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

ALBUM REVIEW March 4, 2014

Phil Grenadier: Shimmer

Read "Shimmer" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

Boston, MA, based trumpeter Phil Grenadier is a highly regarded jazz artisan, performing and recording with famous crooners, rock bands and ingratiating his wares within numerous progressive jazz fronts. He's also taught at New York City's prestigious Mannes College of Music and for the most part, has enjoyed status as a go-to session ace amid a stockpile of impressive accomplishments. His leadership skills and consummate technical gifts shine radiantly on Shimmer. Indeed, the musicians must have had ...

ALBUM REVIEW September 21, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Ian Patterson

Maybe only a pirate radio station would be uninhibited enough to play duo improvisations such as these served up by trumpeter {Phil Grenadier and acoustic bassist Bruno Råberg. However, such mainstream disinterest should be considered a backhanded compliment and is perhaps reason enough to check it out. Plunge is an apt title for music inspired by the panoply of emotions suggested to Råberg by saxophonist Ornette Coleman's “Lonely Woman." This intimate dialogue explores extensive emotional terrain, with Råberg's sound design ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 27, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Dan Bilawsky

Two men are responsible for every sound heard on the avant-leaning Plunge, but this record shouldn't be mistaken for a naked, take-me-as-I-am duo date. Bassist Bruno Råberg and trumpeter Phil Grenadier take full advantage of technology to create piquant aural landscapes that expand and expound on the very nature of man-to-man dialogue. This pair plunges into the abyss of the mind as they explore themselves, their surroundings, their instruments and their connection to one another, but this ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 20, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Chris Mosey

The inspiration for this album was saxophonist Ornette Coleman's “Lonely Woman." It gave Swedish bassist, Bruno Råberg, what he calls an “aural vision": “I 'heard' a rich, erratic, and busy soundscape in which the beautiful melody would live. I saw images of desolate streets and a lonely person's inner turmoil, conflicting emotions and despair." Coleman's hauntingly melancholic composition was first heard on his The Shape Of Jazz To Come (Atlantic, 1959), when free jazz was in its ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 14, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Florence Wetzel

Plunge is a captivating CD that features the formidable duo of bassist Bruno Råberg and trumpeter Phil Grenadier. Each musician brings to the table their unique background and decades of experience: Råberg hails from Sweden, and in his twenties he played with the cream of Swedish jazz musicians, including trombonist Eje Thelin, pianist Bobo Stenson and renowned singer Monica Zetterlund. With the magic of Scandinavian jazz firmly in his bones, Råberg emigrated to America in the early eighties, and since ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 11, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Hrayr Attarian

Part adlib verse and part haiku poetry, Plunge is, above all, a study of sound and its ability to conjure images and emotions. A collaborative effort by Swedish born bassist Bruno Råberg and trumpeter Phil Grenadier, Plunge's nineteen short pieces range from intricately impressionistic to deeply expressive abstractions. On “Last Train To Seville," Grenadier overdubs his trumpet with it is own echo, simulating the locomotive's piercing horn but with a sense of angst and ...

ALBUM REVIEW August 2, 2012

Phil Grenadier / Bruno Raberg Duo: Plunge

By Dan McClenaghan

Swedish-born and now Boston-based bassist Bruno Råberg explores meditative soundscapes with a flexible free improvisation approach in a variety of ensemble sizes. On Presence (Orbis Records, 2000) he featured a trio lineup. Chrysalis (Orbis Records, 2004) showcased an all-star nonet; and on his sprawling two disc Lifelines (Orbis Records, 2008) he employed a quartet. With Plunge though, he pares things down to an intimate duo setting, teaming with trumpeter Phil Grenadier for the most modern sounding outing in his discography.