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Patrick Cornelius: Maybe Steps
by Mark F. Turner
With the talent to convey thought-provoking stories through his music, Patrick Cornelius pens a fresh chapter of personal and emotive composition in Maybe Steps, his third release as a leader. The recording follows the alto saxophonist's well-received debut, Lucid Dream (Self Produced, 2006) and the more groove-oriented Fierce (Whirlwind Recordings Ltd., 2010), both filled with robust writing, tight musicianship, and distinction. The mode here is modern mainstream, but what gives the recording its verve is Cornelius' intricate ...
Continue ReadingPatrick Cornelius: Fierce
by Bruce Lindsay
Fierce is alto saxophonist Patrick Cornelius' second album as leader, following his self-produced 2006 debut, Lucid Dream. It's an album on which the young Berklee and Manhattan School of Music graduate explores his love of the chord-less jazz ensemble, with no piano, guitar or organ heard on these nine original compositions. Cornelius is joined here by the solid but swinging rhythm section of drummer Johnathan Blake and bassist Michael Janisch; Cornelius appeared on Janisch's Purpose Built (Whirlwind ...
Continue ReadingPatrick Cornelius: Fierce
by Dan Bilawsky
Fierce isn't the most inviting album title in the world. People with a penchant for gauging albums based on single-word descriptors could be scared off here, but they'd be missing out on some bold performances that are creative and, yes, occasionally fierce. Some of the most striking music coming out these days seems to lack chordal cushioning. Bassist Linda Oh turned plenty of heads with her piano-less trio, featuring trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, and saxophonist J.D. Allen's tuneful ...
Continue ReadingPatrick Cornelius: Lucid Dream
by Mark F. Turner
Contemporary mainstream jazz involves many factors, including composition, instrumentation, and environment; but the musician's ability to combine all these variables into their own concept is what makes the biggest impact on the listener. New York saxophonist Patrick Cornelius brings together all of these elements on his acoustic debut, Lucid Dream, yielding progressive, melodic and aesthetically pleasing music. The fact that Cornelius is a bold and gifted saxophonist becomes clear after listening to his dexterous and angular notes ...
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