Articles

Daily articles carefully curated by the All About Jazz staff. Read our popular and future articles.

MULTIPLE REVIEWS June 3, 2020

Samo Šalamon: Common Flow & Rare Ebb

When last heard from, Slovenian guitarist/composer Samo Šalamon released a diverse trio of albums in a single month: an eleven-piece free jazz orchestra; a chamber trio of viola, acoustic guitars and drums; and a “free modern jazz punk avantgarde groove quartet." These two albums are another simultaneous release, but with a difference. They document two sessions recorded on the same day: each containing the same eleven Salamon compositions, and performed by the same three musicians—but with different instrumentation on each ...

RADIO June 12, 2019

OGJB Quartet & The Last Poets

By Maurice Hogue

There's no way to use geographical borders to define this music called jazz. For instance, the Freequestra from Slovenia: led by acclaimed guitarist Samo Salamon— the ensemble wends its way with power and emotion through Salamon's new Free Sessions Vol.2, a rollicking excursion through the avant-garde. Or in the case of OGJB, a quartet of four masters from the USA (Oliver Lake, Graham Haynes, Joe Fonda & Barry Altschul), their new release, Bamako comes out on a label from Finland. ...

ALBUM REVIEW January 22, 2019

Samo Salamon & Stefano Battaglia: Pure Magic

By Mark Sullivan

Slovenian guitarist Samo Salamon and Italian pianist Stefano Battaglia present a sequel to their first live collaboration WindS (Klopotec Records, 2016). That album included a couple of Salamon compositions along with several collaborative tracks--this time the duo have gone all in with a fully collaborative program, recorded in the studio. “The Beauty of Kei" opens the set in a reflective mood, both instruments exploring harmonically ambiguous chords, the guitar almost sounding like overtones of the piano part at ...

ALBUM REVIEW May 29, 2018

Samo Salamon: Traveling Moving Breathing

By Mark Sullivan

Slovenian guitarist/composer Samo Salamon has made the bassless trio a recurring format. It offers space for his most open composing and playing: a situation where the amount of harmonic anchoring in the arrangements is largely up to him. As the only chordal instrument he can supply a harmonic framework, or float freely around his compositions in tandem with the horn. As he has worked with the combination the music has tended to become more free: often rubato, more outside harmonically, ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 18, 2018

Samo Salamon & Howard Levy: Peaks of Light

By Mark Sullivan

American harmonica player Howard Levy is not only a master of the diatonic harmonica; he is also an eclectic musician who elevates every playing situation he participates in. Slovenian guitarist/composer Samo Salamon is a jazz specialist, but he is also a fearless improviser, as demonstrated in his recent duet project WindS (Klopotec, 2016) with pianist Stefano Battaglia and Planets of Kei (NotTwo Records, 2017), a free improvisation session on which he played only acoustic guitar. This album presents ...

ALBUM REVIEW October 27, 2017

Samo Salamon, Szilárd Mezei & Achille Succi: Free Sessions Vol. 1: Planets Of Kei

By Mark Sullivan

Slovenian guitar ace Samo Salamon has been recording for a long time, but he's still trying new things. This is an album of several firsts, starting with it being his first recording made entirely on acoustic guitar, as well as the first that was completely improvised. It's also his first time recording with violist Szilárd Mezei, a player Salamon had been following for a long time, waiting for the right project. In contrast, Achille Succi (bass clarinet, alto saxophone) is ...

ALBUM REVIEW June 29, 2017

Samo Salamon Sextet: The Colours Suite

By Mark Sullivan

Slovenian guitarist/composer Samo Salamon has built a diverse discography, with a wide range of instrumentation. He had always wanted to do a project with two drummers, and a 2016 show at the Jazz Festival Ljubljana finally presented the opportunity--this album documents that performance. Recruiting a sextet made up of a mix of longtime associates and players new to his music, he wrote new music specifically for the group--a departure from most of his previous recordings, which typically have a combination ...