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Nicole McCabe
Anthony Wilson: House of the Singing Blossoms
by Joshua Weiner
Guitarist Anthony Wilson is well known for his session and touring work with vocalists, including Diana Krall, Norah Jones, and Paul McCartney, as well as his time in the big band led by his father, the late trumpeter Gerald Wilson. But in the early 2000s, he also released four albums with his own nonet, sharing solo space with five horns, which taught him a great deal about writing and arranging. House of the Singing Blossoms captures Wilson's return to this ...
Continue ReadingDan Rosenboom: Coordinates
by Max Kutner
Coordinates is a fully realized mature statement from composer, arranger, and trumpet virtuoso, Dan Rosenboom. It is a massive effort in multiple senses. Through an immersive concept centered dually around sound as character and the abstract relationships between numerical structures as they apply to time and groove, Rosenboom has crafted a self portrait that bridges many unique aspects of his musical personality. The album features 28 of Los Angeles' finest musical artists, employed in a series of unorthodox combinations that ...
Continue ReadingLines in Motion: Nicole McCabe’s Groove-Driven Improvisation
by Steven Roby
Episode Summary In this episode, host Steve Roby sits down with saxophonist and composer Nicole McCabe, co-leader of the genre-blending project Dolphin Hyperspace. Nicole shares her journey from growing up in Marin County, where she was inspired by both jazz and electronic music, to collaborating with bassist/producer Logan Kane. The conversation covers her musical influences (from Cannonball Adderley to Skrillex), the creative process behind Dolphin Hyperspace, and the stories behind tracks like “Minuscule Minnow" and “Mini Giraffe." Nicole ...
Continue ReadingMark Masters Ensemble: Sam Rivers 100
by Dan McClenaghan
The Mark Masters Ensemble released Porgy and Bess Redefined! (Capri Records) in 2005. The music was taken from the George Gershwin/DuBose Heyward English-language opera, which was first performed in 1935. Masters' take on the classic was brilliantly expressed by the ensemble, who dug into his adventurous charts with freedom mixed with respect for the familiar and often-covered (most notably by the Miles Davis/Gil Evans teaming) original. It was a breakout effort for Masters. Billy Harper was there on tenor sax, ...
Continue ReadingMark Masters: Sam Rivers 100
by Jack Bowers
Sam Rivers 100 is the first of two homages recorded in 2023-24 by arranger Mark Masters and his blue chip southern California-based ensemble. This one pays tribute to the music of the late saxophonist Sam Rivers on the hundredth anniversary of his birth; the second, Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance! salutes the music of tenor saxophonist Billy Harper who is the ensemble's guest soloist on both albums. Rivers, who died in December 2011, was an early bebopper who ...
Continue ReadingMark Masters Ensemble: Sui Generis
by Angelo Leonardi
Dopo aver creato nell'ultimo album nuovi arrangiamenti per i classici ellingtoniani dei primi anni quaranta (Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster, Capri Records), il notevole orchestratore californiano riduce l'organico e presenta un repertorio tutto suo. Dalla precedente incisione resta solo il trombettista Tim Hagans che ha il ruolo di principale solista. Il titolo del disco usa un'espressione latina ancora in uso nella lingua italiana, che Masters riferisce ad Hagans, sottolineando quell'unicità artistica che apprezza da cinquant'anni, quando ...
Continue ReadingMark Masters Ensemble: Sui Generis
by Pierre Giroux
Sui Generis by the Mark Masters Ensemble featuring trumpeter Tim Hagans is an inventive addition to the world of contemporary jazz. Known for his deft compositions and dynamic arrangements, Mark Masters delivers a collection of nine original compositions, each of which embodies the spirit of spontaneity. Joining Masters in this session are a group of musicians known for their high bar of musicianship, including alto saxophonist Nicole McCabe, tenor and soprano saxophonist Jerry Pinter, trombonist Dave Woodley, French hornist John ...
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Music
Downstairs Blues Upstairs
From: Sam Rivers 100By Nicole McCabe
Nicole McCabe
Location: Los Angeles
Instrument: Saxophone, alto
