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Jazz Articles about Mike Mainieri
The Complete Arista Albums Collection
by John Kelman
When fusion first emerged in the late 1960s/early '70s with artists like trumpeter Miles Davis, pianist Chick Corea and guitarist John McLaughlin, the emphasis was on guitar and keyboard heavy lineups like Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra, with an equally strong predilection for the intensity and volume of rock and a kind of thundering funk that was different than the kind of music coming from R&B and soul artists like Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind & Fire. Parallel to ...
Continue ReadingCarlo Bernardinello: Rain Makers
by AAJ Italy Staff
Se proprio non si riesce con un produttore di una certa importanza almeno si può provare a fare dell´autoproduzione. È quello che si sarà detto il batterista Carlo Bernardinello, sfornando una serie di incisioni molto interessanti con il suo gruppo e degli ospiti come il pianista Lars Jansson ed ora su quest´ultimo lavoro vibrafonista Mike Mainieri. Una scelta molto azzeccata quella di coinvolgere una figura importante della musica americana, leader degli Steps Ahead, produttore nei generi jazz e pop, insomma ...
Continue ReadingMike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: Trinary Motion: Live in Europe
by John Kelman
Looking more like a man in his fifties than his 72 years, vibraphonist Mike Mainieri has been stepping up the pace, with three fine but stylistically different albums in the last year: Crescent (NYC, 2010), an elegant and moving John Coltrane tribute with recently departed alto great Charlie Mariano; 2.0 (NYC, 2010), celebrating the return of the groove-heavy 1970s collective, L'Image; and Twelve Pieces (NYC, 2009), documenting his ongoing relationship with Marnix Busstra and the Dutch guitarist's trio. Trinary Motion: ...
Continue ReadingMike Mainieri / Marnix Busstra Quartet: Trinary Motion / Live in Europe
by Jerry D'Souza
Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and guitarist Marnix Busstra demonstrated a kinetic relationship on their 2009 recording, Twelve Pieces (NYC Records); a compelling portrait of the musicians playing with and off each other. Its success spurred a tour and, happily, almost two hours of live recorded music. Tone and shape are sketched by the Mainieri / Busstra Quartet's sense of time and adventure, and it's not surprising that the music takes on a majestic scope. The ballads are haunting ...
Continue ReadingMike Mainieri: Crescent
by Dan Bilawsky
Vibraphonist Mike Mainieri might have initially set out to create a tribute to one saxophone giant when he recorded this album, but Crescent actually pays respects to two reed players of note. The material on this two-CD set was written and/or performed by John Coltrane or was part of his repertoire at one time or another, and his legacy looms large here. Mainieri got together with saxophonist Charlie Mariano and bassist Dieter Ilg and, with no prior rehearsal or prearranged ...
Continue ReadingMike Mainieri: Crescent
by Mark Corroto
Nearly forty-five years after the death of John Coltrane, jazz players still feel compelled to negotiate his music. Young cats wrestle with the harmonic complexities and attempt to conquer the saxophonist icon's mighty energy. Luckily, players like vibraphonist Mike Mainieri and saxophonist Charlie Mariano have made peace with the legend. Their document, in this two-disc set, is a fitting tribute to both the music of Coltrane and Mariano, for this was to be one of his last recordings before passing ...
Continue ReadingL'Image (Mainieri/Bernhardt/Spinozza/Levin/Gadd): 2.0
by John Kelman
It may seem odd to take nearly 40 years to release a debut, but in the case of L'Image it's definitely a case of never-too-late. A collective formed by vibraphonist Mike Mainieri in the early 1970s, L'Image generated considerable buzz for its live shows before, on the cusp of recording its first album, circumstances forced the group to dissolve. Mainieri reunited the group in 2008 for a Japanese tour and to record 2.0, and for fans of an era that ...
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