" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
June 10, 2025

Trumpeter and composer Adam O'Farrill distills a heady mix of inspirations into For These Streets, the debut release from his new octet. Drawing on music, literature and the ambiance of the 1930s, the album reflects his immersion in the era--Henry Miller's prose, Charlie Chaplin's City Lights, and the sonic worlds of Stravinsky, Ravel, Carlos Chávez and Kurt Weill. None of this background is necessary to appreciate the music, nor is it mentioned in the packaging. But knowing it adds a ...

Radio & Podcasts

Cyrus Chestnut, Tyreek McDole, L'Oumigmag, Louis Stewart

by Cheryl K.
May 22, 2025

During this week's two-hour program of Jazz and improvised music, pianists Cyrus Chestnut, Satoko Fujii+, and Rob Clearfield; vocalists Tyreek McDole and Camila Meza; saxophonist Kevin Sun; the groups Whispering Worlds and L'Oumigmag; and guitarists Louis Stewart and Nic Ferron. Playlist Thelonious Monk “Brilliant Corners" from Brilliant Corners (Riverside) 7:45 Cyrus Chestnut “There Is a Fountain" from Rhythm, Melody, and Harmony (HighNote) 5:16 Satoko Fujii This Is It! “Orange Flicker" from Message (Libra) 5:08 Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio ...

Album Review

Adam O'Farrill: For These Streets

Read "For These Streets" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
May 19, 2025

Con questo nuovo disco Adam O'Farrill scrive una delle pagine più avvincenti del 2025, confermando di non essere solo un magistrale trombettista ma un compositore d'alto spessore anche per medio organico. Nei quattro album col quartetto Stranger Days, ha dimostrato di saper integrare con coerenza le forme del post bop degli anni sessanta con gli sviluppi delle avanguardie successive e in questo ottetto stellare prosegue, ampliando lo spettro armonico e timbrico con l'uso di vibrafono (Patricia Brennan), chitarra ...

Radio & Podcasts

Kevin Sun, Valerie June,Brandon Woody, Mina Choi with George Cables and Gustavo Cortinas

by Hobart Taylor
April 23, 2025

New music from Kevin Sun, The Ostara Project, The Nano Brothers and a tune from Zoh Amba.Playlist Valerie June “Calling My Spirit" from Owls, Omens, and Oracles (Concord) 0:00 Hot 8 Brass Band “Respect My Mind" from Big Tuba (Tru Thoughts) 2:00 Ostara Project" Papa" from Roots (Rhea) 6:23 Host Speaks 11:07 History Dog “Field Recordings" from Root Systems (Otherly Love) 12:42 Brandon Woody “ Beyond The Reach Of Our Eyes" from For The Love Of It All ...