Brice Winston

Markus Rutz: Many Moons

by Jack Bowers
December 12, 2025

Chicago-based trumpeter Markus Rutz traverses a largely straightforward path on Many Moons, the ninth recording as leader of his own ensembles--on this occasion, his Third Coast Sounds, a sturdy sextet with slightly shifting personnel. Tenor saxophonist Brice Winston shares the front line on five of the album's eleven engaging tracks, alto Sharel Cassity on four, with saxophonist and album producer Greg Ward sitting in on the colorful finale, “Time to Spare," which he also composed. Rutz wrote half ...

Markus Rutz: Many Moons

by Ken Hohman
November 24, 2025

Orson Welles once quipped, “I'm not such a fool as to not take the moon seriously." Journeyman Chicago trumpeter Markus Rutz takes this sentiment to heart with his fine recording, Many Moons, which finds him under the spell of our silvery satellite, leveraging it as a muse for the passage of time and a melancholy reflection of life's varied chapters. Vacillating from judiciously selected covers (Van Morrison's “Moondance"), catchy originals ("Penumbra") and jazz standards ("Blue Moon" and “Blue ...

Peter Martin: Something Unexpected

by C. Michael Bailey
June 1, 2002

Piano and ...more Piano...

Thirty-year-old New Orleans native Peter Martin is showcased on Something Unexpected, the second release in Max Jazz's Piano Series. To date, there have been three releases in this series. The first was Bruce Barth's superb East and West (Max Jazz 201) and following Peter Martin's contribution was Jessica Williams' outstanding This Side Up (Max Jazz 203). Like the label's vocal series, the piano series highlights a wide range of jazz styles with an emphasis on innovation ...

Peter Martin: Something Unexpected

by David Adler
March 1, 2002

Peter Martin, the 30-year-old from New Orleans, is the second pianist (after Bruce Barth) to be showcased on the MaxJazz label’s new piano series. (Interestingly, Bruce Barth is listed along with Martin as a co-producer.) The exciting date was recorded live in St. Louis, and it features a happening quintet in top form. Trumpeter Nicholas Payton shares the frontline with one of jazz’s best-kept secrets, tenor saxophonist Brice Winston; bassist Reginald Veal and drummer Adonis Rose anchor the rhythm section ...