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Scott Thomson Takes Over at FIMAV: Seeking a Balance Between Continuity and Change
by Mike Chamberlain
At the 2023 edition of the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, all the talk was about the future of the festival after founding artistic director Michel Levasseur announced that he was stepping down after 40 years and 39 editions of the event. Who would take over as artistic director? Who was even qualified to direct such an eclectic, forward-looking festival, given that one of the requirements would be having a strong local presence in a small city of ...
read moreElephant9: Mythical River
by Chris May
Although Elephant9's plugged-in lineage includes the usual suspects--Miles Davis' electric bands and Soft Machine--the Norwegian organ trio's tap root is unmistakably planted in the work of the late British musician Keith Emerson, keyboards player with the Nice in the late 1960s and Emerson Lake & Palmer from 1970. For his own snarling jazz-rock oeuvre, Emerson's favoured keyboard was the Hammond L-100. He loved it so much that onstage he liked to plunge a hunting knife between its keys to produce ...
read moreLettuce with John Scofield at SFJAZZ
by Walter Atkins
Lettuce with John Scofield SFJAZZ Miner Auditorium San Francisco, CA April 27, 2024 The popular jam band Lettuce and very special friend John Scofield, took the chill off a seriously windy evening with an exciting dance show performance at SFJAZZ Center. Lettuce's enticing brand of funk and fusion was well received by the appreciative SF Bay Area audience. This favorite jny: San Francisco music venue also featured an ongoing digital display that was clearly reminiscent ...
read moreStephane Galland & The Rhythm Hunters: Stephane Galland & The Rhythm Hunters
by Glenn Astarita
In the dense jungle of contemporary jazz, where rhythm is both compass and sustenance, Belgian drummer Stéphane Galland emerges as our audacious guide. His European ensemble, The Rhythm Hunters, embarks on a musical safari that transcends borders, time zones and conventional beats. From the initial moments of the album's opener, “Morpheus," listeners are transported into a realm where the pulse of the percussion reigns supreme. Stephane Galland, the maestro behind the drum kit, leads the charge with a ...
read morePeter Van Huffel, Mary Halvorson & Liba Villavechia
by Maurice Hogue
Canadian expat-saxophonist Peter Van Huffel has found a place amidst that hotbed of free-wheeling music in Berlin, and his latest release with his band Callisto reinforces his position as one of the exciting voices working today. Meandering Demons out on Clean Feed introduces a newer band with (Clean Feed) with another Canadian who spends a lot of time in Berlin, trumpeter Lina Allemano, Antonis Anissegos on piano and electronics and Joe Hertenstein on drums. Clean Feed's also just released another ...
read moreKeith Fiala: New Beginnings
by Nicholas F. Mondello
New Beginnings from trumpeter, composer and producer Keith Fiala offers up ten varied tracks of exciting, originally-composed and superbly-performed jazz. It delivers a vibrant mix of engaging melodies and intelligent hard bop jazz improvisation with platforms both in and beyond the smooth jazz vein. The moderately-tempoed “Let Go" opens melodically with a memorable descending melodic line. Fiala spins a series of cascading ribbons from his bright horn and an energetic and neatly-mixed guitar solo from Marc Lionetti ...
read moreMelissa Aldana, Dora Morelenbaum, Diana Arias, Gianmarco Ferri & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
A playlist built along a Latin American trail that takes us from Chile to Colombia, Brazil and Argentina, with a couple of side trips to France and Italy. Happy listening! Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Melissa Aldana “The Solitary Seeker" Echoes of the Inner Prophet (Blue Note) 0:16 Host talks 6:17 Diana Arias “Desbaratá" Viaje Del Pez (ears&eyes) 7:29 Host talks 12:53 Dora Morelenbaum “Avermelhar" Vento De Beirada ...
read moreTony Monaco Trio and Mark Egan-Shawn Pelton-Shane Theriot: Three Is Not A Crowd
by Doug Collette
Say what we might about quartets, quintets, sextets and beyond, it might be fair to say the trio is the most potent instrumental lineup of them all. Three-piece ensembles hold a special place in the annals of improvisational music (and not just in the jazz milieu: the term 'power trio' was coined in the rock realm to describe Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience), if for no other reason than groups led by piano and organ have created some of ...
read moreTomeka Reid Quartet: 3+3
by Chris May
Jazz cello has come a long way since Fred Katz's pioneering work with Chico Hamilton in the 1950s. Back then, the instrument was looked on as a novelty turn. In 2024, while still relatively avant-garde, its presence in a lineup is less exceptional. A pivotal point was American cellist Adbul Wadud's By Myself (Bishara, 1977), an album Tomeka Reid has acknowledged as an inspiration, and which may have played a part in her transition from classical music to jazz around ...
read moreOliver Schwerdt: Fucking Ballads
by Glenn Astarita
Pianist Oliver Schwerdt's Fucking Ballads is not just an album title; it is a declaration of sonic defiance, a rallying cry for those who dare to challenge the status quo. The juxtaposition of the genteel term “ballads" with the bold expletive “fucking" sets the stage for a musical escapade that is as cheeky as it is profound. From the opening notes of the album, Schwerdt and his ensemble are on a mission to disrupt the conventions of jazz. ...
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