Home » Jazz Articles » Phillip Greenlief
Jazz Articles about Phillip Greenlief
Phillip Greenlief: Citta Di Vitti
by Max Kutner
An exponent of the Bay Area music community, saxophonist Philip Greenlief has few equals in terms of his prolific output and diverse list of collaborative projects since the late 1970s. His Citta di Vitti is a tribute to the films of Michelangelo Antonioni and the director's main actor and muse, Monica Vitti. Taken as a whole, the album showcases a facile and dialed trio with fellow Bay Area stalwarts, bassist Lisa Mezzacappa and drummer Jason Levis, who display a perfect ...
Continue ReadingPhillip Greenlief and Jon Raskin: 2 + 2 with Shoko Hikage and Kanoko Nishi
by Hrayr Attarian
In the third decade of the 21st century saxophonists Jon Raskin and Phillip Greenlief have been slowly releasing albums from their 2+2 series. These are sessions, both improvised and using Raskin's graphic scores, which match Raskin and Greenlief with two other musicians who play the same instrument.. The second installment, the captivating 2+2 with Shoko Hikage and Kanoko Nishi, matches the saxophonists with two koto players. The koto is a plucked zither with a harp-like sound. Both Hikage ...
Continue ReadingJon Raskin / Phillip Greenlief: 2 + 2 with Jen Baker & Liz Allbee
by Hrayr Attarian
Innovative saxophonists Jon Raskin and Phillip Greenlief use graphic scores for a series of recordings, each with a similar pair of instruments. These collaborations are called 2 + 2. The first of these is the provocative 2 + 2 with Jen Baker & Liz Allbee. As the title indicates Raskin and Greenlief join two brass players, trombonist Jen Baker and trumpeter Liz Allbee. The resulting music, both improvised and interpreted, is a stimulating conversation of four unique yet synergistic voices ...
Continue ReadingJon Raskin: The Long Table
by Hrayr Attarian
Intrepid improviser and saxophonist Jon Raskin has kept busy during the covid-19 pandemic by releasing, for the first time, several of his past recordings. Of the many exciting albums he put out in 2021 on his own Temescal label, The Long Table stands out for a few reasons. As superb as the rest of his catalogue, this 2014 date has an infectious groove and a melodic structure different from Raskin's more experimental work. It also includes two covers, one penned ...
Continue ReadingPhillip Greenlief and Covered Pages: Russian Notebooks
by Mark Corroto
If you have ever been to Russia, the music Phillip Greenlief conjures will help replicate your experiences. Not the packaged, “See the Hermitage on your left, Winter Palace on you right” kind of tour. But the dyslexic effects of being lost in the darkest cities where you cannot read a street sign to save your life kind of vacation. Greenlief’s stay in St Petersburg in the summer 1998 forms the skeleton of what he describes as psychedelic heavy metal chamber ...
Continue Reading
