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Rudresh Mahanthappa: Bird Calls
by Victor L. Schermer
In this innovative album, Rudresh Mahanthappa is to “Yardbird" Charlie Parker what Albert Einstein was to Isaac Newton. He revises Parker's legacy to his own advanced understanding, yet preserves the essential truth of Parker's contribution to jazz. One genius says “hello" to another and then goes his own way. The result is an exciting “leaning in" to Bird's bebop while retaining Mahanhtappa's unique synthesis of the jazz idiom with the music of India and other parts of the world. This ...
Continue ReadingMatt Mitchell: Fiction
by Enrico Bettinello
Chi abbia avuto modo di verificare, anche dal vivo oltre che su disco, le doti di Matt Mitchell (nel quintetto di Dave Douglas o soprattutto negli Snakeoil di Tim Berne) sa bene con quale intelligenza e originalità il pianista collabori nella costruzione delle architetture musicali in cui è coinvolto. Per questo suo lavoro d'esordio ha scelto la non scontata formula del duo con le percussioni, trovando in Ches Smith--proprio all'interno del gruppo di Berne--un partner estremamente stimolante.
Continue ReadingMatt Mitchell: Fiction
by Glenn Astarita
Pianist Matt Mitchell and drummer Ches Smith align for a rather remarkable program as Fiction offers additional credence to the respective artist's increased stature in the progressive jazz community and A-list session status. Among their extensive resumes of group affiliations, the instrumentalists are members of saxophonist Tim Berne's Snake Oil group. Mitchell originally composed these works in 2010, citing them as “musical puzzles." The comprehensive nature of these concise etudes seemingly involves a vast amount of metadata (notes). ...
Continue ReadingMatt Mitchell: Fiction
by Mark Corroto
Pianist Matt Mitchell's debut solo recording, Fiction, is actually a duo recording. And while it is a performance of fifteen compositions, the music was originally conceived of as etudes, or short pieces--exercises to improve the pianist's ability to incorporate improvisation into composed music.Mitchell is quite the in-demand sideman. He can be heard in Tim Berne's Snakeoil, Dave Douglas' Quintet, Darius Jones' Quartet, John Hollenbeck's Claudia Quintet, and in the bands of Michael Attias and Rudresh Mahanthappa.This ...
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