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Jazz Articles about Rachel Eckroth
Drum Machines and Griot Songs
by Patrick Burnette
This fortnight, Mike's cued up four newish releases with very different approaches to modern jazz. We have a couple piano trios (one of which calls in reinforcements from time to time), a duet with some space-age percussion, and a gigantic, sprawling big band project. Pat sneaks some jazz vinyl talk into pop matters.Playlist Discussion of Rachel Eckroth's album Speaking in Tongues (Adhyâropa) 5:47 Discussion of Bill O'Connell's album Touch (Jo Jo) 23:24 Discussion of Eric Bell's album Vulnerability ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth & John Hadfield: Speaking In Tongues
by Katchie Cartwright
John Hadfield wrote “Blood Moon" in shocked response to learning that, in 1504, during his fourth transatlantic voyage, Christopher Columbus had used his knowledge of an upcoming Blood Moon eclipse to manipulate reluctant indigenous Jamaicans into granting him food and supplies. The Jamaicans had been fooled before by Columbus' unfair trade practices and wanted no part of him, that is until he made them believe that it was his magic that had turned the moon a fiery red-orange and caused ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth & John Hadfield: Speaking In Tongues
by Mike Jurkovic
There is something wistful and empowering about wanderlust pianist/composer/electronics Rachel Eckroth's acoustic sensibility that holds a lot of sway with many of her listeners. This falls into direct opposition to her electronic side which, as cool as it sounds, can lean a tad too easily into the blurry, pop-oriented tendencies of Vangelis, Kraftwerk, or Gary Newman. Sure Eckroth makes these endearing old genres sound exciting now, but it is her pure piano playing that truly does the trick.
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth: Humanoid
by Sharonne Cohen
"Humanoid is a departure for me," Rachel Eckroth said when we spoke about her new piano quartet album, recorded at Sam First jazz club in Los Angeles on October 28 and 29, 2022. Taking her first piano lesson at the age of five, this accomplished, multifaceted musician has honed her craft over the four decades since, becoming not only a gifted and versatile pianist and keyboardist, but a vocalist and songwriter. Engaged in creative projects spanning jazz, indie and pop, ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth: Humanoid
by Mike Jurkovic
Pianist Rachel Eckroth may use wellness or New agey terms such as polymath or bold vision to describe her approach to her considerable art, but she gets down to Earth for real and very quickly on Humanoid, her first all-acoustic recording. Recorded live at Sam's First in Los Angeles, Eckroth's very active imagination spearheads a group, including bassist and all round jazz entrepreneur Billy Mohler, drummer Tina Raymond--whose uncanny sense for everything a drummer can do, can be ...
Continue ReadingRachel Eckroth, Céline Bonacina, Csaba Palotai, Gard Nilssen & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
The transatlantic partnership between Céline Bonacina, John Hadfield and Rachel Eckroth opens an edition of Mondo Jazz which also focuses on drummer-driven projects and piano trios.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Céline Bonacina “Tunnel" Jump (Cristal) 0:16 Host talks 4:59 John Hadfield “Tower of Liars" Drum of Stories (In a Circle) 6:53 Rachel Eckroth “Under a Fig Tree" Humanoid (Sam First) 12:47 Host talks 21:00 Csaba Palotaï, Simon ...
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