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Brian Richburg Jr
Ekep Nkwelle: Caged Bird
by Andrew Schinder
At a time when the jazz music community is blessed with no shortage of upstart young vocalists, Ekep Nkwelle has risen above the fray by embracing the diversity of styles within the jazz idiom, moving from time-honored standards to progressive modernity with ease, and working with masters ranging from Kenny Barron to David Murray. The daughter of Cameroonian immigrants, Nkwelle grew up in the rich jazz culture of Washington, DC and trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts as well as ...
Continue Reading...Amina Figarova: Joy
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Amina Figarova released an album in 2005 that was about as far away from the theme of “joy" as could be. September Suite (Munich Records) explored the deadly events of September 11, 2001 (she was in New York at the time; she experienced it). It is an album that she called: “An Ode to Mourning striving to articulate the various stages of grief in musical terms." In 2022 Figarova turns 180 degrees to embrace optimism and a ...
Continue Reading...Jonathan Reisin: Option B
by Troy Dostert
Although Option B is Israeli saxophonist Jonathan Reisin's debut album, its music suggests a much more seasoned artist at work. With lapidary instincts for crafting smart compositions and a beguiling tone on his instrument, Reisin has a convincing sense of purpose, not to mention first-rate colleagues who help him convey his musical message. Reisin is credited with six compositions here, along with a couple of freely-improvised tracks, the first of which, “One," captures Reisin's aesthetic nicely. With a ...
Continue Reading...Alonzo Demetrius: Live From The Prison Nation
by Mike Jurkovic
Drummer Ralph Peterson's righteous mission is the continuum of late mentor Art Blakey with the all cylinders burn of the Messengers Legacy performances and twenty-five recordings, including 2020's charismatic Onward & Upward (Onyx Productions). He chooses trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius as his first label mate to help bring the even larger legacy of the black movement forward. Samples of a 2003 speech from of activist Angela Davis open Demetrius's episodic debut suite Live From The Prison Nation. She's discussing ...
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