Jazz Articles about Michael Musillami

Michael Musillami Octet: Spirits

by Florence Wetzel
February 22, 2005

The Michael Musillami Octet shines throughout this tribute to the late multi-instrumentalist and composer Thomas Chapin. The talented ensemble--Musillami on guitar, Peter Madsen on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, Tom Christensen on saxophones and flutes, Art Baron on trombone and didgeridoo, Tom Beckham on vibes and marimba, Satoshi Takeishi on percussion, and Michael Sarin on drums--brings seven Chapin compositions to life with verve and good taste. Inspired in part by Brazilian composers/musicians Pixinguinha and Hermeto Pasqual, Chapin's songs are a ...

Michael Musillami: Playscape Recordings Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

by Franz A. Matzner
October 27, 2004

Guitarist Michael Musillami has been part of the jazz world for over forty years. Composer, player, and most recently label founder, Musillami has explored the full range of the jazz spectrum. Five years ago this month, Musillami took a leap of faith and put together a remarkable new label that has since proven itself a powerful creative force. Comprised of a core group of composers, Playscape is artist driven and dedicated to pushing the music forward. Each ...

Michael Musillami Octet: Spirits

by Jerry D'Souza
September 10, 2004

It was a good day when guitarist Michael Musillami and his band of seven went in to record songs by Thomas Chapin. Musillami, Peter Madsen and Michael Sarin shared a close familiarity with Chapin and his music, having played with him. The others came into the fit on Musillami's vision, which as the end results prove, was not askance.

There is a constant rhythmic cohesion, even as the arrangements expand the body of Chapin's compositions and make room ...

Michael Musillami Octet: Spirits

by John Kelman
September 7, 2004

Convening some of the cream of the New York free creative music scene, guitarist Michael Musillami, best known for his post bop recordings, including last year's fine mainstream disc, Those Times , attempts something a little out of the ordinary--an entire set of material by the late saxophonist Thomas Chapin. While there is unquestionably a certain amount of freedom to the set, the treatment of the programme is emphatically Latin in tone. In fact, on an album that swings along ...

Michael Musillami: Those Times

by AAJ Staff
January 15, 2004

In the intervening decade since guitarist Michael Musillami recorded his first Playscape sides, his playing has evolved substantially. He's broken the straight-ahead swinging mold that characterized his first three releases on the label, experimenting more with space and time. Beijing (2003) brought this forward- looking approach to the foreground. The latest in the string, Those Times, retreats to more familiar territory.

Musillami takes this opportunity to pursue his love for “the standard jazz repertoire," though only about half ...

Michael Musillami: Beijing

by Frank Rubolino
June 25, 2003

On the highflying Beijing, Michael Musillami sets up shop with a swinging team of sprightly improvisers in bassist Joe Fonda and drummer George Schuller. Musillami gets into an adventuresome mode on this set, and the others enlist for the fun-loving trip. They play mostly original compositions by Musillami or by band members collectively.

The music cooks in a stream of relaxed waves. Musillami’s delivery has lyrical leanings, but his improvising leaves convention behind to seek haven in more exotic realms. ...

Michael Musillami: Beijing

by AAJ Staff
June 25, 2003

As jazz musicians get older, they tend to get wiser. They also tend to lose a bit of spark, but there's nothing wrong about mellowing with age. (Usually their audience undergoes the very same transitions, which explains quite a bit about the music's demographics, but that's another matter...)

In over a decade on wax, Michael Musillami has undergone his share of changes, but nobody will accuse him of going soft. The guitarist has shifted his emphasis away from blazing technique ...