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Michael Sarian: Live at Cliff Bell's
by Richard J Salvucci
This is music for the adventurous, especially those with the ears to deal with unusual harmonies. Michael Sarian is a now-Canadian trumpet player in the mold of Enrico Rava. His gift is his sound: dark, burnished, probing, even tentative at times. He is fond of half-valve expeditions into the upper register, which, if executed properly, can smear a tone between a squeal and a shriek. It is more than appropriate for the sort of music he plays, insinuating and beguiling, ...
Continue ReadingMichael Sarian: Live at Cliff Bell's
by Dan Bilawsky
On March 30, 2023, Michael Sarian rolled into Detroit landmark Cliff Bell's with horn in hand. In the midst of a spring tour, that particular venue and evening provided an opportunity for the trumpeter and his bandmates--pianist Santiago Leibson, bassist Marty Kenney and drummer Nathan Ellman-Bell--to do what they do best. Working through new material and strong selections from previous studio albums, this outfit delivered the goods with coiled intensity, some sturm-und-drang sophistication, open ears, sensitivity and melodic mindset. And ...
Continue ReadingYuhan Su: Liberated Gesture
by Angelo Leonardi
«Quest'album rappresenta la libertà che stavo cercando--dice Yuhan Su--una variante di me più raffinata e un messaggio sul periodo in cui ci troviamo». Giunta al quarto disco in un decennio d'attività professionale a New York, la vibrafonista taiwanese conferma d'essere una strumentista di prim'ordine e soprattutto una compositrice e leader innovativa, in equilibrio tra post-bop e avanguardia. I segni erano evidenti nel suo precedente album per la Sunnyside (City Animals, 2018) inciso con un quintetto differente, dove ...
Continue ReadingYuhan Su: Liberated Gesture
by Hrayr Attarian
A remarkable feature of vibraphonist Yuhan Su's captivating fourth release as a leader, LIberated Gesture, is its cohesiveness and narrative quality. Even though only three tracks are part of a suite, common motifs and logical transitions interconnect all ten. This and the sublime balance between the emotional and the cerebral endows the work with its enchanting impressionism. Pianist Matt Mitchell sets an expectant mood on “Naked Swimmer" with his percussive and sparse chords. Mitchell, together with drummer Dan ...
Continue ReadingAllan Harris: Live At The Blue LLama
by Dave Linn
Allan Harris has had a varied musical journey. Brooklyn-born, he grew up surrounded by the sounds of jazz, blues, and R&B. His mother often played records by artists like Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. These influences shaped his musical sensibilities and inspired him to pursue a music career. He recorded his debut album, Setting The Standard (Love Records) in 1994 at the age of 38. Over the next 27 years, he released 12 more records ...
Continue ReadingMichael Sarian: New Aurora
by Angelo Leonardi
Giunto al quarto album da leader, Michael Sarian esplora una direzione espressiva diversa da quanto evidenziato col settetto Michel Sarian & the Chabones e con la big band The Big Chabones. Ispirandosi allo stile di trombettisti come Kenny Wheeler, Tomasz Stanko ed Enrico Rava, il trombettista—di famiglia armena, canadese di nascita, argentino di formazione e newyorchese da una decina d'anni—accentua l'estetica impressionista già evidente in Leon con brani lenti ed evocativi, talvolta legati alla tradizione musicale armena. ...
Continue ReadingJihee Heo: Are You Ready?
by Paul Rauch
Since arriving in New York from Incheon, South Korea, via studies in Amsterdam, pianist/composer Jihee Heo has made a name for herself through a broad spectrum on the jazz scene in Gotham. Heo's debut album, Passion (Heonah Music, 2015), featured strong compositions and arrangements for large ensemble, with experimental elements sprinkled in the mix. With her new release, Are You Ready? , she breaks down her artistic voice to the piano trio, employing dynamic drummer Rodney Green, and bassist Marty ...
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