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Medler Sextet: River Paths
by Jack Bowers
There are two Medlers in the Portland, Oregon-based Medler Sextet--tenor saxophonist Michelle and bassist Ben--who together comprise the nucleus of a sturdy ensemble whose harmonious empathy and distinctive point of view should please most advocates of thought-based contemporary jazz. Having said that, it should be noted that the studio date's all-original composition makeup--five charts by Ben Medler, another by Michelle--delivers songs that are acceptable but no more than that. In other words, there is nothing on offer ...
Continue ReadingAlberto Tacchini e il Questionario di Proust
by AAJ Staff
All About Jazz: Il tratto principale della mia musica. Alberto Tacchini Sono una persona eclettica e alcuni vedono questo come un'immaturità, come il non avere ancora fatto una scelta. Invece ci sono tante cose, che ho scoperto ascoltando dischi in cui mi riconosco, tra le quali non voglio scegliere. Ho sempre invidiato quelli che riescono a partire con un'idea forte. Io invece sono molto curioso e quindi per me vale sempre la pena di ascoltare, elaborare, imparare...
Continue ReadingTodd Bishop e il Questionario di Proust
by AAJ Staff
Il tratto principale della mia musica Nei miei dischi cerco sempre di trasmettere un senso cinematografico. La qualità che desidero nei musicisti che suonano con me Mi piace che le persone con cui suono abbiano una forte personalità musicale, ed un buon senso dell'umorismo. Come musicista, il momento in cui sono stato più felice Quando, dopo due settimane di serate con il mio gruppo, cominciamo a suonare come ...
Continue ReadingTodd Bishop Group: Little Played Little Bird
by C. Michael Bailey
In the twilight days of the compact disc as a sound storage device, the most compelling reason for keeping what still seems a “new" audio media (compared to wax cylinders and 78s) in the face of purely electronic media is “concept" or “thematic" releases. One such example was drummer Todd Bishop's Pop Art 4 album, 69 Annee Erotique (Origin Records, 2009). This excellent release surveyed the music of French pop artist Serge Gainsbourg, music with popularity in Europe, little heard ...
Continue ReadingTodd Bishop Group: Little Played Little Bird
by Dan McClenaghan
Fans of alto saxophonist Ornette Coleman have had to sit through a long wait since the free jazz pioneer's last recording, Sound Grammar (Sound Grammar Records, 2006), a marvelous set that garnered the artist a Pulitzer Prize. Those fans are still waiting, though the iconic jazz man has teased them with his bits and pieces (non-album length) of his distinctive playing on bassist Jamaaladeen Tacuma's For the Love of Ornette (Jam All Productions, 2011) and saxophone legend Sonny Rollins' Road ...
Continue ReadingTodd Bishop's Pop Art 4: 69 Annee Erotique
by C. Michael Bailey
Context can be everything or nothing. Listening to 69 Annee Erotique with no background will spark recognition of well-preserved lounge music of the 1960s/'70s, performed with modern sonics imitating those of the period: A bit of psychedelia wisping into the edges of post-war Western society right before the Summer of Love and the sexual revolution. The music is all well played and entertaining. Portland Oregon drummer Todd Bishop creates a themed recording as well integrated as Bob Sneider's and Joe ...
Continue ReadingTodd Bishop's Pop Art 4: 69 Annee Erotique
by Dan McClenaghan
69 Annee Erotique gets extra credit for off-the-beaten-path-ness. It is a work celebrating the music of the late French pop songster Serge Gainsbourg (1928- 1991), by Portland Oregon-based Todd Bishop's Pop Art 4. Gainsbourg, whose name may not be person-on-the-street familiar in the United States, was a pop icon in France from the late-1950s to the 1980s, a musical renaissance man of sorts who delved into jazz, pop, reggae, soundtracks, psychedelia and electronica, all while nurturing a reputation for unseemliness ...
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