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Mark Dresser: Modicana
by John Sharpe
As virtuoso bassist Mark Dresser has been performing and recording solo since 1983, you can guarantee that he knows what he's doing. And Modicana fully meets expectations, presenting an accomplished and engaging album which belies the potential austerity of the unaccompanied recital. The limited edition LP collects two pieces recorded live at the 2016 Umea Jazz Festival in Sweden, with five selections from the studio at University of California, San Diego where Dresser is Professor of Music. ...
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by Alberto Bazzurro
Titoli decisamente singolari, stravaganti come a volte sa essere il personaggio, formato LP (primi tre brani sul lato A, restanti quattro sul retro), perfetto equilibrio fra archettato (in cui il Nostro è maestro) e pizzicato (non senza l'irrompere pur discreto di rumorismi più o meno episodici, che vanno comunque infittendosi verso la fine) e una qualità costantemente elevata capace di tener desta l'attenzione di chi ascolta, pur sul terreno potenzialmente scivoloso di un monologo totale di contrabbasso, sono le componenti ...
Continue ReadingMark Dresser Seven: Sedimental You
by John Sharpe
So much has been written about Mark Dresser's brilliance as a bassist that his skill as a composer can be in danger of being forgotten. But showcases like Sedimental You and its predecessor Nourishments (Clean Feed, 2014) should more than redress that potential imbalance. His artfully arranged structures prove engaging vehicles for the improvisational insight of his star-studded cast. Trombonist Michael Dessen constitutes the only holdover from the previous outing. He's joined in the front line by flutist Nicole Mitchell ...
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by Mark Sullivan
Bassist/composer Mark Dresser has long maintained a bi-coastal career. Born in Los Angeles, for many years his base of operations was New York--including ten years as a member of the Anthony Braxton Quartet--but since 2004 he has been on the faculty of the University of California, San Diego. The all-star septet on Sedimental You bridges the East and West Coast scenes, and provides an ensemble capable of a wide range of sounds and textures. Flautist Nicole Mitchell is ...
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by Alberto Bazzurro
Una rinnovata vena creativa accompagna l'attuale stagione (peraltro in vigore--diciamo così -da diversi anni) di colui che fu il bassista di gruppi storici dell'avanguardia jazzistica quali il quartetto di Anthony Braxton e vari ensemble riuniti da Tim Berne. Mark Dresser, anni sessantaquattro, si cimenta in questo suo nuovo lavoro con un organico di dimensioni allargate, come chiunque ami anche l'aspetto compositivo del far musica gradirebbe sempre avere a sua disposizione (anche per i nomi coinvolti: scorrere la formazione per credere). ...
Continue ReadingMark Dresser Seven: Sedimental You
by Karl Ackermann
In the early stages of his career, bassist/composer Mark Dresser was working with the likes of Anthony Braxton, Marilyn Crispell, and Gerry Hemingway. His long track record of working in composition and improvisation has made him one of the most respected artists in creative music. On Sedimental You, Dresser surrounds himself with a top tier ensemble comprised of old and new colleagues, all with a sharp focus on the challenging, open-ended music that Dresser has composed for this album.
Continue ReadingMark Dresser Seven: Sedimental You
by Jerome Wilson
Bassist Mark Dresser has had a long, distinguished career in jazz and new music working with a long list of musicians that includes Anthony Braxton, Tim Berne, Anthony Davis and John Zorn but he hasn't recorded much lately as a leader. This project sees him leading and writing for a diverse group of familiar and relatively new players in an unusual front line combination of clarinet, flute, violin and trombone. The group has a unique sound, like some 1920's society ...
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