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Leslie Pintchik: Prayer For What Remains
by Jack Bowers
Pianist and composer Leslie Pintchik abandoned a promising career as an educator at New York's Columbia University in favor of writing and playing piano full-time. What has become clear since then, and especially on her eighth album, Prayer for What Remains, is that academia's loss is beyond any doubt the jazz world's gain. Pintchik leads her working trio here, with guest appearances by the esteemed soprano saxophonist Steve Wilson on two numbers and percussionist Satoshi Takeishi on ...
Continue ReadingZach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day
by Jack Bowers
For someone not that long out of college, New York City-based drummer Zach Adleman has kept a full dance card, leading to the release of his impressive debut recording, We Make: Stories for a New Day, on which Adleman leads a nimble sextet through its paces on 11 charming and upbeat songs, nine of which he composed and arranged. In 2019, the New Jersey native won the Detroit Jazz Festival's annual J.C. Heard National Drum Competition. Two ...
Continue ReadingZach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day
by David A. Orthmann
From beginning to end, Zach Adleman's debut as a leader, We Make: Stories For A New Day, fires on all cylinders. The twenty-something drummer inhabits the roles of player, composer, arranger, and bandleader with the aplomb of a seasoned veteran. A hungry, assertive band includes two generations of compatible hands who produce a fresh and vital sound that mirrors the straight-ahead, acoustic jazz tradition Adleman penned nine compositions that are sturdy, substantive, and melodically rich. We have ...
Continue ReadingLeslie Pintchik: Prayer For What Remains
by Dan McClenaghan
As a doctoral candidate at Columbia University studying 17th-century English literature and working as a teaching assistant, Leslie Pintchik could have moved into a life of academia. But, an old story: jazz called. She wanted a music career. A clear-eyed financial advisor might have tried to dissuade her, pointing out the problems and pitfalls of making a living in jazz. She probably would not have listened. In 2024, with eight fine albums under her belt, she offers up number nine, ...
Continue ReadingEllie Lee: Escape
by Richard J Salvucci
The term “promising" is typically used to describe a new arrival on the jazz scene. It may be synonymous with “hard to pigeonhole," or, perhaps, not yet completely realized in some stylistic sense. In the case of Ellie (Seunghyung) Lee, the word is misleading. Lee conjures up echoes of other distinguished players, but she clearly has something original to say. Her compositions, which comprise the bulk of the material here, have a vibe of their own, which comes from a ...
Continue ReadingEllie Lee: Escape
by Glenn Astarita
South Korean Ellie Lee's debut highlights her significant skills as a composer and pianist, grabbing listeners' attention from the get-go. It plunges us into a universe where melody and emotion fuse to spin tales sans words. The opening title track ushers in a vibe that is both comforting and invigorating, laying down the red carpet for an album that intertwines through the tapestry of human emotions with elegance and a touch of flair. Lee's piano skills are a ...
Continue ReadingMiho Hazama M_Unit: Beyond Orbits
by Angelo Leonardi
Uno degli eventi al Monterey Jazz Festival del 2021 è stato il concerto dell'M_Unit di Miho Hazama, la giovane compositrice e bandleader giapponese che s'è imposta tra le figure più innovative della sua generazione. In quell'occasione Hazama ha presentato la suite in tre movimenti “Exoplanet" che--incisa poi in studio--costituisce il fulcro del disco appena pubblicato dalla Edition Records. Chi conosce i suoi lavori di questi anni, sa quanto la scrittura della bandleader risulti coinvolgente per l'abilità di ...
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