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Julius Rodriguez
Joe Farnsworth: In What Direction Are You Headed?
by Dave Linn
Joe Farnsworth grew up in a musical family and began playing drums at a young age. He later attended and graduated from William Patterson College in New Jersey, where the staff included Harold Mabern and Cedar Walton, who would prove instrumental in kick-starting his career. He landed a gig with Benny Golson that lasted eight years and went on to become an in-demand name. His style is deeply rooted in the bebop and hard bop traditions, characterized by a driving ...
read moreJulius Rodriguez: Let Sound Tell All
by Chris May
At 23 years, New York-based keyboards player and drummer Julius Rodriguez is close to being a founder member of Gen Z and so was an adolescent when the iPad was giving way to streaming and a new, randomised perspective on jazz and music in general was being shaped. The Juillard School dropout--Rodriguez quit in 2018 to go on tour with rapper A$AP Rocky--stirs gospel, jazz, classical, R&B, hip-hop, electronica and advanced post-production techniques into a mix which is engaging and ...
read moreAlexander Claffy: Good Spirits
by Jack Bowers
Bassist Alexander Claffy's quintet dashes from the starting gate on Good Spirits with a fiery reading of McCoy Tyner's propulsive “Inner Glimpse," setting the tone for a bright and animated session whose spirit is undeniably good. The album was recorded “live" (no audience) at GB's Juke Joint in New York City “at the height of the [coronavirus] pandemic" in February 2021. Claffy's front line consists of trumpeter Benny Benack III and tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover; his teammates ...
read moreMichael Stephenson: Meets The Alexander Claffy Trio
by Pierre Giroux
Record executive and tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds readily acknowledges that growing up in Canada has insulated him from the racial issues prevalent in the United States. As a result, he is using the resources of Cellar Music to help address some of these inequities and record African-American musicians who might not ordinarily have such an opportunity. Vocalist and tenor saxophonist Michael Stephenson falls into this category with this release produced by trumpeter Jeremy Pelt. As envisaged ...
read moreCaleb Wheeler Curtis: Ain't No Storm
by Paul Rauch
Caleb Wheeler Curtis is a noted voice in the modern world of alto saxophone, in large part due to his association with fellow artists. Most significantly, his work with Philadelphia-based pianist Orrin Evans and the “village" of creative participants within has put a spotlight on his style which attaches itself to tradition while exhibiting a willingness to explore new territory. On his most recent release Ain't No Storm, he presents eleven original compositions that feature fellow Evans bandmates Mark Whitfield ...
read moreJD Walter: Dressed in a Song
by Victor L. Schermer
JD Walter is a consummate vocalist who has devoted himself over many years to evolving a unique style that is nevertheless ensconced in the jazz tradition. The public relations sheet for this new CD states that “this is his first release since recovering from a life-threatening heart condition and surgeries on his heart and vocal cords." It states that this is a “comeback" record. That is a misnomer. In this recording, he takes the music to new levels of structure, ...
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From: In What Direction Are You...By Julius Rodriguez
