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Ingrid Laubrock: The Last Quiet Place
by Alberto Bazzurro
A tre anni e mezzo dalla sua incisione (settembre 2019), giunge all'ufficialità della pubblicazione questo notevole album della cinquantaduenne sassofonista tedesca Ingrid Laubrock, capace di regalarci una volta di più testimonianza eloquente del suo valore, come tutta una serie di collaborazioni quanto mai prestigiose e la sua stessa produzione discografica, abbondante ed esauriente, ci avevano detto con chiarezza di dettagli. Qui la stessa conformazione del sestetto protagonista del lavoro, con ben quattro strumenti a corde di cui ...
Continue ReadingIngrid Laubrock: The Last Quiet Place
by Troy Dostert
When saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock finds herself in her comfort zone, it is typically in small group formations--often just duos or trios--which allow her unparalleled skills as an improviser to shine most brightly. However, listeners are always in for a special treat when she ventures out into less familiar terrain, especially with larger ensembles. On recordings such as Contemporary Chaos Practices (Intakt, 2018) or Dreamt Twice, Twice Dreamt (Intakt, 2020), Laubrock takes advantage of the opportunity to develop her ambitious compositional ...
Continue ReadingFormanek, Berne, Mitchell, Parker, Thumbscrew And More
by Bob Osborne
A fantastic selection of new releases from Michael Formanek, Tim Berne & Matt Mitchell, William Parker, Thumbscrew, Leo Brouwer & Mariel Mayz, Marco Pignarato, Jussi Reijonen, Martin Fabricius and Noam Lemish. Also a couple of classic tracks from Pharoah Sanders.Playlist Show Intro 00:00 Michael Formanek Quartet “Porcelain Thrones" from Other Zones (Circular File Records) 00:49 Pharoah Sanders “Greeting to Saud (Brother McCoy Tyner)" from Elevation (Impulse!) 14:26 Tim Berne, Matt Mitchell “Purdy" from One More, Please (Intakt) 18:57 ...
Continue ReadingAngelica Sanchez: Sparkle Beings
by Richard J Salvucci
A famous philosopher once said “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent." This is something of a problem for a reviewer. If the music is stunning—unexpectedly so—then the logical thing is to simply write that. But then it is possible to end up end up well out of one's depth. If the rhythm section is Billy Hart and Michael Formanek, well, things simply get better as you go on from there. Angélica Sánchez is a pianist ...
Continue ReadingMichael Formanek, Lopez/Laubrock/Rainey & Piotr Damasiewicz
by Maurice Hogue
This episode of OMJ is packed with great improvisers and musical explorers. The much-respected bassist Michael Formanek found the isolation of the pandemic gave him time to look at music a little differently, and the result was an exploration of what he calls palindromic music. That's the basis for his new release with his Drome Trio, Were We Where We Were. Brandon Lopez (bass), Ingrid Laubrock (reeds), and Tom Rainey (drums) show the depth of their improvisatory powers on their ...
Continue ReadingTony Malaby: The Cave of Winds
by Vincenzo Roggero
Nel lontano 2000 il sassofonista Tony Malaby debuttò discograficamente come leader di un super quartetto denominato Sabino. A distanza di più di vent'anni ripropone la stessa formula con il chitarrista originale Marc Ducret sostituito da Ben Monder—collaboratore di lunga data di Malaby—e licenzia un disco di tutto rispetto. Vi troviamo le diverse anime che da anni contraddistinguono il percorso musicale di Malaby. Il suo districarsi con naturalezza tra tradizione e innovazione, l'interesse per le forme folkloriche ed il coinvolgimento nella ...
Continue ReadingTony Malaby: The Cave of Winds
by Mike Jurkovic
Veteran of Paul Motian's Electric Bebop Band, Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and many of Kris Davis' intriguing forays, saxophonist Tony Malaby is by far no stranger to the other side of the music where paradigms slip from measure to measure, not to note. So The Cave of Winds, Malaby's dust-up with his electric quartet Sabino, follows a grandly familiar arc but sounds like nothing before it, and quite possibly like nothing that will come after it. Potent ...
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