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Marialy Pacheco: Danzón Cubano
by Ian Patterson
You can take the girl out of Cuba, but you can't take Cuba out of the girl. Pianist Marialy Pacheco left her homeland for Germany in 2004, and after a few years in Australia, settled once again in Germany. Wherever Pacheco has dropped anchor, however, she has turned to her island's music for inspiration. Nestled amongst her own compositions, albums such as Songs That I Love (Pinnacles Music, 2012), Introducing (Neuklang Records, 2014) and Duets (Neuklang, 2017) have been liberally ...
read moreOlivier Le Goas: Reciprocity
by Dan McClenaghan
Matt Cibula, writing for All About Jazz, wondered in his review of French drummer Olivier Le Goas' Gravitation (Altrisuoni, 2007): “Who the heck is Olivier Le Goas...?" indicating perhaps a paucity of information about the leader, even in this day of Internet info overload. Nine years later there still isn't much on-line scoop about the man. So we go with the music. Gravitation, an all-star quartet affair featuring guitarist John Abercrombie, trumpeter Ralph Alessi and bassist Drew Gress, ...
read moreAERIE: Hatch and Host
by Ian Patterson
Band names whose meanings are obscure and whose pronunciations are uncertain can be annoying, so to clarify, an aerie is the nest of a bird of prey. It can be pronounced 'airy' or 'eerie," though the music on the debut of this multi-national quintet is neither. Instead, this overtly contemporary jazz veers between bucolic at one extreme and visceral at the other, with flowing improvisations contained within bold compositional frameworks that evolve organically this way and that. The eight compositions, ...
read moreOmer Klein: Fearless Friday
by Ian Patterson
From Israel to Boston and then to New York, Omer Klein has followed the path of so many of his compatriots--up to a point. His debut as outright leader, Introducing Omer Klein (Smalls Records, 2008), announced a unique voice, one that blended folkloric, classical and contemporary colors quite seamlessly. Three further recordings cemented Klein's reputation as one of the most talented pianists of his generation. Then, with New York at his feet, Klein moved to Germany. The change, however, has ...
read moreThe Ayn Inserto Jazz Orchestra: Home Away From Home
by Budd Kopman
Composer and band leader Ayn Inserto's path leading to the release of the marvelous Home Away From Home is actually circular. Italian trombonist Massimo Morganti was studying at Berklee, when he heard a performance of Inserto's orchestra featuring tenor saxophonist George Garzone and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer (with whom she studied for two years as her mentor). Returning to Italy, he decided to create a similar orchestra the Colours Jazz Orchestra, in 2002 which ultimately put out Nineteen Plus One featuring ...
read moreMarialy Pacheco: Introducing
by Ian Patterson
The album title is something of a misnomer as Introducing is Marialy Pacheco's seventh release as leader since Benediciones (Weltwunder Records, 2005). The jny:Melbourne-based Cuban's stock has certainly risen since that introduction, notably as a result of becoming the first female winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in 2012. A noted classical pianist too, Pacheco has recited Bach with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and guested with the Queensland Chamber Orchestra, the Camerata of St. John's. For her ...
read moreJournal Intime: Extension des feux
by Glenn Astarita
The trio's third album parallels its desire to generate music based on unorthodox group settings. Along with distinguished guest artists, avant-garde guitarist Marc Ducret and accordionist Vincent Peirani, the program is designed with numerous sound-shaping factors and incongruent angles. But these suite-like compositions are engineered on either complex or modest structural elements, tendering an abundance of fascinating musical perspectives. And Ducret's distortion-laced guitar voicings provide an additional dynamic amid many of these dense frameworks that equate to a succession of ...
read moreEyot: Drifters
by Ian Patterson
It's every serious group's desire to craft an identifiable, and as far as possible, a unique sound whereby just a few notes leave little doubt about who's playing. Serbian quartet Eyot achieved that with its splendid debut, Horizon (Ninety and Nine Records,2011), where minimalism and power went hand-in-hand in an intoxicating mix of jazz, art-rock, classical and Balkan folk melodies. Pianist Dejan Ilijic's compositions were defined by the layering and interweaving of rhythms and motifs, all but eschewing solos in ...
read moreSimin Tander: Wagma
by Ian Patterson
Vocal improvisation rarely strays far from scat, so it's something worth celebrating when a voice emerges with a distinct vocabulary. Afghan/German singer/composer Simin Tander is such a voice, and her debut is an intriguing offering of compositions sung in English, Spanish and her own, striking improvisations. Backed by a piano-led jazz trio which is both sympathetically supportive and subtly dynamic, Tander's instantly appealing voice, and uncommon approach to vocal jazz--within a modern jazz quartet setting--makes for compelling listening.
read moreSimin Tander: Wagma
by C. Michael Bailey
Simin Tander is a polyglot German-Afghan singer who combines the fierce creativity of Meredith Monk with the jazz savvy of Gretchen Parlato. She has surrounded herself with a like-minded trio that is willing to forge in whatever direction she desires, with music and singing full of wordless howls, purrs, and calls. This is multicultural music with a German edge and the rugged and untamed spirit of Afghanistan. “Becoming" is a composition in English that begins like Thelonious ...
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