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Kirk Knuffke: Witness

By Jerome Wilson

Kirk Knuffke has brought his cornet skills to a lot of different music in his career. As a leader, he has recorded albums dedicated to the work of Erik Satie and Don Cherry and he's even covered an Ernest Tubb song. This album gives a greater picture of how wide his interests stretch as he delves into a program of spirituals, operatic arias, poetry and pop and jazz standards, leading a quartet of clarinetist Ben Goldberg, pianist Russ Lossing and, ...

Kirk Knuffke, Ingrid Laubrock and Jerry Bergonzi

By Bob Osborne

This week we look at the variety that can be found in the World of Jazz as exemplified by the amazing new collaboration with operatic baritone Steven Herring on the new album from Kirk Knuffke, which we contrasted with the ground breaking avant-garde work of featured artist Ingrid Laubrock and with the traditional stylings of another featured player Jerry Bergonzi. In between a selection of new releases and archive cuts from the Greenleaf label. Playlist Kirk Knuffke “Witness" from Witness ...

Kirk Knuffke: Arms & Hands

By Mark Corroto

Sometime, watch children as they eat the M&Ms. They will separate the colors into several piles--green, red, brown, yellow, orange, and blue. It's not that each color tastes different, except for maybe blue--I don't remember ever seeing that color before. Nonetheless, they go about savoring each color batch as an independent experience. Those little candies come to mind while attending to cornetist Kirk Knuffke's release Arms & Hands. The disc (released as both CD and LP) is a trio recording ...

Kirk Knuffke: Chew Your Food

By John Sharpe

Originally from Colorado, trumpeter Kirk Knuffke has been based in the Big Apple since 2005. Though he may be best known as a member of drummer Matt Wilson's celebrated Quartet, the brass man also leads his own quartet, with two previous recordings for the prolific Portuguese Clean Feed label, while he and pianist Jesse Stacken also record for Denmark's Steeplechase label. Now, he unveils the debut of his trio on the adventurous Lithuanian No Business imprint, released in a limited ...

Kirk Knuffke: Amnesia Brown

By Troy Collins

Brooklyn-based trumpeter Kirk Knuffke's sophomore effort, Amnesia Brown is a far more esoteric affair than his conventional piano-less quartet debut, Big Wig (Clean Feed, 2008). Eschewing a traditional rhythm section, Knuffke is joined by fellow members of Butch Morris' Nublu Orchestra--legendary Downtown stalwarts Doug Wieselman (on clarinet and electric guitar) and drummer Kenny Wollesen. Through sixteen brief cuts, the trio waxes and wanes from contemplative to impassioned, bounding effortlessly from one mood to the next.

Swinging without constraint, ...

Kirk Knuffke: Amnesia Brown

By Martin Longley

Amnesia Brown was the name bestowed upon trumpeter Kirk Knuffke's absconding not-so-great grandfather. Apparently, he just sidestepped to a nearby town (and a new family), changing his name on the way. It's not quite clear how his memory (or lack of it) informs the repertoire of this album, but he also happens to provide the fourth track's title. This trio has its roots in the Nublu Orchestra, which regularly plays a Monday night residency at the East ...

Kirk Knuffke / Federico Ughi / Chris Welcome: Garden Of Gifts

By Mark Corroto

There are no signposts to direct towards great free improvisation recordings, because there are no scenic overlooks where it's possible to pull over and take a snapshot or buy a postcard before heading to the next tourist attraction. To take in a recording such as Garden Of Gifts, it's necessary to stand back and take in the whole--the same way the Grand Canyon has to be viewed.

Garden Of Gifts was recorded in May at drummer Federico Ughi's house in ...