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Jazz Articles about Rudy Royston
Dave Douglas: Alloy
by Giuseppe Segala
La lega di metalli a cui si riferisce Dave Douglas nel suo ultimo lavoro è quella delle trombe nella front-line. Tre personalità differenti, che si fondono in un tenace amalgama musicale, il cui prodotto ha caratteristiche di versatilità, elasticità, brillantezza, empatia. Ma è senz'altro possibile estendere tali caratteristiche all'intera formazione messa in scena dal trombettista, scaturita da una commissione del Festival of New Trumpet Music. Un gruppo inedito e singolare nel suo organico strumentale, con una coppia di ritmi accanto ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Alloy
by Glenn Astarita
Dave Douglas continues his alchemical pursuits with Alloy, forging a trumpet-centric ensemble that elevates group dialogue to new heights--proving that in jazz, three is not a crowd, it is a conspiracy of cool. Commissioned for the 23rd season of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the project pairs the leader with British trumpeter Alexandra Ridout and New Hampshire's Dave Adewumi, creating a brass coalition where collaboration outshines competition, like diplomats dodging discord. The title nods to the art of melding ...
Continue ReadingJosh Lawrence: Still We Dream
by David A. Orthmann
"Long As You're Living," the opening track of Still We Dream, trumpeter Josh Lawrence 's seventh release for Posi-Tone Records, is an ideal candidate for extensive airplay on jazz radio. Coming in at under four minutes, it is all substance, no fluff, no excess. A blues in 5/4 time, generating middling tempo swing courtesy of bassist Boris Kozlov and drummer Rudy Royston, this cover of Julian Priester 's and Tommy Turrentine's subtly funky line makes for an auspicious beginning. Still, ...
Continue ReadingArt Hirahara: Peace Unknown
by Kyle Simpler
Art Hirahara is one of the most in-demand pianists in contemporary jazz, appearing on countless recordings while steadily building an impressive solo career. WithPeace Unknown, he continues his prolific partnership with Posi-Tone Records, with a deeply personal and expansive set that brings new life to earlier compositions while introducing bold new material. Framed within a robust four-horn ensemble, the album stands as both a reflection on the past and a forward-looking artistic statement, elegantly merging lyrical expressiveness with structural daring. ...
Continue ReadingSomething Blue: In The Beginning
by Michael Ambrosino
Jazz is powered by many things. Perhaps most notably, the expansive variety of independent record labels representing some of the more inspiring aspirations of the idiom. Reflecting the grit, passion and often sheer audacity to exist within an industry that makes little room for jazz, independent labels have established an expanse of music that exemplifies the very essence of the art form. For the past 30 years, Posi-Tone Records has championed this independent spirit, shining a light on a rich ...
Continue ReadingBehn Gillece: Pivot Point
by David A. Orthmann
Anyone who has listened to at least some of the Posi-Tone releases from the past several years will recognize the personnel on Pivot Point: vibraphonist Behn Gillece 's eighth date as a leader. Tenor/soprano saxophonist Willie Morris,, pianist Jon Davis, bassist Boris Kozlov and drummers Rudy Royston and Jason Tiemann have made substantial contributions to many of the label's projects situated in various points in the jazz mainstream. To put it bluntly, these guys are incapable of phoning it in. ...
Continue ReadingBehn Gillece: Pivot Point
by Carl Medsker
Posi-Tone will have released 253 albums in its post-bop contemporary mainstream jazz space with Pivot Point by Behn Gillece. Maintaining freshness and avoiding formula could become a creative challenge for any such productive label, but Gillece avoids that potential pitfall through well-written songs, crafty arrangements and excellent musicianship. The sequencing of songs is also thoughtful, varying in meter, style and emotion. Pivot Point is sufficiently complex and intelligent to warrant multiple listenings, but is simultaneously lots of fun.
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