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Allan Mednard
Drummer Allan Mednard was born and raised in Queens, New York. His early musical experiences involved New York City's All-City High School Music program, Bayside High School's Academy of Music, and Queens College's Preparatory Studies in Music program. He graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in jazz performance from the City College of New York. He has performed around the globe with ensembles led by Jeremy Pelt, Ben Allison, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and many more.
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Michael Marcus Quartet: Next Stop Down!
by Troy Dostert
A fixture in the avant-garde jazz community since the early 1990s, multi-instrumentalist Michael Marcus has done notable work with his own ensembles and alongside other prominent improvisers such as William Parker, Sonny Simmons, Andrew Cyrille and Joe McPhee. His first release with ESP-Disk in 2022, Abstractions in Lime Caverns, featured the leader on no fewer than five separate horns, including the tarogato, an instrument which takes center stage on Next Stop Down!, Marcus' first effort with a top-shelf quartet which ...
Continue ReadingBrandee Younger: Gadabout Season
by Angelo Leonardi
Dopo venticinque anni d'attività professionale, l'arpista Brandee Younger è balzata recentemente all'attenzione generale con accattivanti album e una nomination al Grammy Awards. L'improvviso successo non le ha dato alla testa e Brandee non sembra voler annacquare la sua musica con quelle leggerezze pop che coesistevano in qualche brano. In quest'ultimo album--prodotto dal bassista Rashaan Carter--collabora con jazzmen di primo piano ed interpreta proprie composizioni, sempre caratterizzate da freschezza melodica, ricercatezza e vivacità ritmica. Se in Brand New Life testimoniava la ...
Continue ReadingJulian Shore: Sub Rosa
by Pierre Giroux
Julian Shore's recording, Sub Rosa, features the pianist alongside his longstanding collaborators, bassist Martin Nevin and drummer Allan Mednard. More than just a collection of tunes, the album captures over two years of shared exploration, the group's exceptional empathy and fluidity. The trio demonstrates a remarkable ability to spontaneously reshape material, highlighting the strong camaraderie underpinning their sound. Shore's compositions form the foundation of much of the album, with each piece reflecting episodes of personal experience ...
Continue ReadingJulian Shore: Sub Rosa
by Jack Kenny
Sub Rosa demonstrates that Julian Shore now plays a key role in the evolution of the jazz piano trio. The jazz piano trio can be seen as the genre's answer to the classical string quartet. Both demand exceptional playing skills, intense listening, and a delicate balance among musicians. However, achieving this quality in a jazz trio is arguably more challenging, as musicians improvise rather than relying entirely on scores. This makes a deep, collusive camaraderie essential.
Continue ReadingNoah Preminger: Ballads
by Pierre Giroux
Noah Preminger has long been an artist who thrives at the intersection of tradition and innovation. On Ballads, the tenor saxophonist delves into the depths of lyricism with a quartet that exudes understated intensity: pianist Julian Shore, bassist Kim Cass, and drummer Allan Mednard. This release communicates in whispers rather than shouts, yet it never loses its sense of adventure. Preminger's tone -warm, breathy, elastic, guides the listener through a charming set of originals, carefully selected ...
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Caroline Davis: Portals, Volume 2: Returning
by Vincenzo Roggero
Il precedente Portals Volume 1: Mourning nasceva dalla necessità di rielaborare la morte improvvisa del padre attraverso una musica che curasse il dolore e conservasse i ricordi migliori. In quel disco, Caroline Davis, sassofonista, flautista, compositrice ed educatrice statunitense nata a Singapore da padre inglese e madre svedese, accostava al suo classico quintetto un quartetto d'archi. Portals vol.2 : Returning è invece un omaggio a Joan Anson-Weber, poetessa nonché nonna di Caroline, e farla da padrone sono in questo caso ...
Continue ReadingNoah Preminger: Ballads
by Dan Bilawsky
Balladry becomes Noah Preminger. And that may come as a surprise to some. Over the past seventeen years and about as many releases, this critically-acclaimed tenor saxophonist has often made his mark going the opposite way--in myriad bold-and-beyond settings where he's thrown haymakers with precision, explored duo dynamism with bassist Kim Cass, pushed the envelope through the demanding music of Steve Lampert, or investigated the gravity of the delta blues with a probing mindset. Yet there's something about his softer ...
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Music
Must Keep Going
From: Sub RosaBy Allan Mednard
Carry Me Ohio
From: BalladsBy Allan Mednard
Special Things
From: Built In SystemBy Allan Mednard
Haflat Zifaf
From: Live at LunÀticoBy Allan Mednard
