Jazz Articles about Michael Dessen

About Michael Dessen

Album Review

Jason Robinson: Blue Salience: For Yusef Lateef

Read "Blue Salience: For Yusef Lateef" reviewed by Keith Flint

by Keith Flint
October 18, 2026

From a single note a song takes form. From a single seed a tree grows. Consider Yusef Lateef's own words from “Where Are The Goodies?" Spheres: Stories by Yusef Lateef (Fana Publishing, 1976), “To find out in a hurry whether the roots are where the rich dirt is, look up at the tree and see if the branches are soulful." His writing was as evocative of spirituality and human communication as it was given to compositional foundations and creative ideation. ...

Album Review

Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers

Read "Ancestral Numbers" reviewed by Vincenzo Roggero

by Vincenzo Roggero
May 14, 2025

Unica seduta di registrazione dal 23 al 25 agosto 2023, due CD, Ancestral Numbers I e Ancestral Numbers II, usciti a qualche mese di distanza, stessa fonte di ispirazione--il ricordo della nonna materna e la sua influenza nella famiglia--stessa ricerca di relazioni tra numeri, genealogie e storie dettate dallo scorrere del tempo. È questa la prima parte di un progetto musicale pensato da Jason Robinson nel quale una serie di composizioni sarà pensata per appositi organici strumentali. Sassofonista e flautista ...

Album Review

Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers II

Read "Ancestral Numbers II" reviewed by Pat Youngspiel

by Pat Youngspiel
December 16, 2024

Jason Robinson's Ancestral Numbers is “a sound meditation on genealogy and family history" and will comprise an “ongoing series of compositions for varying instrumentation." “I" and “II" are merely the starting point for an intimate investigation into the depths of the saxophonist's family tree, set in motion shortly after the passing of Robinson's grandmother. Accompanying the saxophonist/composer on this personal endeavour is a cast of top-drawer players, including Drew Gress on bass, Michael Dessen on trombone, pianist Joshua White and ...

Album Review

Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers II

Read "Ancestral Numbers II" reviewed by Terence Collie

by Terence Collie
November 23, 2024

Ancestral Numbers II is saxophonist, flautist and composer Jason Robinson's second album of music reflecting on his ancestry, following the May 2024 release of Ancestral Numbers I. The album launches with “Sweet Tooth," a simple but compelling composition that starts with a vamp. Opening melodic statements--with saxophone and trombone playing together over infectious piano and bass hits propelled by the energetic drums--then move into a hard swinging walking bass section. Pianist Joshua White takes the first solo, followed ...

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Album Review

Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers I

Read "Ancestral Numbers I" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
June 11, 2024

Ancestral Numbers I by Jason Robinson is a jazz album that feels like a deep, reflective conversation with history itself. With his saxophone, Robinson pays homage to the jazz tradition and his family heritage, crafting a sound that's both personal and expansive. The journey begins with “Second House," where the all-star ensemble, featuring pianist Josh White peppering the hornists, lays down a groove that's as profound as it is inviting. The track quickly establishes a soulful theme, with ...

Album Review

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Soundpath

Read "Soundpath" reviewed by Mark Corroto

by Mark Corroto
July 9, 2021

If we alter President John F. Kennedy's 1962 moon spaceflight speech just a bit, it easily fits the big band adaptation of Muhal Richard Abrams' magnum opus Soundpath, “We choose to perform this composition not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept." Accepting the challenge was band leader Bobby Zankel and ...

Album Review

Warriors of the Wonderful Sound: Soundpath

Read "Soundpath" reviewed by Giuseppe Segala

by Giuseppe Segala
May 31, 2021

Nel 2011 il sassofonista di Filadelfia Bobby Zankel, leader della big band The Warriors of the Wonderful Sound e promotore di laboratori di musica contemporanea, propose a Muhal Richard Abrams un lavoro compositivo che avrebbe dovuto essere affidato alla band, con la direzione dello stesso pianista. Operazioni di questo tipo erano già state realizzate da Zankel negli anni precedenti con le musiche per big band di Julius Hemphill, dirette da Marty Ehrlich, poi con composizioni di Rudresh Mahanthappa e Steve ...