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Lisa Hilton: More Than Another Day
by Mike Jurkovic
It's very comforting to know that, as Annus Horribilis (2020) crashes to its long awaited, cursed demise, pianist/composer Lisa Hilton delivers, as she has faithfully over the past few years, a year-end gift to aficionados everywhere with her soulfully bluesy More Than Another Day. When you consider all our anxious caution for the year ahead, More Than Another Day may be a more laid back affair given 2019's watermark Chalkboard Destiny (Ruby Slippers Productions), 2018's ascendant Oasis (Ruby ...
Continue ReadingJoachim Mencel: Brooklyn Eye
by Dan Bilawsky
Growing up under the weight of communism in Poland in the late '60s and early '70s, Joachim Mencel dreamed of the freedoms and wonders of America. Stateside relatives sent food parcels, offering him his first tastes of Hershey's chocolate and the inviting aromas of Maxwell House coffee; and Polish public radio station Trójka filled his ears with jazz, gifting the sounds of Miles Davis, among other greats. By the time Mencel first travelled to America, to take part in the ...
Continue ReadingRudresh Mahanthappa: Hero Trio
by Jerome Wilson
Alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa previously espoused his love of Charlie Parker on his album Bird Calls (ACT, 2015). Here he expands on that to pay tribute to, not only Parker, but other influences such as Ornette Coleman, Johnny Cash, and Keith Jarrett. Mahanthappa leads a freewheeling trio, with Francois Moutin on bass and Rudy Royston on drums, which romps through a variety of tunes. On Stevie Wonder's “Overjoyed" his alto sings brightly while the rhythm section skips and ...
Continue ReadingBill Frisell: Valentine
by Angelo Leonardi
Pur confermando in pieno l'identità stilistica del chitarrista, il nuovo disco di Bill Frisell si rivela sottilmente imprevedibile: spiazza forse un po' l'ascoltatore ma lo coinvolge intensamente nella mente e nel cuore. Pubblicato il 14 agosto dalla Blue Note, Valentine è la prima incisione ufficiale del trio con Thomas Morgan e Rudy Royston, attivo da alcuni anni in ambito concertistico. Com'è noto, la recente attività artistica di Frisell l'ha visto coinvolto in altri progetti: i lucidissimi ...
Continue ReadingRudy Royston: Little Steps, Big Pictures
by Ian Patterson
Everybody needs a helping hand now and then. Rudy Royston understands that. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused gigs to completely dry up for all musicians, and with that, their main income stream. Yet there are still mortgages, rents and bills to pay, and children to feed. It says something about the precarious finances of a jazz musician's life, that Royston, one of the music's most in-demand drummers of the past quarter of a century—a trusted collaborator of Ron Miles, JD ...
Continue ReadingRudy Royston: PaNOptic
by Ian Patterson
Record label bosses probably do not hear the words “solo drum album" too often. Or if they do, judging by the paucity of such exemplars on the market, they likely only have to hear the phrase the once. After three impressive albums on Dave Douglas' Greenleaf Music label, to wit, 303 (2014), Rise of Orion (2016) and Flatbed Buggy (2018), drummer Rudy Royston happily confounds expectations with a solo drum album. No overdubs, no electronics, just skin, cymbals and a ...
Continue ReadingBill Frisell: Valentine
by Ian Patterson
In an extraordinarily varied career Bill Frisell has made just a handful of trio recordings as leader, which is perhaps surprising given how frequently he performs in such a setting. In recent years the Baltimore-born, Denver-raised guitarist has toured two of his most empathetic trios, that with Kenny Wollesen and Tony Scherr and, latterly, with Rudy Royston and Thomas Morgan but, until now, without venturing into the studio. Valentine marks the studio debut of the Frisell, Royston and Morgan trio, ...
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