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Jazz Articles about Allan Mednard
Alex LoRe & Weirdear: Evening Will Find Itself
by Maurizio Zerbo
Attraverso questo CD, gli appassionati italiani di jazz potranno conoscere e apprezzare Alex LoRe, uno dei più talentuosi sassofonisti emergenti dell'area newyorkese. Ispirato ai grandi modelli della grande tradizione jazzistica degli anni Sessanta, Evening Will Find Itself propone una musica ben costruita, interpretata col giusto pathos. Armonicamente e ritmicamente complesse, le dieci tracce del CD ed in particolare l'evocativo Face Unseen" attualizzano la sontuosa lezione shorteriana, facendo leva sulle fantasiose doti improvvisative del quartetto. Oltre al ...
read moreLucas Pino: Covers
by Jack Bowers
Covers is a quartet date in which New York-based tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino covers" half a dozen generally pleasing songs written by his contemporaries, alongside one each by Charlie Parker ("Relaxin' at Camarillo") and Duke Pearson ("New Girl"). Pino's smooth, articulate tenor saxophone is reinforced by guitarist Alex Goodman, bassist Rick Rosato and drummer Allan Mednard. This represents something of a departure for Pino who usually records with larger groups--including his No Net Nonet--and seldom covers other ...
read moreMarta Sanchez: SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)
by Alberto Bazzurro
La giovane pianista madrilena Marta Sanchez, ormai da tempo di stanza a New York, dirige in questo suo nuovo lavoro, inciso nel marzo 2021, un agguerrito quintetto con doppio sax che in un brano, Marivi," si allarga a ottetto con l'ingresso di tromba (e che tromba: Ambrose Akinmusire), voce/chitarra e synth, dando sempre la precisa impressione di riuscire a dire ciò che sta nelle sue attuali corde. Il dialogo--l'interscambio--è per lo più fitto, vitale, ma sempre dall'alto ...
read moreMichael Blake: Combobulate
by Chris May
The instrumentation alone promises something out of the ordinary. Saxophone, two tubas, trumpet, trombone, drums. Then there are the musicians, luminaries of downtown New York jazz. Michael Blake, Bob Stewart, Marcus Rojas, Steven Bernstein, Clark Gayton, Allan Mednard. And within seconds of the needle descending on track one, side one, Combobulate starts delivering on the promise. The album is one of four marking the return of audiophile-vinyl label Newvelle after a two-year hiatus. The approximate meaning of its ...
read moreThe Relay: The Relay
by Dan Bilawsky
Artistic cooperation and cohesion are evident from the first notes of The Relay's eponymous debut. With saxophonist Dan Pratt's Four for," the composer and pianist Michael Eckroth this quartet's co-leaderssync up with a bright and fragmented melody line which seeds overlapping solos that sprout when bassist Matt Clohesy and drummer Allan Mednard enter the picture. Referencing a collective chemistry in both sound and name, that engaging opener sets the stage for a program that's pure magic. The ...
read moreJeremy Pelt: Soundtrack
by Jack Bowers
Although Soundtrack is the name of trumpeter Jeremy Pelt's latest album (more about that in a moment), there is another selection that more readily summarizes Pelt's lyric philosophy: I Love Music." And while there is ample contrast, camaraderie and color on the album, there is no doubt that Pelt's clear and creative commentaries are the focal point. As for that title, Soundtrack" is simply the name of a twenty-year-old ballad written for but never recorded by one of Pelt's earlier ...
read moreAlternative Guitar Summit: Honoring Pat Martino, Volume 1
by Jack Bowers
Each year the Alternative Guitar Summit, led by Joel Harrison, presents a concert to honor a living jazz composer/guitarist. That wasn't possible in 2021, however, as venues in and around New York City were shuttered tight by the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, it was clear that the chosen honoree, the great Pat Martino, was gravely ill and might not have another year to live. With that in mind, members of the Summit took their guitars straight to a studio to record ...
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