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Patricia Brennan: Breaking Stretch
by Dan McClenaghan
On her first two albums, vibraphonist Patricia Brennan worked with a quartet comprised of three percussion instruments, herself on vibes and marimba, joined by percussionist Mauricio Herrera and drummer Marcus Gilmore, with a bassist Kim Cass. Momentum in large part, is the name of the game. For Breaking Stretch she expands her musical universe, adding trumpeter Adam O'Farrill and saxophonists Mark Shim and Jon Irabagon. This proved a good move; her musical universe in this septet setting has an energy ...
Continue ReadingPatricia Brennan: Breaking Stretch
by Mike Jurkovic
Wild-willed vibraphonist Patricia Brennan gets straight down to business without any fanciful mission declaration with the Afro-Cuban, effusively powered, clear-the-dancefloor and blow-the-ceiling-off this joint “Los Otros Yo (The Other Selves)," the opening cut of her third album Breaking Stretch. She does so in a captivatingly, wickedly good way. Brennan--who has added much vitality to music by such other big thinkers as Vijay Iyer, Mary Halvorson, Anna Webber, Michael Formanek--began her musical education at 4 years old listening to ...
Continue ReadingJaco Pastorius Legacy 5tet, Orrin Evans, Patricia Brennan Septet and more
by Tony Poole
A new AAJ music mix series focusing on new jazz releases. Each episode will feature 10 brand new tracks from my favourite new albums, EP's and singles. The selections promise to be funky and soulful, some with a Latin-tinge, and others even a little avante-garde... and always in the groove! Playlist Jaco Pastorius Legacy 5tet “(Used To Be A) Cha Cha" from Jaco Pastorius Legacy 5tet (Tomas Merlo) 00:00 Tamil Rogeon “Ascend it" from Wave Theory (Impressive Collective/BBC ...
Continue ReadingMiles Okazaki: Miniature America
by Alberto Bazzurro
Ventidue miniature svarianti da uno a sei minuti, con impegnati sottoinsiemi (o microgruppi, se preferite) estrapolati dal totale dei dieci elementi, sette strumentisti e tre cantanti, coinvolti nell'operazione, è quanto ci offre questo nuovo lavoro discografico (il dodicesimo, ci viene detto) a nome del cinquantenne chitarrista Miles Okazaki, con la partecipazione di svariati musicisti di punta dell'attuale scena newyorchese (e non). Ogni episodio possiede--fisiologicamente, verrebbe da dire--un aplomb cameristico di sicuro fascino, anche se è inevitabile che il ...
Continue ReadingJeff Lederer, Mary LaRose: Schoenberg on the Beach
by Alberto Bazzurro
La copertina, scarna ed evocativa, con quel virato seppia che le dà tutto il fascino delle cose d'antan, dice già molto circa la tipologia e il tono del lavoro, firmato da Jeff Lederer in combutta con sua moglie, la cantante Mary LaRose, la quale attraversa il disco come una sorta di presenza parallela, districandosi--quando chiamata al centro delle operazioni--attraverso testi di autori anche molto illustri (Goethe, Nietzsche e Rilke bastano a rendere l'idea?) e musiche non solo del dedicatario dell'opera, ...
Continue ReadingStephan Crump: Slow Water
by Glenn Astarita
Bassist-composer Stephan Crump's sonic odyssey Slow Water is a profound exploration of the essence and myriad forms of water. It goes beyond merely depicting its physical flow; rather, it delves into the symbolic and existential significances that water holds. This project emerges as a creative masterwork, reflecting Crump's deep contemplation of humanity's intricate relationship with this elemental force. Inspired by a lifetime of individual experiences and societal observations, Crump crafts an album that is both thought-provoking and sonically captivating.
Continue ReadingMary Halvorson: Cloudward
by Doug Collette
The title of guitarist/composer Mary Halvorson's Cloudward alludes to the sense of optimism she has stated she felt when writing the bulk of the material in fall of 2022. And while this palpable sense of faith in the future is in marked contrast to the tangible air of eerie foreboding that surfaced so often on this LP's predecessors, the presence of largely the same personnel lineup--the Amaryllis Sextet-- provides a stable link of continuity. The reappearance of prior collaborators recording ...
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