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Doruzka/Wylezol/Ballard: Andromeda's Mystery
by Doug Collette
Drummer Jeff Ballard has kept himself busy and productive while his long-time collaborator, pianist/composer Brad Mehldau, has been engaged in projects other than the trio in which they share membership. Ballard lent his finely-honed percussion technique and instinctive empathy as a musician to the Fabian Willman Trio's Balance (CYH Records, 2022) as well as appearing on two tracks for Ant Law and Alex Hitchcock's Same Moon Same World (Outside In Music, 2022). Now the one-time tourmate of icon ...
read moreChick Corea: The Montreux Years
by Doug Collette
If there is anything more ambitious than curating an extensive, comprehensive collection covering the history of an artist, it is collating selected works which vividly outline a particular timeline or theme. Chick Corea's The Montreux Years is a fine example of the latter; this seventh edition in the archive series devoted to the iconic festival not only reflects the late composer and pianist's technical skills, but also his eclectic stylistic tastes. And that is not to mention his fondness for ...
read moreDoruzka Wyleżoł Ballard: Andromeda's Mystery
by Tony Ozuna
Drummer Jeff Ballard reoriented the Brad Mehldau Trio from 2005-2018, after replacing Jorge Rossy. Ballard brought a degree of rock and was perhaps the source of a more subversive selection of material, such as covering Soundgarden's “Black Hole Sun" and Radiohead's “Knives Out." Ballard is also key to the fiery Pat Metheny-Brad Mehldau Quartet, and one of his earliest trios, as leader, had Blue Note guitarist Lionel Loueke, from Benin. In this vein, Andromeda's Mystery serves as a complementary cross-cultural ...
read moreFabian Willman Trio: Balance
by Doug Collette
Based solely on over ten years playing with the brilliant pianist/composer Brad Mehldau, drummer Jeff Ballard brings a certain cachet with him. Aiding in no small measure to retain a purity that mirrors the cover graphics (by Doris Reimann) as much as this album title, he lends as much (more?) distinction to his work on Fabian Willman's Balance as in previous collaborations with keyboardist Chick Corea and saxophonist Joshua Redman. Rightly sublimating his well-honed skills to the Berlin ...
read moreJeff Ballard: Fairgrounds
by Roger Farbey
The overture to Fairgrounds, “Grounds Entrance," involves an engaging percussive soundscape leading into “Yeah Pete!," which despite its exclamatory title is a laid-back feast of drums, electric piano and guitar on a similar wavelength to Miles Davis' In A Silent Way (Columbia, 1969). But “The Man's Gone" introduces a funky shift with irrepressibly upbeat wah-wah guitar from the redoubtable Lionel Loueke. At nearly three minutes into the song, Loueke's guitar goes nuclear for around half a minute, clearly signalling that ...
read moreJeff Ballard: Time's Tales
by Angelo Leonardi
Accanto all'esperienza con Brad Mehldau e Larry Grenadier e l'altra--meno appariscente e quasi cameristica--del Fly (che lo vede con quest'ultimo e Mark Turner) Jeff Ballard affianca dal 2006 un altro trio, di cui è leader, e che ora debutta su disco con questo variopinto ed estroverso Time's Tales. “Sono a metà della mia vita--ha detto Jeff--volevo fare qualcosa di significativo. Così ho pensato di realizzare questo progetto con la band che amo. Time's Tales è un racconto ...
read moreJeff Ballard Trio: Time's Tales
by Glenn Astarita
World-class drummer Jeff Ballard (Chick Corea's New Trio, Brad Mehldau Trio) goes above and beyond the call of duty on his first album as a leader. Celebrated for his modern jazz drumming, spanning bop and the outside spectrum, he expands his wares on this eventful trio release by flawlessly engineering a consortium of high-spirited pieces. With Ballard's esteemed associates, saxophonist Miguel Zenon and guitarist Lionel Loueke, they frame the jazz idiom on Afro-Cuban, Caribbean, classical and other stylistic genre-hopping forums. ...
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