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Peter Erskine: Paging Dr. Um
by R.J. DeLuke
There's not much ground drummer Peter Erskine hasn't covered. He's said to have appeared on more than 600 albums. He has won two Grammys and holds an honorary doctorate from the Berklee College of Music. He's been a part of the big bands of Stan Kenton and Maynard Ferguson, and has played with the likes of Steps Ahead, Joni Mitchell, Steely Dan, Diana Krall, the Brecker Brothers, John Abercrombie, Bob Mintzer, Eliane Elias and many more. Then there's ...
Continue ReadingPeter Erskine: Dr. Um
by Dan Bilawsky
It would appear that this project has awakened the Peter Erskine of yore, the drummer who became legend while cresting the waves of fusion with Weather Report and Steps Ahead. In recent years Erskine's drumming has been spare, elegant, open, and, in enough instances, lightly swinging. If one word would come to mind to describe that playing, it would be “tasteful." But does that automatically mean that joining forces with some plugged-in players and laying down some ...
Continue ReadingDave Slonaker Big Band: Intrada
by Jack Bowers
Don't be put off by the name. Intrada, composer / arranger Dave Slonaker points out, is “a musical form often composed as a prelude, overture or fanfare," one whose upbeat phrases give rise to an exhilarating curtain-raiser on Slonaker's initial big-band recording. Rest assured this is a world-class ensemble and there's no doubt whose steady hand is at the helm: Slonaker wrote every number save the standard “It's Only a Paper Moon" and arranged the complete package. ...
Continue ReadingDewa Budjana: Joged Kahyangan
by Ian Patterson
A million-selling artist in Indonesia with pop-rock band Gigi, guitarist Dewa Budjana's solo projects informed by progressive rock, Indonesian folk and jazz fusion reveal a greater spirit of adventure. Budjana's second release of 2013 on the MoonJune label following Dawai in Paradise is similarly melodic, though differs significantly. Firstly, the word-fusion-meets-prog rock of Dawai in Paradise gives way to a more overtly contemporary jazz approach on Joged Kahyangan. Secondly, whereas the earlier release featured predominantly Indonesian musicians, Budjana harnesses heavyweight ...
Continue ReadingNo Beethoven: An Autobiography and Chronicle of Weather Report
by C. Michael Bailey
No Beethoven: An Autobiography and Chronicle of Weather Report Peter Erskine 320 pages ISBN: 978-0316194754 Fuzzy Music 2013 Drummer Peter Erskine's No Beethoven reads like the random travelogue of a touring band. Quotes, letters, personal vignettes interspersed with many photographs, the book is a stream-of-conscience wave of memory and analysis. Written thus, it may be read in fits and starts with no loss of story. Pick this book up, turn anywhere, read, lay ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff Trio: Glass Song
by AAJ Italy Staff
Russa di formazione classica, ma ormai dal 1991 trasferitasi negli USA e dedita crescentemente al jazz, la pianista Yelena Eckemoff da alcuni anni sta realizzando album in trio con formazioni talentuose, di cui quest'ultimo - con due autentiche “leggende" quali Arild Andersen e Peter Erskine - pare la punta di diamante. La musica è tutta della penna della pianista ed è senz'altro di ottima fattura, ancorché eclettica e diversificata. La cifra generale - come testimoniato peraltro anche dai titoli - ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: Glass Song
by Tyran Grillo
Pianist Yelena Eckemoff is refreshing. She has carved a niche for herself with an eye constantly trained to still newer paths. “Once I finish a project, I'm already thinking of the next one," she says, during a phone interview. But let us linger on Glass Song, before being swept away again. The album offers a set of 10 originals that finds the Russian-born pianist/composer in the company of none other than bassist Arild Andersen and drummer Peter Erskine. Astonishingly, this ...
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