Articles by John Sharpe

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

ALBUM REVIEW March 2, 2021

Vijay Anderson Trio: Studio Sessions Vol. 10

Read "Studio Sessions Vol. 10" reviewed by John Sharpe

Brooklyn-based Californian drummer Vijay Anderson leads an impressively cohesive trio on Studio Sessions Vol .10. In this case cohesion is a product of shared experience. Anderson's career has been intertwined with bassist Adam Lane's since 2003, and can be heard on Zero Degree Music (CIMP, 2005), New Magical Kingdom (Clean Feed, 2006),and Absolute Horizon (NoBusiness, 2013). Likewise, clarinetist Ben Goldberg has been a long-time colleague of the drummer, as evidenced by his appearances on Hard-Boiled Wonderland (Not Two, 2010) and ...

ALBUM REVIEW March 1, 2021

Yuma Uesaka and Marilyn Crispell: Streams

By John Sharpe

Reedman Yuma Uesaka enlists storied pianist Marilyn Crispell to realize a splendid program of his charts on Streams. Uesaka, who was born in London and spent his early childhood in Japan, before growing up in Michigan, is making a name for himself as part of a rising generation of New York-based improvisers. While not his leadership debut, (he issued an EP on graduating in 2015), this represents a serious statement of intent. He can be heard in saxophonist ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 28, 2021

Benoit Delbecq: The Weight of Light

By John Sharpe

French pianist Benoit Delbecq has become one of the leading exponents of the John Cage-inspired school of prepared piano in the jazz and improvised music arena. So much so that Canadian pianist Kris Davis received a grant to study extended piano techniques with him early in her career, and has since performed with him in duet. No surprise then to find Delbecq's solo recital The Weight Of Light appearing on Davis' Pyroclastic imprint. He's no stranger to the ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 27, 2021

Aki Takase: Auge

By John Sharpe

While it might be Aki Takase's name which grabs the attention thanks to her illustrious track record, the trio on Auge represents a true co-operative, as the Berlin-based Japanese pianist joins forces with Swiss bassist Christian Weber and German drummer Michael Griener in a perfectly balanced triumvirate. Takase draws on an ouevre which famously encompasses almost the entire history of jazz, stretching from projects reimagining Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Eric Dolphy all the way to freeform ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 10, 2021

Tim Berne / Matt Mitchell: Spiders

By John Sharpe

In spite, or perhaps because, of the lull in work in 2020, alto saxophonist and composer Tim Berne maintained a busy release schedule. Spiders, his third set of duets with pianist Matt Mitchell, arrives hot on the heels of The Fantastic Mrs 10 (Intakt) and The Deceptive 4 Live (Intakt), both by his band Snakeoil which also includes Mitchell. The program, which comprises all new material, was recorded live not long before the Covid pandemic effectively ended in concert appearances ...

ALBUM REVIEW February 6, 2021

Ruf Der Heimat: Secrets

By John Sharpe

Originally an outfit exploring perspectives on free jazz from either side of the Berlin Wall, Ruf Der Heimat continues to thrive on Secrets, only its fourth release over the near three decades since its 1992 birth. Leader and reedman Thomas Borgmann remains at the helm beside his longtime accomplice drummer Willi Kellers but, in the meantime, the former East German contingent of saxophonist Ernst Ludwig Petrowsky and bassist Christoph Winckel has departed to be replaced in the current incarnation by ...

MULTIPLE REVIEWS February 1, 2021

Stephen Gauci / Adam Lane / Kevin Shea: Bulletins From The Frontline

By John Sharpe

Until the pandemic hit, tenor saxophonist Stephen Gauci's trio, with bassist Adam Lane and drummer Kevin Shea, formed the keystone of the Bushwick Improvisers Series organized by the hornman. The band had played every week since the summer of 2017, give or take the occasional substitution, either as a threesome or with the addition of guitarist Sandy Ewen (as heard on Studio Sessions Vol 5 (Gaucimusic, 2019)). As a result they are more than familiar with each other's proclivities, and ...