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Ian Patterson's Best Releases Of 2020
by Ian Patterson
A year like no other produced a terrific amount of great music, much of inspired by--or in spite of—the surreal circumstances. Here, in no particular order, are some of my favorite releases of the year. A huge thank you to all the musicians, record labels, studios, agents, promotors and virtual technicians who helped keep us relatively sane and uplifted. Carole NelsonArborealBlack Stairs Records The growing threats to the environment provide the grist to ...
read moreRudy Royston: Little Steps, Big Pictures
by Ian Patterson
Everybody needs a helping hand now and then. Rudy Royston understands that. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused gigs to completely dry up for all musicians, and with that, their main income stream. Yet there are still mortgages, rents and bills to pay, and children to feed. It says something about the precarious finances of a jazz musician's life, that Royston, one of the music's most in-demand drummers of the past quarter of a century—a trusted collaborator of Ron Miles, JD ...
read moreRudy Royston's Flatbed Buggy
by Ludovico Granvassu
Rudy Royston's latest project, Flatbed Buggy (Greenleaf Music), is an expertly crafted, chamber-like jazz ensemble with musical influences that range from blues and Americana to rock and gospel. Featuring a stellar line-up with Hank Roberts on cello, John Ellis on woodwinds, Gary Versace on accordion and Joe Martin on bass, the music of this project is dusty and airy, groovy and swinging, evoking countryside images and outdoor freshness. A lover of all genres of music, Royston continues to ...
read moreRudy Royston, Wojciech Jachna and More
by Bob Osborne
This week the featured album is the new release by Rudy Royston, and we focus on Polish trumpet maestro Wojciech Jachna. In between a varied selection of different genres from the wide World of Jazz. Playlist Rudy Royston “Soul Train" from Flatbed Buggy (Greenleaf) 00:00 Valerio Pontrandolfo & Harold Mabern Trio “Twenty" from Are You Sirius? (Associazione In Jazz We Trust) 10:46 Jon Irabagon “Quintessential Kitten" from It Takes All Kinds (Jazzwerkstatt) 15:09 Nicole Mitchell Indigo Trio “Thankfulness" ...
read moreRudy Royston: Flatbed Buggy
by Troy Dostert
A veteran rhythm-man whose long list of credits includes work with Bill Frisell and Dave Douglas, Rudy Royston already had a couple releases on Douglas's Greenleaf Music label (303, from 2014, and Rise of Orion (2016), and now Flatbed Buggy continues this promising track record with a winsome set of music that manages to pull off the difficult trick of sounding simultaneously earthy and refined. Royston intended the music to capture memories of summers spent with his father ...
read moreRudy Royston Trio: Rise Of Orion
by Karl Ackermann
The visceral style of drummer Rudy Royston was considerably toned down on his leader debut 303 (Greenleaf, 2014), a septet outing where the drummer often worked within the context of an ensemble player. Pared down to a trio formation for Rise Of Orion, Royston retains the services of the ubiquitous saxophonist Jon Irabagon and bassist Yasushi Nakamura from his original group. Without a chordal instrument, and in this more intimate setting, Royston is free to unleash his more forceful side.
read moreRudy Royston Trio: Rise Of Orion
by Dan Bilawsky
303 (Greenleaf Music, 2014) was the debut we were waiting for from drummer extraordinaire Rudy Royston, but it wasn't necessarily the debut we were expecting. Instead of playing the chops-and-brawn card that he always holds somewhere in his hand, Royston took a more thoughtful approach. He wowed with multidimensional maneuvers instead of brute force, using a uniquely patterned septet to good advantage. This follow-up date is more in line with the expectations that were defied on 303, but it's hardly ...
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