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Thana Alexa: ONA
by Doug Collette
A departure from Thana Alexa's first album Ode to Heroes (Harmonia Mundi/Jazz Village, 2015), ONA is also rooted in jazz, but it showcases Alexa's use of her voice as both a lyrical and experimental instrument. Commencing immediately on the title tune, this mostly original material features arrangements in various combinations of atmospheric, electronic soundscapes and exotic instrumental textures, complementing a voice which enchants as often through its feather-light air as its full-throated tones. Co-produced with master drummer Antonio Sanchez--with whom ...
read moreThana Alexa: ONA
by Geno Thackara
Thana Alexa's voice contains a world of sound, and that is without even mentioning the globe-spanning musical trappings which surround it. Hearing her is like watching a thunderstorm or maybe a wild hawk in flight. She doesn't just sing but uses her voice as an expressive precision instrument, in much the same way all the tones and electronics here are sculpted into an unclassifiably genre-defying whole. Her rich contralto can also be honey-smooth and soothing in the (relatively) rare calm ...
read moreJure Pukl: Broken Circles
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Slovenian tenor saxophonist Jure Pukl follows up his quartet outings Hybrid (Whirlwind Recordings 2017) and Doubtless (Whirlwind Recordings 2018) with an album that signals a clear change of direction. On Broken Circles Pukl swaps his saxophonist wife Melissa Aldana for Joel Ross on vibraphone and adds guitarist Charles Altura for some lyrical comping, on top of a well-versed rhythm section. As a direct result, harmony and flow arise more implicitly, giving Pukl the ideal environment to perform long stretches of ...
read moreSteve Lehman Trio, Craig Taborn: The People I Love
by Alberto Bazzurro
Il timbro asprigno, acidulo, e l'incedere di preferenza incalzante, spigoloso, dell'alto di Steve Lehman (i cui principali modelli, dichiarati, sono com'è noto Jackie McLean e Anthony Braxton) attraversa pressoché a senso unico questo nuovo lavoro del quarantunenne sassofonista newyorchese, determinandone climi e disegno complessivo, il tutto confezionato con la complicità del suo trio abituale (nonché ormai decennale) rinforzato per l'occasione dal pianoforte di Craig Taborn (sodale e amico di Lehman a sua volta da un buon decennio) con la volontà ...
read moreMatt Brewer: Unspoken
by Andrew Luhn
Bassist Matt Brewer first revealed his talents as a bandleader and a composer on his 2014 Criss Cross debut Mythology. Brewer returns to the Criss Cross label for his sophomore effort with a completely new quintet to explore seven new original compositions, a Bill Frisell cover, and one Charlie Parker tune. Joining him this time around are tenor saxophonist Ben Wendel, guitarist Charles Altura, pianist Aaron Parks, and drummer Tyshawn Sorey, all of whom have previously recorded as sidemen for ...
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