Articles by Glenn Astarita
Spinifex: Maxximus
by Glenn Astarita
Spinifex, the Amsterdam sextet formed in 2005 by saxophonist Tobias Klein, has spent two decades rattling jazz conventions with math-metal precision and global rhythmic flair. With trumpeter Bart Maris, tenor saxophonist John Dikeman, guitarist Jasper Stadhouders, bassist Gonçalo Almeida, and drummer Philipp Moser, their live shows ignite like sonic wildfires. Maxximus marks their twentieth anniversary and first acoustic venture. They welcome violist Jessica Pavone, cellist Elisabeth Coudoux, and vibraphonist Evi Filippou. This unplugged pivot swaps electric chaos for chamber- like ...
Continue ReadingBob Holz: Honoring Larry Coryell
by Glenn Astarita
The late Larry Coryell, widely hailed as the godfather of jazz fusion, devoted decades to blending jazz improvisation with rock vitality. His influence on guitar technique still cuts across generations. Drummer and bandleader Bob Holz, a prominent West Coast fusion figure, pays homage through these two vibrant 2015 live sessions. Rather than a static relic, the album engages Coryell's spirit in fresh conversation, delivered by an ensemble intent on pushing forward rather than polishing a tombstone. Coryell's bold ...
Continue ReadingAtlantis Quartet: Live at Berlin
by Glenn Astarita
Naming a debut live album after the venue itself is a bold move, proclaiming the music and space as one. With Live at Berlin, recorded during the opening week of Minneapolis' newest jazz haunt in February 2024, Atlantis Quartet--saxophonist Brandon Wozniak, guitarist Zacc Harris, bassist Chris Bates, and drummer Pete Hennig--does not merely make the case; they etch it in neon. This album captures a band and a room in perfect, combustible alignment. For nearly two decades, this ...
Continue ReadingMarkus Reuter (featuring Fabio Trentini and Asaf Sirkis): Truce <3
by Glenn Astarita
When German touch guitarist Markus Reuter first united with fretless bassist Fabio Trentini and drummer Asaf Sirkis for their debut album, Truce (MoonJune/Unsung Records, 2020), they established a power trio that defied conventional boundaries. The core concept was simple: three masters of their instruments, no pre-composed material and complete trust in the moment. The group's methodology, creating music spontaneously without charts, demands absolute proficiency. On this album, they anticipate one another's next move flawlessly. They are not just ...
Continue ReadingChris Jonas: backwardsupwardsky
by Glenn Astarita
Few artists can translate geography into sound with the spatial clarity that Chris Jonas achieves on backwardsupwardsky. A saxophonist, composer and multimedia artist whose résumé includes collaborations with Anthony Braxton, Cecil Taylor and William Parker, Jonas has always favored creative risk. This two-LP set on Edgetone Records transforms desert solitude--specifically his winters camping on Arizona's Barry Goldwater Missile Range--into a sprawling, multi-ensemble work. The music captures both the intimacy of campfire sketches and the sheer scale of the landscapes that ...
Continue ReadingDatadyr: This We Know
by Glenn Astarita
Norwegian jazz trio Datadyr delivers a compelling sophomore album with This We Know, refining their sound into a sophisticated gem of modern fusion. Guitarist Odd Erlend Mikkelsen, bassist Øystein Høynes, and drummer Amund Nordstrøm draw from their Bergen roots, blending American blues, country and jazz with a cool Nordic reserve. Their previous album, Woolgathering (Is It Jazz?, 2022), played like a musical resume, displaying skills in a scattered fashion. This follow-up sharpens the focus, prioritizing compositions over showmanship--as if the ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Alloy
by Glenn Astarita
Dave Douglas continues his alchemical pursuits with Alloy, forging a trumpet-centric ensemble that elevates group dialogue to new heights--proving that in jazz, three is not a crowd, it is a conspiracy of cool. Commissioned for the 23rd season of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the project pairs the leader with British trumpeter Alexandra Ridout and New Hampshire's Dave Adewumi, creating a brass coalition where collaboration outshines competition, like diplomats dodging discord. The title nods to the art of melding ...
Continue ReadingSoft Machine: Floating World Live
by Glenn Astarita
Keyboardist Mike Ratledge's “The Man Who Waved at Trains" emerges as a highlight from Soft Machine's 2025 remastered album Floating World Live, representing a crucial period in the Canterbury legends' evolution during their pivotal era with guitar great Allan Holdsworth . Moreover, Drop (MoonJune, 2025), drawn from a 1971 concert, also receives the remastered treatment for 2025. “The Man Who Waved at Trains" highlights Soft Machine at their most reflective, weaving together Ratledge and Karl Jenkins' hypnotic keyboard ...
Continue ReadingBob Dee's Cosmosis: New Moon
by Glenn Astarita
Bob Dee's Cosmosis releases New Moon as an instrumental album that explores modern creative jazz with soulful undertones. Led by guitarist and composer Bob Dee, the project features seven tracks that blend exploratory melodies with rhythmic depth, displaying the group's considerable technical abilities. The opener “Prajñā," sets a radiant tone with John Isley's luscious flute lines amid the leader's melodic jazz soloing and the quasi-Latin undertones from drummer Greg Joseph and Michael Bates' walking bass lines. The arrangement ...
Continue ReadingChes Smith: Clone Row
by Glenn Astarita
Ches Smith, the San Diego-born Sacramento-raised drummer who studied philosophy at the University of Oregon before diving headfirst into the Bay Area's experimental music scene, has long been one of modern jazz's most restless spirits. His deep resume includes work with Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Mary Halvorson and Nels Cline, cementing his reputation as a first-call rhythmic architect for the avant-garde and progressive jazz. Following his acclaimed ten-piece ensemble album Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic, 2024), Smith took a bold ...
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