Articles by Mark Corroto
Pipeline: Ahead Of July
by Mark Corroto
With most recordings, listeners are conditioned to identify a leader. Typically, it is the artist whose name appears on the cover, or occasionally the composer responsible for the material. Pipeline upends that expectation. This is unequivocally an ensemble recording, and to further complicate matters, all of the music is collectively credited. For those familiar with the Pipeline project, this may come as a surprise. The concept was created by clarinetist Giancarlo Nino Locatelli, also one of the proprietors of We ...
Continue ReadingCharles Tyler Ensemble: Voyage From Jericho
by Mark Corroto
Was it a matter of timing, or simply living in the shadow of giants, that has kept saxophonist Charles Tyler off most listeners' radars? Born in Kentucky in 1941 and raised in Indianapolis, Tyler first gained recognition through his association with Albert Ayler. After relocating to Cleveland in the early '60s, the two became fast friends, and Tyler's fiery saxophone can be heard on Ayler's early ESP-Disk recordings Bells (1965) and Spirits (1965). He soon stepped forward as ...
Continue ReadingRempis / Adasiewicz / Corsano: Dial Up
by Mark Corroto
Chicago has long been a magnet for creative musicians. Louis Armstrong left New Orleans for the Windy City in 1922, and Sun Ra arrived in 1945 to begin reshaping its musical landscape. Fast-forward to the 1990s, and Chicago welcomed saxophonist Dave Rempis, who quickly became a central force in the city's improvised-music scene. After emerging in the Vandermark 5, he established his voice through numerous groups, including The Rempis Percussion Quartet, The Engines, Kuzu, Ballister, and a vast network of ...
Continue ReadingMark Corroto's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025
by Mark Corroto
I have an alternative to the year end list. I prefer a “what I listened to most this past year" list. Even so, the discs below would likely make a “best of" list, but that's not my preference. These are discs (and the dreaded digital files) I kept on a heavy rotation. For instance, I am currently spinning recent releases from artists such as Eri Yamamoto / Matthew Shipp's piano duos Horizon (Mahakala), saxophonist Pete Mills' organ quartet For The ...
Continue ReadingBill Evans Trio: Haunted Heart: The Legendary Riverside Studio Recordings (Remastered 2025)
by Mark Corroto
On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first sub-four-minute mile, a barrier many believed human beings could never break. Today, any elite miler can run that time, which makes Bannister's accomplishment harder for modern sports fans to fully appreciate. Something similar happens when listening to pianist Bill Evans' two Riverside studio sessions, Portrait in Jazz (1959) and Explorations (1961), recorded some 65 years ago. Because contemporary pianists like Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch, Denny Zeitlin and Bill Charlap have absorbed ...
Continue ReadingMarco Eneidi Quintet: Wheat Fields of Kleylehof
by Mark Corroto
To borrow a phrase once associated with Charlie Parker after his death: “Marco Eneidi lives!" Though less widely known in the mainstream jazz world, alto saxophonist Marco Eneidi (1956--2016) was a towering figure in free jazz and creative music. A West Coast native, he moved to New York in the 1980s and, following the passing of Jimmy Lyons, assumed the alto chair in Cecil Taylor's band. Taylor's rigorous methodology had a profound impact on Eneidi, as did the energy of ...
Continue ReadingAgnas Bros.: Sista Forsoket
by Mark Corroto
There is something about the Agnas Bros. that evokes the Beastie Boys--not in sound, but in spirit. Like Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch and Michael Diamond, the four Agnas siblings channel a mix of playfulness, precision and deep musical chemistry. On Sista Försöket-- translated as The Last Attempt--the quartet releases its fifth recording, and perhaps its most adventurous to date. The brothers have a history of woodshedding the material in a basement rehearsal space, and with this disc recording directly to ...
Continue ReadingBen Stapp: Uzmic Ro’Samg (Live Solo Tuba)
by Mark Corroto
A little-known historic fact: before subwoofers existed, Roman chariots were supposedly outfitted with tubas to supply the low- end rumble as they charged into battle against the Carthaginians. Modern proof of that kind of sonic power might be found in the music of Ben Stapp, whose tuba playing can shake the air as much as it can mesmerize the mind. Stapp's career has spanned a wide and exploratory range. His earlier recordings include Ecstasis (Uqbar Music, 2008) with ...
Continue ReadingSergio Armaroli: The Musical Omnivore
by Mark Corroto
Sergio Armaroli is an Italian composer, percussionist, vibraphonist, teacher and visual artist whose music can be found on multiple labels including ezz-thetics, Leo Records, Dodicilune, Ictus Records and Da Vinci Classics. His 2025 releases include Deconstructing Ayler In The Universe (Dodicilune), And I Entered Into Sleep (Die Schachtel), and the ezz-thetics discs Introducing A Very Heavy Person First Visit, Follow A Very Heavy Person First Visit, At Sotto Il Mare First Visit and The Art Of Sound(s). Because ...
Continue ReadingMarcin Bożek & Danny Kamins: Ignorantka
by Mark Corroto
Even if you do not speak Polish--and I count myself among those who do not--you can still grasp the meaning behind Ignorantka, the 2025 collaboration between bassist Marcin Boźek and saxophonist Danny Kamins. The word translates roughly to “ignorant," but here it carries a more nuanced meaning: not simply uneducated, but unaware--blind to what lies beyond perception. As the liner notes (also in Polish) suggest, the skies above us hold the remnants of nebulae and galaxies that no longer exist. ...
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