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Jazz Articles about Riley Mulherkar
Riley Mulherkar is in pursuit of a feeling
by Leo Sidran
Riley Mulherkar grew up in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest enclave that has been home to so many musical innovators over the years. He went to Garfield High School, a school that has fostered countless talents going all the way back to Quincy Jones who was himself a young trumpet player at the school in the 1940s. Riley was just eight years-old when he began seeing the legendary Garfield High School big band play free gigs in his Seattle neighborhood; it's ...
Continue ReadingA Few of My Favorite 2024 Jazz Things (so far), Part 5
by Ludovico Granvassu
Last week we started looking back at albums released in 2024 that we have been fascinated by. From these albums we have been cherry picking the songs that struck us the most. Enjoy the fifth installment of this retrospective on the first six months of jazz releases.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Haroldo Bontempo “Sobe e Desce" Indie Hippie Retrô Brasileiro (YB) 0:16 Host talks 5:35 Cassie Kinoshi ...
Continue ReadingRiley Mulherkar: Riley
by Jerome Wilson
Trumpeter Riley Mulherkar is best known as the leader of brass group the Westerlies. This, his debut solo album, is a heavily atmospheric session where his trumpet fills plush, cushioned spaces with spare accompaniment from piano, rhythm and voice created by the sound designs of Chris Pattishall and Rafiq Bhatia. With several classic tunes in the set list, this album acknowledges the jazz trumpet tradition even as it subtly distorts it. “Chicken Coop Blues" and Jelly Roll Morton's ...
Continue ReadingOwen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two
by Pierre Giroux
Owen Broder's Hodges : Front and Center Vol.Two is a respectful yet refreshing tribute to Johnny Hodges, a saxophonist with an iconic sound while injecting a contemporary vitality into the mix. Hodges' influence looms large throughout the album, guiding Broder's approach to the music. In this quintet's musical journey, Broder, on both alto and baritone saxophone, is accompanied by trumpeter Riley Mulherkar, pianist Carmen Staaf, bassist Barry Stephenson and drummer Bryan Carter. In both his playing and composing, Hodges showed ...
Continue ReadingOwen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center: Vol. Two
by Dan McClenaghan
At times, while listening to random classics in the collection, one can have the idea that everything in jazz evolved from the late '40s to early '50s bebop. But before bop was swing. Duke Ellington stayed with swing through bop, funk, and fusion. And so did alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges (1906-1970), who played in Ellington's band from its early days, the late-1920s. A much-admired player with a distinctive tone and a beautiful way with a melody, Hodges also ...
Continue ReadingRiley Mulherkar: Riley
by Vincenzo Roggero
Il nome di Riley Mulherkar potrebbe risultare sconosciuto ai più, ma il trentaduenne trombettista originario di Seattle presenta un percorso artistico di tutto rispetto. Vanta due mentori come Wynton Marsalis e il compianto Frank Kimbrough, collaborazioni con musicisti come Theo Bleckmann e Dave Douglas e soprattutto è co-fondatore di Westerlies, il quotato quartetto di ottoni con nove album alle spalle e una miscela esplosiva di tradizione e modernità. Tradizione e modernità che ritroviamo anche nell'album di debutto ...
Continue ReadingOwen Broder: Hodges: Front and Center, Vol.1
by Pierre Giroux
Johnny Hodges was a unique instrumentalist whose alto saxophone playing was readily recognizable due to his tone, phrasing, and melodic engagement in improvisation. For the greater part of his musical life, he was anchored in the middle chair of the Duke Ellington Orchestra's saxophone section. However Hodges never turned down an opportunity to stretch out in a small group setting on such albums as Back To Back and Side By Side. Additionally, there were several sessions with organist Wild Bill ...
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