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Michael Aarons
Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band: What Next?
by Jack Bowers
A big band by any other name... Arranger and orchestrator Russ Anixter has chosen to call his 11-piece ensemble the Hippie Big Band. Which is fine, Russ. Whatever works for you. Alas, much of the music on What Next? sounds as though it could have been imported from the mid- 20th century. Yes, this is unquestionably jazz even though it does lean rather heavily on rock, funk and even some free improvisation as its bedrock; and ...
Continue ReadingRuss Anixter's Hippie Big Band: What Is?
by Jack Bowers
Although the music of New York-based bandleader and arranger Russ Anixter may leave the average listener bemused and scratching his or her head, even the more perplexed among them would have to concede that Anixter has his personal North Star, and that he and the eleven-member Hippie Big Band follow it to the letter. Having grown up in San Francisco in the 1960s, Anixter was irresistibly drawn to bands such as The Grateful Dead, Santana and others who made improvisation ...
Continue ReadingThe Michael Aarons Group: Not By Coincidence
by David Adler
Guitarist Michael Aarons has emerged as a busy jazz and session player since completing his term at the Manhattan School of Music in the late 90s. On this spirited live outing, he enlists pianist Sebastian Weiss, bassist Ranaan Meyer, and drummer Dan Weiss for a set of varied and advanced original music. Displaying a knack for quartal harmony and angular, intervallic improvisation, Aarons and friends burn confidently through the up-tempo numbers “Not By Coincidence," “The Wizard of Odd," and “My ...
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