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Lisa Hilton: More Than Another Day
by Peter J. Hoetjes
Pianist and composer Lisa Hilton's More Than Another Day is yet another effort reacting to the gloom which hung over the music industry in 2020. That does not mean the album is necessarily bleak. A brief survey of the cover photography will tell a very different story. Donning a wide-brimmed hat, blonde hair splayed out over a black summer dress, carrying a bouquet of white roses in one hand and a weathered, vintage suitcase in the other, Hilton seems to ...
Continue ReadingNoah Preminger: Zigsaw: Music of Steve Lampert
by Neri Pollastri
Noah Preminger prosegue nella pubblicazione di lavori estremamente interessanti, stavolta dirigendo e interpretando un'opera non sua, ma da lui commissionata al trombettista e compositore Steve Lampert—esperienze vastissime a partire da quelle giovanili con Lionel Hampton e Gerry Mulligan, fino a maturare una personale concezione dell'improvvisazione. Si tratta di un singolare brano unico, lungo oltre quarantotto minuti, fittamente strutturato, ma al tempo stesso illuminato dalle improvvisazioni dei singoli. Il titolo, Zigsaw, rimanda da un lato all'andamento zigzagante della musica, ...
Continue ReadingIan Patterson's Best Releases Of 2020
by Ian Patterson
A year like no other produced a terrific amount of great music, much of inspired by--or in spite of—the surreal circumstances. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases of the year. A huge thank you to all the musicians, record labels, studios, agents, promotors and virtual technicians who helped keep us relatively sane and uplifted. Carole NelsonArborealBlack Stairs Records The growing threats to the environment provide the grist to ...
Continue ReadingLisa 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 ...
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