Jazz Articles about Ramón López

About Ramón López

Album Review

Savina Yannatou / Julius Gabriel / Agusti Fernandez / Barry Guy / Ramon Lopez: In The Light Of The Current Myth

Read "In The Light Of The Current Myth" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
January 10, 2025

Although this is the first release by the quintet of saxophonist Julius Gabriel, pianist Agustí Fernández, drummer Ramon López, bassist Barry Guy and vocalist Savina Yannatou, all five have been members of Guy's Blue Shroud Band since its inception in 2014. As such they are well versed in each other's capabilities and predilections, having taken part in countless improv sessions together in a variety of combinations. Consequently there is an ease and trust that permeates the fast mutating kaleidoscope of ...

Album Review

Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez: Yama Kawa Umi

Read "Yama Kawa Umi" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan

by Dan McClenaghan
January 7, 2025

In a nearly thirty-year career, Satoko Fujii (pianist, bandleader, composer, provocateur, sonic experimenter in the first degree) has shown herself to be one of the most daring and uncompromising artists in music. In a way, she is like Thelonious Monk in that--upon an initial experience with Monk's music (and Fujii's)--the uninitiated may not know quite what to make of what they are hearing, because neither of these artists follows a rule book. They were/are themselves. Best advice to those unfamiliar: ...

Album Review

Ivo Perelman / Aruán Ortiz / Ramón López: Ephemeral Shapes

Read "Ephemeral Shapes" reviewed by Hrayr Attarian

by Hrayr Attarian
December 3, 2024

For over three decades innovative saxophonist Ivo Perelman has been a stalwart of the creative music scene. Each addition to his impressive, and uniformly superb, discography is a unique expression of spontaneity that bears his indelible stylistic mark. One of the reasons for Perelman's success is his uncanny ability to find like-minded collaborators. The introspective Ephemeral Shapes is no exception in all of the above. An eight-part improvised suite finds Perelman in the company of two equally ingenious musicians: the ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez / Natsuki Tamura: Mantle

by John Sharpe
December 24, 2020

Japanese pianist Satoko Fujii rarely stands still. When she and Spanish drummer Ramon Lopez toured Japan in 2019 on the back of their duo album Confluence (Libra, 2019), they took the opportunity to add Fujii's partner trumpeter Natsuki Tamura to the line up. To make things fresher still, they set themselves a challenge: to each write a new piece for the trio every day. Mantle, recorded in the studio the day after the tour concluded, collects their favorite numbers, three ...

Album Review

Natsuki Tamura, Satoko Fujii and Ramon Lopez: Mantle

by Troy Dostert
December 11, 2020

Trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and pianist Satoko Fujii have made so many records together that it seems impossible to keep track of them all. Partners in life and in music, they have collaborated on everything from duo recordings to Fujii's large-scale orchestras. In 2020 alone, their Kaze quartet released Sandstorm (Circum-Disc) featuring electronics specialist Ikue Mori, and Mori teamed again with Fujii and Tamura on Prickly Pear Cactus (Libra). They also added another duo release, Pentas: A Tribute to Eric and ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii, Ramon Lopez: Confluence

Read "Confluence" reviewed by Alberto Bazzurro

by Alberto Bazzurro
February 11, 2020

Oltrepassata la soglia dei sessanta, traguardo che ha cadenzato il 2018 al ritmo di un disco al mese, Satoko Fujii, avendoci evidentemente preso gusto, sta continuando a produrre nuovi lavori magari non più a quei ritmi ma comunque con generosa disponibilità, diciamo così. Svelatosi una ventina d'anni or sono in particolare nei gruppi di Sylvain Kassap, il batterista franco-spagnolo Ramon Lopez è il suo dirimpettaio in questo bell'album in cui trovano posto sei improvvisazioni in studio più ...

Album Review

Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez: Confluence

Read "Confluence" reviewed by Karl Ackermann

by Karl Ackermann
July 17, 2019

Satoko Fujii's duo recordings are among her most interesting projects. Those one-on-one situations bring out creative energy in the improviser that becomes perpetual movement between musicians. The shape-shifting artist has worked this magic with Australian pianist Alister Spence, bassist Joe Fonda, violinists Mark Feldman and Carla Kihlstedt, and Fujii's husband, trumpeter Natsuki Tamura. Similarly, Fujii's work with artists with whom she is less familiar seems to spark the inventive challenge she thrives on. That is the case on Confluence with ...