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Jazz Articles about Vinnie Sperrazza
Shawn Lovato: Microcosms
by Troy Dostert
Bassist Shawn Lovato's debut album, Cycles of Animation (Skirl, 2017), possessed a conceptual sophistication that went far beyond an imaginative slice of creative jazz. The same is evident on Microcosms, an album that involves giving his terrific ensemble the chance to develop minute gestures into larger, more determinate shapes. The constant ebb and flow that results is compelling, with a sense of order that periodically takes hold amidst the individual members' freedom to find their own pathways to a common ...
Continue ReadingEmber with Orrin Evans: No One is Any One
by Paul Rauch
To truly be in the headspace to appreciate the music of Ember, an understanding of the individuals making up the collective is paramount. The original compositions are not mind boggling, complex exercises brandishing the challenging dynamics of jazz composition in the 2020s. Refreshingly, the writing is open ended, containing melodies that come across as recitable mantras. The individual approaches to modern melodic improvisation within the collective memory of the musicians so easily rise to the surface of No One is ...
Continue ReadingMike McGinnis - Elias Bailey - Vinnie Sperazza: Time Is Thicker
by Angelo Leonardi
Conclusa la notevole parentesi con Art Lande e Steve Swallow per l'etichetta Sunnyside (Recurring Dream del 2017 e Singular Awakening del 2018), Mike McGinnis conferma la formula del trio con due nuovi partner, privilegiando il clarinetto rispetto al sax soprano. Dopo ricercati lavori con medie formazioni dove ha espresso originalità come compositore e arrangiatore, McGinnis evidenzia l'alto talento strumentale confermandosi l'erede di Jimmy Giuffre e della moderna scuola clarinettistica nata con Buddy De Franco. Anche se ha ...
Continue ReadingCharlotte Greve / Vinnie Sperrazza / Chris Tordini: The Choir Invisible
by Dan McClenaghan
The music on The Choir Invisible, presented by the musical equilateral triangle of saxophonist Charlotte Greve, drummer Vinnie Sperrazza and bassist Chris Tordini, presents the ear with a simple yet often intense beauty. Three strong sonic personalities exploring uncluttered territory. The trio, all of whom are busy members of the New York City jazz scene, formed their The Choir Invisible in 2017. This eponymous album is their first recording. When the subject of an alto sax, bass and ...
Continue ReadingNew Faces: Straight Forward
by David A. Orthmann
New Faces is the brainchild of producer Marc Free, who comingles the talents of six young jazzers, each of whom has led at least one session for Posi-Tone. With the exception of a Herbie Hancock composition, the material is comprised of attractive, catchy themes of varying degrees of complexity, penned by a number of the label's artists and originally released on records throughout Posi-Tone's two-decade plus history. The record was recorded in one day, the group sounds well prepared, and ...
Continue ReadingNew Faces: Straight Forward
by Paul Rauch
The collection of musicians on this record, collectively referred to as “New Faces," is an attempt by Posi-Tone producer Marc Free to create a sampler of the label's mission, utilizing a selection of young leaders to collectively personify their overall musical vision. As stated on the Posi- Tone website, “The entire series of succinct performances included on this album are deliberately intended to provide accurate practical auditory insight and representation of the musical aesthetics and operational ethos of Posi-Tone Records." ...
Continue ReadingVinnie Sperrazza Apocryphal: Hide Ye Idols
by Troy Collins
Forward-thinking drummer Vinnie Sperrazza has proven to be an exceptionally creative and magnanimous bandleader; Hide Ye Idols expands well beyond the imaginative inroads made on Apocryphal, his impressive 2014 debut for Loyal Label. Conveying a distinctive group sound, the original lineup featured on his first album--alto saxophonist Loren Stillman, guitarist Brandon Seabrook, and bassist Eivind Opsvik--returns, now a touring unit with a namesake evoking its origins. Produced by Paris Monster's Geoff Kraly and mastered by Kneebody's Nate Wood, this modernistic ...
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