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Jazz Articles about Larry Grenadier
Joey Alexander: Origin
by Peter Jones
Pianist Joey Alexander was never going to spend his life churning out standards. You could tell from his reimagined version of “Giant Steps," the first track on his 2015 debut album, which begins with a dazzling two-minute solo introduction. The same album also features an original tune, the prowling “Ma Blues." It was clearly only going to be a matter of time before he came up with an all-originals album, and so it is with this, his sixth outing. Meanwhile ...
Continue ReadingEthan Iverson: Every Note Is True
by Neri Pollastri
Oltre vent'anni dopo la cofondazione dei The Bad Plus e a quattro dalla sua fuoriuscita dalla fortunata formazione, Ethan Iverson ha approfittato della sosta imposta dalla pandemia per portare in studio due musicisti di assoluto spicco quali Larry Grenadier e Jack DeJohnette per registrare con un nuovo trio un album che andasse oltre quanto maturato nel lungo lavoro svolto con la sua precedente formazione. Ne è venuto fuori questo singolare Every Note Is True, primo disco del pianista per la ...
Continue ReadingA Bu Trio with Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland: One Step East
by Karl Ackermann
Pianist/composer A Bu, whose given name is Dai Liang, has outgrown the “child prodigy" tag but not the attributes. A student at Central Conservatory in Beijing, and later at Juilliard, he was influenced by a meaningful meeting with Chick Corea at the age of thirteen. Corea performed in Shanghai, where he invited A Bu onto the stage to play an improvised duet. The Beijing native released his first album, 88 Tones of Black and White (Sennheiser Media, 2015), at the ...
Continue ReadingEdward Simon: 25 Years
by Angelo Leonardi
Al pubblico del jazz non piacciono molto le compilations ma questa del pianista Edward Simon è speciale. I diciassette brani del doppio CD sono stati scelti da lui--come bilancio e riflessione personale nel 25° anno della sua attività da leader--e forniscono una variopinta retrospettiva delle sue tappe musicali. «L'idea mi è venuta l'anno scorso (2019) quando ho compito 50 anni--ha detto al Columbia Daily Tribune--La raccolta è nata da uno spirito di celebrazione e dalla consapevolezza di quante cose siano ...
Continue ReadingEdward Simon: 25 Years
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Edward Simon immigrated to the United States from his native Venezuela while still in his teens. He stayed, and carved out a successful career in music. His fiftieth birthday rolled around, and the artist decided it was time to take a look and listen back. In a musical journey that spans the titular 25 Years, Simon has crafted a lot of music, employing a Latin/jazz/classical approach with a seemingly effortless refinement, making sounds that are unfailingly engaging and beautiful. ...
Continue ReadingOlivier Le Goas & Reciprocity: Onramp Of Heaven Dreams
by Dan McClenaghan
A blindfolded spin of French drummer Olivier Le Goas & Reciprocity's Onramp Of Heaven Dreams says the spirit of guitarist Pat Metheny is hanging around. The lineup—guitar, piano, bass and drums—mirrors that of Metheny's early ECM Records such as Watercolors (1977) and American Garage (1979), and the disc's title itself nods to Metheny's Offramp (ECM Records,1982). This in the year 2020, when Metheny released a career highlight, From this Place (Nonesuch Records). Olivier's sound has a clean, sharp-edged ...
Continue ReadingLarry Grenadier: The Gleaners
by Karl Ackermann
Bassist Larry Grenadier has a most impressive resume: multiple recordings with Herbie Mann, Paul Motian, Charles Lloyd, trumpeter/brother Phil Grenadier, vocalist/wife Rebecca Martin, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Jamie Saft, and many others. His brand has long been enhanced by his stellar work with Pat Metheny and a twenty-plus-year association with Brad Mehldau. It's not surprising that Grenadier hasn't released a solo album, given the relative rarity of stand-alone bass recordings, but The Gleaners proves to be worth the wait.
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