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Kris Davis: Diatom Ribbons
by Karl Ackermann
The virtuoso pianist and composer Kris Davis has been ubiquitous in 2019. Her projects with Nate Wooley, Ken Vandermark, and Craig Taborn have been complemented by her appointment to the faculty of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice. Davis will serve as associate director of creative development and teach composition and improvisation courses. The Berklee program's founder and artistic director, Terri Lyne Carrington, is one member of the outstanding ensemble that appears on Davis' new project Diatom Ribbons. ...
Continue ReadingNoah Preminger Group: Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert
by Karl Ackermann
Tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger has dedicated considerable effort into his imprint on jazz variations of the delta blues with Some Other Time (Newvelle, 2016), Pivot: Live At The 55 Bar (Self-Produced, 2016) and Meditations on Freedom (Self-Produced, 2017). Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert is a departure in concept and content with a single extended track composed by Steve Lampert. With this album, Preminger hits a new peak with the fourteenth album in his prolific career. Steve Lampert is ...
Continue ReadingMax Johnson: In the West; Borderlands Trio: Asteroidea
by Stefano Merighi
Max Johnson In the West Clean Feed Records Un talento multiforme quello del bassista Max Johnson, in grado di spaziare dal rock al bluegrass, dal jazz d'avanguardia alla musica da camera. Tutte queste capacità mimetiche precipitano nel suo album In the West, disco che sembra contenere a fatica l'insieme di idee che traboccano dai suoi solchi. Già in “Ten Hands" una partenza “cinematica," pulsante, dove il contrabbasso insegue un beat da thriller misterioso, ...
Continue ReadingKris Davis & Craig Taborn: Octopus
by Don Phipps
Combining discrete notes with splashes and collages of sound, the music of pianists Kris Davis and Craig Taborn on Octopus showcases improvisational prowess at the highest levels. The live recording challenges listeners with electric and sometimes jarring compositions that appear to send shards of musical light in every direction. Davis provides two compositions for the album and Taborn three. In addition, the pianists cover two tunes, both by keyboard players--Carla Bley's “Sing Me Softly of The Blues" and ...
Continue ReadingKris Davis: Duopoly
by Stefano Merighi
Per valutare l'arte pianistica di Kris Davis si ascolti l'incipit di Aeriol Piano, album solitario di qualche anno fa. La decostruzione e conseguente reinvenzione dell'usurata “All the Things You Are" rivelavano un folgorante talento di sintesi, di rara sensibilità; per apprezzarne invece la sottigliezza di orchestratrice è utile tornare a Novela, fantastico disco a nome Tony Malaby che in realtà porta il sigillo creativo di Kris. Se aggiungiamo la lucidità dei trii e il preziosismo in qualità di partner su ...
Continue ReadingKris Davis and Craig Taborn Live at The Wexner Center For The Arts
by Mark Corroto
Kris Davis and Craig Taborn The Wexner Center For The Arts Columbus, OH October 7, 2016 The two-week, 12 city tour was billed as Kris Davis and Craig Taborn piano duos. It might have been better advertised as a solo act, let's call it 'Davborn' or maybe 'Krisaig.' This is because Friday night, the pianists' two hearts beat as one, as did their sound. Davis has recently released her new ...
Continue ReadingKris Davis: Duopoly
by Mark Corroto
Query: when does improvised music appear more arranged than written compositions? The question is not a zen koan, it is the notion put forth by the sixteen duets performed by pianist Kris Davis and her eight collaborating partners. Davis, who can no longer be labeled a “rising star" of jazz and improvised piano, is a fully formed mature performer. Her dozen or so discs as leader and multiple collaborations with Michael Formanek, Ingrid Laubrock, Tyshawn Sorey, Jon Irabagon, and Eric ...
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