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Ralph Alessi: Imaginary Friends
by Mike Jurkovic
Ever leading the avant-garde, trumpeter Ralph Alessi has never been pressed for future-forward ideas or the time to express them in whatever setting best suits the music. Not counting his prodigious work alongside such leading figures as Fred Hersch, Don Byron, and Steve Coleman, in this tumultuous century alone Alessi has led and released such challenging works as This Against That (RKM, 2002), the blazing Cognitive Dissonance (Cam Jazz, 2010) with Jason Moran, his ECM debut Badia (2013), and the ...
Continue ReadingYelena Eckemoff: Better Than Gold and Silver
by Mark Sullivan
Russian-born pianist/composer Yelena Eckemoff began setting verses from the Bible's Book of Psalms shortly after her conversion to Christianity, even before her emigration to the United States. But she waited until she had considerable experience working with jazz musicians before attempting these jazz arrangements. The first disc in this double disc set presents settings with two vocalists, tenor Tomás Cruz and mezzo-soprano Kim Mayo, accompanied by a remarkable band: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, guitarist Ben Monder, violinist Christian Howes, bassist Drew ...
Continue ReadingRalph Alessi & This Against That featuring Ravi Coltrane Live at BIMHUIS Amsterdam
by BIMHUIS
For the first installment of BIMHUIS Radio on All About Jazz we present the full recording of the recent concert by Ralph Alessi & This Against That featuring Ravi Coltrane held at BIMHUIS on 18 May 2018. Describing Ralph Alessi's trumpet playing is like describing his compositions: clear of sound and structure and simultaneously full of ingenuity and expertise. This gives him room for adventure and innovation and that's what This Against That is all about. In this ...
Continue ReadingRalph Alessi: Quiver
by Stefano Merighi
Il quartetto di Ralph Alessi mantiene due coordinate espressive ben distinte. Dal vivo, il repertorio ben compatto, per lo più introspettivo, si accende con una passione inaspettata, che realizza dunque una concezione dialettica della musica. Il magistero tecnico dei solisti si afferma a partire da sobri materiali di partenza e si evolve con irresistibili conversazioni e vociferazioni collettive. In studio invece, come è il caso di questo recente Quiver, Alessi preferisce esecuzioni più sorvegliate, in cui l'essenza del suono prevale ...
Continue ReadingRalph Alessi: Quiver
by Mark Sullivan
Quiver finds trumpeter Ralph Alessi and his quartet in a lyrical, reflective mood. Alessi describes the atmosphere in the recording studio as “pensive," a quality that imbues this music. The group includes most of the players from Alessi's acclaimed ECM leader debut Baida (2013). Drew Gress (double-bass) and Nasheet Waits (drums) return, with Gary Versace taking the piano chair in place of Jason Moran. Tempting to ascribe the differences between the two sessions to the pianists, but I think it ...
Continue ReadingGiancarlo Tossani Synapser + Ralph Alessi: Newswok
by Vincenzo Roggero
Terzo episodio di un'avventurosa ricerca musicale chiamata Synapser, Newswok ha tutte le carte in regola per timbrare a fuoco con il marchio della qualità più sofisticata il quartetto del pianista e compositore Giancarlo Tossani. Non solo per la presenza tutt'altro che accessoria del talento di Ralph Alessi, non solo perché Auand è etichetta che ha sostenuto fin dagli esordi il percorso del quartetto ma soprattutto perché le composizioni del leader sembrano aver trovato un ideale sublimazione sonora e strutturale.
Continue ReadingGiancarlo Tossani Synapser + Alessi: Newswok
by Dave Wayne
Wonders never cease. When Newswok first arrived in the mail, my first question was not “What the hell does 'Newswok' mean?" It was “Who is Giancarlo Tossani, and why is Ralph Alessi playing with him?" I was also alarmed that I had never heard of the record label, Auand Records, before. This despite the fact that the Auand catalog lists approximately 50 releases featuring dates led (or co-led) by the likes of Bill Frisell, Cuong Vu, David Binney, Steve Swallow, ...
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