Home » Jazz Articles » Rudy Royston
Jazz Articles about Rudy Royston
Art 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.
Continue ReadingDiego Rivera: West Circle
by David A. Orthmann
Let it not be said that Posi-Tone Records fails to put its weight and resources behind the artists it believes in. A case in point is the volume of releases that entail the combinations of tenor/soprano saxophonist Diego Rivera, pianist Art Hirahara, bassist Boris Kozlov, and drummer Rudy Royston. In the last five years, discs in which two or more of these artists participate have exceeded three dozen. A sample of the projects includes dates led by all of them ...
Continue ReadingChris Cheek: Keepers of the Eastern Door
by David Weiner
In Keepers of the Eastern Door, saxophonist Chris Cheek leads a beautifully played, richly melodic and creatively curated set of performances, which split the difference between enchantment and fun. Cheek and his bandmates--Bill Frisell on guitar, Tony Scherr on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums--offer a mix of distinctive Cheek originals and unexpected takes on works by others. The covers are borrowed from genres outside the jazz and songbook repertoires, and the band outfits them with attractive new arrangements, tempos ...
Continue ReadingWillie Morris: Unbound Inner
by David A. Orthmann
Willie Morris's third release as a leader for Posi-Tone opens with the haunting “Flyover Country," which only includes the leader's tenor saxophone and pianist Jon Davis. Combining improvisation and Morris's earnest, subdued theme, the two-minute 25-second gem doesn't declare any particular stylistic allegiance, nor does it clamor for attention. Instead, Morris's and Davis's partnership evokes a pristine stillness and wistful melancholy yet is purposeful enough to get under one's skin. The track is a refreshing, counterintuitive way to launch a ...
Continue Reading
