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Tom Varner: Swimming
by Glenn Astarita
Other than being a top flight and much in demand session musician, french hornist Tom Varner has rapidly established a reputation as being a formidable composer-leader resulting from a string of highly successful solo recordings. Here, on Swimming Varner helps inaugurate the promising newOmniTonelabel which has jumped out of the gate rather quickly with excellent new recordings by Frank Kimbrough/Joe Locke, Ron Horton (see Nov 99 AAJ reviews) and Joe Morris.Matters get off to a rousing start with ...
Continue ReadingSteve Wilson: Generations
by Jack Bowers
A glance at the personnel list confirms that Steve Wilson assembled a gold-standard rhythm section for his debut recording on Chick Corea's Stretch label. Miller, Drummond and Riley are about as seasoned as they come. Wilson himself is one of those enterprising and technically competent players with whom--for some murky reason--I am simply unable to connect on an emotional level, which is where one's response to music of any kind is usually sequestered. Miller, Drummond and Riley praise Wilson highly, ...
Continue ReadingSteve Wilson: Generations
by Jim Santella
Alto saxophonist Steve Wilson’s modern mainstream quartet spans generations with respect to career accomplishments, but the music is timeless. Sixty-five year old drummer Ben Riley came up in the 1950s and ‘60s with Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, and Eddie “Lockjaw" Davis. Fifty-one year old bassist Ray Drummond came up in the 1970s and ‘80s with Freddie Hubbard and Bobby Hutcherson. Forty-three year old pianist Mulgrew Miller came up in the 1980s with Art Blakey, while thirty-seven year old saxophonist Steve ...
Continue ReadingSteve Wilson: Generations
by Ed Kopp
There's an effortlessness to Steve Wilson's saxophone playing, a controlled grasp of melody and rhythm, that cannot be taught in music school. To reach Wilson's level of musicianship obviously takes years and years of intense practice, but this young dude is clearly blessed with an abundance of natural ability. Like a great running back who weaves through would-be tacklers, Wilson meanders gracefully through the spaces created here by Mulgrew Miller (piano), Ben Riley (drums) and Ray Drummond (bass).A ...
Continue ReadingRalph Peterson Fo'tet: The Fo'tet Plays Monk
by Rick Bruner
The music of Thelonious Monk has influenced the entire spectrum of modern jazz. Tributes to Monk's music have been recorded by a wide variety of artists, from vocalist Carmen McRae to saxophonist Steve Lacy and musical auteur Hal Wilner. The rather unique line-up of the Ralph Peterson Fo'tet (drums/sax/vibraphone/bass) is refreshing on this program of Monk and Monk-inspired material.The Fo'tet Plays Monk (Ralph Peterson, drums; Belden Bullock, bass; Bryan Carrott, vibraphone; Steve Wilson, soprano sax) brings an adventurous ...
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