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Jazz Articles about Lauren Sevian
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra: Tappin' Thru Life
by Jack Bowers
Tappin' Thru Life is more than the title of a jazz album; it is a philosophy, one that guided Maurice Hines through most of his 80 years and all of his epic career as an acclaimed tap dancer and entertainer. The album is based on Hines' autobiographical stage show of that name whose music director, drummer par excellence Sherrie Maricle, is also a co-founder and leader of The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, a renowned all-woman ensemble. After Hines' ...
Continue ReadingThe Empress: Square One
by Jack Bowers
The Empress is a New York City-based co-op septet whose front line consists of four saxophonists. Based on its title, the assumption is that Square One is the group's first recording as a unit. The Empress is the idea of award-winning saxophonist Pureum Jin, who enlisted the renowned German writer and saxophonist Michael Lutzeier to arrange ten of the album's eleven durable and decisive numbers and recruited a trio of all-star saxophonists to share the stage and lend their awesome ...
Continue ReadingSteven Feifke: The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
by Angelo Leonardi
Metti assieme un talentoso giovane orchestratore come Steven Feifke, un trombettista di prima grandezza come Bijon Watson e una big band con grandi nomi e prestigiosi ospiti e il risultato è scontato. Il debutto della Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra è stato propiziato dalla collaborazione col Jazz Education Network ed ha assunto le vesti di un album includendo in organico ospiti di rilievo come Kurt Elling, Sean Jones e Chad Lefkowitz Brown. Il principale riferimento è la tradizione ...
Continue ReadingGeneration Gap Jazz Orchestra: The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
by Jack Bowers
The Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra, co-led by pianist/composer Steven Feifke and trumpeter par excellence Bijon Watson, is a seventeen-member ensemble comprising seasoned players paired with young lions who are poised to capture pride of place. Nowhere do the leaders say who is in which group, and it would be impolitic to name them here. Suffice to say that some of the names may be more familiar than others--as, for example, trombonist John Fedchock who cut his teeth with one of ...
Continue ReadingLauren Sevian: Bliss
by Paul Rauch
Since joining the Mingus Big Band in 2003, baritone saxophonist Lauren Sevian has been opening eyes in the saxophone world, especially in the exclusive club that includes those dedicated primarily to the bari. Her style more resembles that of modern tenor players such as Donny McCaslin and Mark Turner, while retaining the pure sound and articulation one might expect from a true baritone master. She as well has been a powerful role model for female jazz musicians and the current ...
Continue ReadingEarl MacDonald: Open Borders
by Jack Bowers
Open Borders brings to the fore Canadian-born pianist Earl MacDonald's burnished tentet in a program that consists of eleven sunlit and swinging themes, five of which were composed by the leader. Besides writing, MacDonald did most of the arranging, and he excels in both arenas, as he does on piano (most notably on the standards “Blame It On My Youth" and “East of the Sun" as well as on Percy Mayfield's R&B classic “Hit the Road Jack" and his own ...
Continue ReadingEarl MacDonald: Open Borders
by Mike Jurkovic
Not many piano led ensembles finds the pianist laying as far back in the musical dialogue as Earl MacDonald, who doesn't come anywhere near an extended solo until “Miles Apart" and Percy Mayfield's Ray Charles blow- out “Hit The Road Jack" (tracks five and six respectively). But that's just fine given that MacDonald has charted the conversations and man oh man, do these arrangements crackle with spirit.From the high-flying “Dig In Buddy" to the exhilarating Latin flavors “Dolphy ...
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