Jazz Articles about Peter Slavov

About Peter Slavov

Album Review

Every so often, an album arrives that does not seek to be admired so much as understood. This effort by Bulgarian-Canadian vocalist, songwriter, and poet Gergana Velinova, titled Free, fits that category. Velinova spent five years writing the album's ten songs. There is not a wasted word or an unnecessary note. Another part of the project is the artistic reunion between Velinova and multi-instrumentalist and producer Kristian Alexandrov, who have known each other since their teenage years and share a ...

Album Review

Chris Smith: Jazz Grunge

Read "Jazz Grunge" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 30, 2025

"Grunge," according to Webster's, denotes “one that [who] is grungy." As for “grungy," the word meets one of several definitions, none of them flattering: dirty, filthy, stained, nasty, muddy, smudged...you get the idea. “Grunge" also has a second meaning: “rock music incorporating elements of punk rock and heavy metal," which is the one that New York City-based drummer and educator Chris Smith has singled out for replay on his debut recording, Jazz Grunge. While that may seem ...

Album Review

Jed Levy: Faces and Places

Read "Faces and Places" reviewed by Jack Kenny

by Jack Kenny
May 15, 2025

This is a beautiful album that is fired up right from the start. The sound of the tenor is faintly reminiscent of Warne Marsh. There is no seeking after angularity. Jed Levy's way with melody is completely natural and integrated into the quintet, though there are surprises all the way through the improvisations. Jed Levy is not just a tenor player, his compositions have vivacity and a clear structure and, occasionally, an impish charm. The tuneful magic is ...

Album Review

Waking Vision: The Breathing Earth

Read "The Breathing Earth" reviewed by C. Andrew Hovan

by C. Andrew Hovan
October 29, 2023

In terms of its history and current crop of talented musicians, Pittsburgh is a stellar music city that somehow always gets overlooked when considering the USA's major music centers. A world-class guitarist, comfortable in both jazz and popular realms, John Shannon cut his teeth in high school working with such Pittsburgh luminaries as Eric Kloss and Dwayne Dolphin. During his time spent at Berklee College of Music, Shannon had the good fortune of studying with icons such as Mick Goodrick ...

Album Review

Alain Mallet Mutt Slang 2: A Wake of Sorrows Engulfed in Rage

Read "A Wake of Sorrows Engulfed in Rage" reviewed by Paul Rauch

by Paul Rauch
July 29, 2020

The art of jazz would seem to be a mystery to most, and at the same time, a language understood by many. In the entirety of its history, it has served as a central location for idiomatic change, a virtual jumping off point for explorative ventures into both new and traditional world forms. The wide lens of the music of pianist/composer Alain Mallet mirrors in a way, the large embrace of all humankind necessary globally to build a meaningful dialog ...

Album Review

Peter Slavov: Little Stories

Read "Little Stories" reviewed by Dan Bilawsky

by Dan Bilawsky
March 7, 2020

While these ten tracks recorded by bassist Peter Slavov's variable-sized outfit were all fleshed out in the studio between 2017 and 2019, this debut album actually covers a wider span of time. Collecting music penned over the past 20 years, and attaching attendant stories for background and bridging purposes, Slavov essentially looks back over his entire professional career and beyond. Fantasy, family, literature and life as we know it all play a part in the telling of these ...