Home » Jazz Articles » Don Byron
Jazz Articles about Don Byron
Aruán Ortiz: Pastor's Paradox
by Alberto Bazzurro
Eccellenti i brani solo strumentali, a tratti un po' verbosi, zavorrati (come accade spesso, del resto) quelli con l'aggiunta di Mtume Gant alla dizione": si potrebbe sintetizzare così questo album del pianista cubano (ma da oltre vent'anni di stanza negli USA) Aruán Ortiz, ma sarebbe ovviamente eccessivamente semplicistico. Allora diciamo che anche gli episodi con voce aggiunta (tra i quali deve rientrare pure il conclusivo No Justice, No Peace, Legacy!," dove lo slogan del titolo viene proferito ...
read moreAruán Ortiz: Pastor's Paradox
by Karl Ackermann
When clarinetist and saxophonist Don Byron and pianist Aruán Ortiz teamed up for the recording of Random Dances And (A)Tonalities (Intakt Records, 2018) they brought an unprecedented wealth of stylistic experiences to the studio. The result was an unconventional duo sound that blurred the distinctions between their collective comfort zones. Byron and Ortiz return on the gorgeous Pastor's Paradox, sounding joined at the hip and untethered, simultaneously. In this (mostly) quartet setting, Byron and Ortiz are joined by ...
read moreDon Byron: Cleo's Mood
by Ludovico Granvassu
In addition to being one of its most-forward looking voices, Don Byron has covered the whole gamut of American music--from Mickey Katz to Raymond Scott, from Duke Ellington to Lester Young and Stevie Wonder--and beyond, from Robert Schumann to Giacomo Puccini. He has done so with his signature sound, a deep understanding of those composers' traditions that didn't prevent his experimentation, and a tongue-in-cheek attitude. At the most soulful end of this eclectic range is his 2006 tribute to Junior ...
read moreDon Byron e Aruàn Ortiz al Pinocchio di Firenze
by Neri Pollastri
Don Byron e Aruàn Ortiz Pinocchio Live Jazz Firenze 27.11.2021 Ripresa la stagione dopo un anno e mezzo di interruzione causata dalla pandemia, il Pinocchio Live Jazz di Firenze ha presentato come evento speciale della sezione autunnale il pianista cubano residente a New York Aruàn Ortiz e il clarinettista Don Byron, che da alcuni anni collaborano in un duo assai singolare per selezioni musicali e originalità delle interpretazioni, con il quale nel 2018 hanno anche ...
read moreDon Byron e Aruan Ortiz in concerto al Teatro Jolly di Palermo
by Maurizio Zerbo
Don Byron e Aruan Ortiz Nomos Jazz Teatro Jolly Palermo 9.4.2019 Don Byron è forse il jazzista che meglio simboleggia la multiculturalità musicale del terzo millennio. Come ha dimostrato per l'ennesima volta il suo concerto palermitano, la cultura afroamericana è il punto di partenza di un approccio totale ad una musica fitta di intrecci tra l'avanguardia jazzistica, il blues e l'approccio eurocolto. Al suo fianco ha brillato il pianista cubano Aruan Ortiz, ...
read moreBobby Zankel's Warriors with Don Byron at the Painted Bride
by Victor L. Schermer
Bobby Zankel's Warriors of the Wonderful Sound Painted Bride Art Center Philadelphia, PA May 5, 2015 This concert by Bobby Zankel and the Warriors with guest artist Don Byron (who replaced saxophonist Oliver Lake due to the latter's family emergency) was also a celebration of jazz as a rich contributor to the arts. One of the features was the presence on stage of the artist Jeff Schlanger doing one of his inspired sketch-paintings whereby ...
read moreDon Byron: Tuskegee Experiments
by John Kelman
For this column I step away from my avoidance of personalization because its roots and intent are, indeed, very, very personal. The germination of this column began as the result of two coinciding events. First, after months of relative inactivity due to a health matter that, while thankfully non-life threatening and treatable, could take several more months to get me back to my usual breakneck speed and has slowed my writing to a crawl, I began to feel ...
read more