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Theo Bleckmann & The Westerlies: This Land
by Jerome Wilson
Given the state of the nation in 2021, it is no wonder that protest music has been springing up in all genres. This particular effort by vocalist Theo Bleckmann and the brass quartet the Westerlies mixes protest songs and hymns of the past with original compositions, to comment on various present-day problems. Issues touched on in these songs include war, bigotry, gun violence and economic inequality. Bleckmann's voice rings out as a powerful beacon supported by intricate quartet ...
Continue ReadingChris Pattishall: Zodiac
by Angelo Leonardi
Per il suo debutto discografico Chris Pattishall ha scelto di reinterpretare la fondamentale e misconosciuta Zodiac Suite di Mary Lou Williams. Una prova che il pianista supera brillantemente alla guida del suo quintetto, in collaborazione col produttore Rafiq Bhatia. Nelle storie del jazz Mary Lou Williams viene ricordata soprattutto per le composizioni e orchestrazioni che scriveva per le orchestre di Andy Kirk, Benny Goodman (ricordate il contagioso “Roll ´Em"?) e persino Duke Ellington. Era un'artista geniale e ...
Continue ReadingChris Pattishall: Zodiac
by Jerome Wilson
This is pianist Chris Pattishall's take on Mary Lou Williams' “Zodiac Suite," an extended work that has been unjustly overlooked in jazz history. Williams originally recorded this suite in solo and trio format but Pattishall rearranges it for his quintet and adds subtle sound design touches by Rafiq Bhatia that enrich the depth and context of the music without radically changing it. This accounts for things like the rattling percussion in the middle of “Gemini" that breaks up ...
Continue ReadingTheo Bleckmann & The Westerlies: This Land
by John Chacona
Could This Land, from Theo Bleckmann & The Westerlies be the first great musical declaration of the Biden Era? If so, it's probably an accident. When they tracked This Land in August 2019, Bleckmann and the brass quartet entered the studio with a program of protest songs. But in degree and kind, they are worlds away from the howling fervor of Moor Mother or the rousing call to the barricades of Gordon Grdina's Resist (Irabbagast Records, 2020), to ...
Continue ReadingThe Westerlies: Wherein Lies the Good
by Hrayr Attarian
The dynamic and inventive brass quartet The Westerlies explores an eclectic array of pieces on its third release, the mesmerizing Wherein Lies the Good. Consisting of four jazz-leaning horn players, the ensemble, in addition to interpreting delightful originals, delves into the modern classical, art-rock and folk repertoires. The album opens with trombonist Andy Clausen's mellifluous “Robert Henry." A hypnotic and effervescent tune that Clausen wrote for his nephew, it flows from one member to another with shimmering lines ...
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