Jazz Articles about Min Rager

About Min Rager

Album Review

Born in Seoul, the now-Montreal-based pianist Min Rager made the move to the west to attain a jazz education, landing at the Schulich School of Music at McGill University, where she now teaches. Rager has chosen the quartet--saxophone and rhythm--as her form of expression for her third CD release, Train Of Thought. It's all originals, beginning with the title tune, a spirited ride that rolls along just a bit left of center from the mainstream with an edge ...

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Album Review

Min Rager: First Steps

Read "First Steps" reviewed by Raul d'Gama Rose

by Raul d'Gama Rose
November 9, 2009

It is not often that a woman is given much elbowroom in contemporary music, no matter how good she may be. However, when she is as good as Min Rager on First Steps, more than elbowroom had better be made for her and her piano. True, Rager has been preceded by a celestial pantheon of female pianists, including towering personalities Mary Lou Williams and Marian McPartland,, the elusive Jane Getz, and Geri Allen. To stake her claim and strut her ...

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Take Five With...

Take Five With Min Rager

by AAJ Staff
October 29, 2009

Meet Min Rager: At the Montreal International Jazz Festival during that same year, her Quintet was nominated for the Grand prix de jazz General Motors. Also that year, Min's Trio (featuring Andre White on drums and Alec Walkington on bass) performed at Montreal's L'OFF Festival de Jazz where she was the recipient of the Best New Artist award. In 2008 Min received a commission from CBC to compose a jazz suite for 2 pianos. The work, lasting 10 minutes, was ...

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Album Review

Min Rager: Bright Road

Read "Bright Road" reviewed by Budd Kopman

by Budd Kopman
January 9, 2006

Blessed with the gift of melody, Min Rager has created an album of original compositions full of smiles, hope, laughter, and just plain great listening. The Korean native is now completing her master's degree at McGill University in Canada; Bright Road is her debut on record. The sound created by the quintet is huge, which can only be explained by the sharp arranging of the trumpet and alto sax, and how Rager herself comps and solos on piano behind them. ...