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Isaac Levien
Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan
by Jack Bowers
On Jackson Plays Dylan, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, an admirer of Bob Dylan, aims his jazz arsenal toward the iconic singer and songwriter in hopes of reworking Dylan's folk/pop music into a framework that jazz enthusiasts might consider creative and pleasing. So how does that play? For the most part, rather tediously, which is surely not what Jackson's quartet had in mind. As it turns out, Dylan's themes sans lyrics do not lend themselves readily to the jazz ...
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by Katchie Cartwright
Bob Dylan without the lyric? Javon Jackson's Jackson Plays Dylan makes a strong case. With two exquisite exceptions, the arrangements are purely instrumental, but Jackson manages to draw us in past the words (he knows we can hear most of them in our heads) to the emotional heart of each piece. More than that, he turns the program into a sort of film score. Each song (scene) dissolves into the next via a snippet of its intro. Starting ...
Continue ReadingJavon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan
by Pierre Giroux
With Jackson Plays Dylan, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson delves into one of the great sources of modern song, the work of Bob Dylan. He treats it with reverence, imagination, and a strong respect for jazz tradition. This is not a clever concept album but a heartfelt musician's dialogue with timeless material, influenced by tradition and deep musical listening. Jackson is joined on this release by pianist and keyboardist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Isaac Levien, drummer Ryan Sands, and Grammy-winning guest vocalists ...
Continue ReadingAllison Philips: Make it Better
by Daniel Lehner
In agreement with the wistful but pleasant nostalgia of the photograph of her grandmother that adorns its cover, there is a dignified, almost blue collar ethos imbued within the locomotive, highbrowed modern jazz of Brooklyn trumpeter Allison Philips' Make It Better," where warm, resolute melodies ground the improvisation templates with a sense of purpose, history and tact. Written, like much of world's mid-00's releases, in the contemplative limbo of the pandemic, where Philips had worked for over a year for ...
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Altus: Mythos
by Angelo Leonardi
Fondato qualche anno fa dal trombettista Dave Adewumi e dal bassista Isaac Levien, il quintetto Altus pubblica il secondo album su Biophilia, l'innovativa etichetta del pianista Fabian Almazan che documenta il meglio della scena jazzistica emergente. Il debutto discografico della formazione è stato registrato nel marzo 2020 col titolo Riot Cycle; è stato pubblicato l'anno successivo ma complice l'isolamento pandemico ha avuto scarsa risonanza. L'organico ha una strumentazione inconsueta con una tromba e due sassofoni in front line ...
Continue ReadingRoger Lin: Exploitation Suite
by Neil Duggan
With the aim of presenting a realistic view of the New York jazz scene, rather than the romanticised view often portrayed, Exploitation Suite from guitarist Roger Lin seeks to explore the scene in a candid way, taking musical inspiration from his own experiences in the city. Lin, who was born in Taiwan, moved to New York after graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston. He performs frequently, both in the US and Taiwan. There are nine tracks ...
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Like a Rolling Stone
From: Jackson Plays DylanBy Isaac Levien
