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Keri Johnsrud / Shawn Maxwell: C8H10N4O2

by Hrayr Attarian
Vocalist Keri Johnsrud is a master of subtlety. She delivers intricate songs with elegance and grace, making them sound deceptively effortless. Saxophonist Shawn Maxwell is one of the most innovative members of the Chicago creative music scene. Both are also accomplished composers. All these elements make their collaborative effort C8H10N4O2 (the chemical formula for caffeine) stimulating and delightful. A concept album, C8H10N4O2 represents a hectic day. Bookending it are two takes of Peace," one labeled 720 AM" and ...
Continue ReadingShawn Maxwell: Expectation & Experience

by Jack Bowers
On Expectation & Experience, his tenth recording as a leader, Chicago-based woodwind specialist Shawn Maxwell is accompanied by almost thirty musiciansbut never by more than three on any of its seventeen tracks. Maxwell says the compositions were written during the global Covid-19 pandemic, and the musicians were mustered singly, most in their own homes. While each of the compositions has a theme," none is readily apparent from its performance, and listeners should feel free to overlook that aspect and focus ...
Continue ReadingLucas Gillan's Many Blessings: Chit-Chatting with Herbie

by Angelo Leonardi
Questo nuovo omaggio a Herbie Nichols è stato pubblicato nel 2019, nel centenario della nascita del grande pianista. Protagonista è il batterista di Chicago Lucas Gillan, al suo secondo album col gruppo Many Blessings. Originario dell'Arizona, Gillan opera da alcuni anni nella Windy City e il suo pianoless quartet coniuga un'ampia serie di influenze: l'impronta dello storico organico di Ornette Coleman è piuttosto evidente ma non mancano relazioni col vasto retroterra di blues e soul music del ...
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