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Jazz Articles about Mark Zaleski
The Brighton Beat: Victory At Last
by Mike Jurkovic
For the musically uninitiated and socially marooned, there is a perpetual sense of danceable immediacy to the big, fun Brighton Beat sound. The exact reason for that is that, at any moment--no, make that every moment--there is the potential to shake-your-money-maker around the moon and back again. Measure by measure by measure, the dance floor is going to get worn down to the studs. It is truly liberating. Utilizing a far greater freedom to enlist the studio as ...
Continue ReadingOmar Thomas Large Ensemble: Griot Songs
by Alberto Bazzurro
Dopo una lunga gestazione, giunge a noi questo che è il terzo lavoro del Large Ensemble diretto dal compositore newyorchese Omar Thomas (incisione del maggio 2024), un doppio album ambizioso e di chiaro intento anche didascalico in cui l'orchestra appare eloquentemente come il naturale prolungamento del gesto autoriale, con risultati di notevole impatto, sette brani di ampio respiro (dai nove ai diciassette minuti) in cui la massa orchestrale tende a muoversi per lo più compatta, lungo partiture belle piene, solide, ...
Continue ReadingMehmet Ali Sanlikol: Turkish Hipster: Tales From Swing To Psychedelic
by Jack Bowers
Those who believe the term Turkish Hipster has to be an oxymoron should get to know composer/arranger/multi-instrumentalist Mehmet Ali Sanlikol, a Turk whose seventh album, subtitled “Tales from Swing to Psychedelic," is about as hip as can be. Sanlikol knows where is going but chooses to get there in his own special way, using every weapon in his musical arsenal to create vivid sound pictures whose jazz components rest solidly within a Middle Eastern framework that set them apart from ...
Continue ReadingGiuseppe Paradiso: Parallel Dimensions
by Chris M. Slawecki
Parallel Dimensions steers the listener's imagination through a luxurious multicultural tapestry woven in music by drummer, vocalist, composer, arranger and producer Giuseppe Paradiso and his sextet. It explores broad musical horizons that can sound radiantly bright or dark, often features several instrumental or melodic voices at the same time, and is strongly colored and shaped by African rhythms. Parallel Dimensions sort of sounds the way that the cover of Miles Davis' landmark Bitches Brew looks. Two drum pieces ...
Continue ReadingNew Spins On Old Masters
by Jerome Wilson
Dave Brubeck and Charlie Parker were two of the most influential jazz figures of their eras. Many musicians have interpreted their work over the years but these two albums take more liberties than usual with their compositions to good effect. Mark Zaleski Band Our Time: Reimagining Dave Brubeck Origin Records 2021 Saxophonist Mark Zaleski actually studied at the Dave Brubeck Institute and got to know Brubeck and his wife Iola. This ...
Continue ReadingSpeed Dating
by Patrick Burnette
Trying out CDs by unfamiliar artists is a little like speed dating. You've got minutes to decide if you're compatible, if you're likely to be in a relationship for the long term, or if you're just ships passing in the night. Or something like that. Mike and Pat listen to four 2021 releases by unfamiliar artists and ask themselves who they'd like to take home. Stay tuned for a pop matters that sneaks in discussion of Indy Jazz Fest's final ...
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