Jazz Articles

Marnix Busstra: Firm Fragile Fun

by Dave Wayne
January 4, 2016

Let's get one thing out of the way: guitarist and leader of the eminently capable quartet featured on Firm Fragile Fun Marnix Busstra sounds a great deal like John Scofield. Busstra's tone, phrasing, attack, and even his choice of guitar parallel those of the celebrated solo artist and ex-Miles Davis plectrist. When he digs into the second-line strutter “Fun" and the blues-based ballad “Smoky," he could provide a real challenge for someone being subjected to one of those DownBeat Blindfold ...

Eric Vloeimans' Oliver's Cinema: Eric Vloeimans' Oliver's Cinema

by Dan Bilawsky
October 15, 2014

Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans isn't afraid to try different things. In fact, he seems to relish the opportunity to work in a variety of settings. Vloeimans tangled with pianist John Taylor, bassist Marc Johnson, and drummer Joey Baron on Bitches and Fairy Tales (Challenge Records, 1999); he went the electric route with a quartet known as Gatecrash; he recorded with The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra on Evensong (Challenge Classics, 2013); and he pared things down, conversing openly with pianist Florian Weber ...

Song, Newton & Bynum: Trio Ex Nihilo

by AAJ Staff
July 1, 2001

At its best, improvisation revolves around a shared vocabulary. Traditional jazz often invokes a collection of rhythmic patterns, chord changes, and corresponding scales dictated by protocol. In the case of free improvisation, the field is thrown wide open--leaving the improvisers to their own devices, so to speak. Trio Ex Nihilo, a set of Boston players, documents a particular vocabulary shared by three individuals with local and global experience. (Ironically, their most recent efforts come to us via the Dutch Buzz ...

Misha Mengelberg: Solo

by Mark Corroto
November 1, 2000

The intimacy of jazz has always been its most powerful draw. The listener, somewhat of a voyeur to the musician’s inner soul, is positioned either at a live concert, or in the case of a quality recording, at a comfortable (or uncomfortable) distance. Here the listener catches the creative act at its fountainhead.

Misha Mengelberg’s music has always been an endless source of creative vigor. The 65 year-old pianist made his first recording with the traveling Eric Dolphy in 1964 ...

John Tchicai: John Tchicai's Infintesimal Flash

by Glenn Astarita
April 1, 2000

With Infinitesimal Flash revered woodwind specialist John Tchicai teams with the extremely talented tenor saxophonist Francis Wong which makes for a formidable and thoroughly adventurous front-line sax section. As one would presuppose, the musicians explore the outer reaches of jazz boundaries by incorporating power, tenacity and divergent ideologies while merging world beat motifs in seamless fashion. The fun begins on the opening track titled, “Kippiology” featuring the explosive rhythms supplied by bassist Adam Lane and drummer Mat Marucci in support ...

Satoko Fujii Orchestra: Jo

by Glenn Astarita
April 1, 2000

The well-educated composer/pianist Satoko Fujii is the recipient of many industry-related awards while accumulating a fairly significant track record in modern jazz circles whether she’s performing free-improvisation within the traditional piano trio format or here with a 15-piece ensemble. In Japanese, Jo translates into “beginning”, which to some extent may serve as a paradigm for the manifestation of this rather ambitious project.

Along with an excellent supporting cast that includes trumpeter Jack Walrath, woodwind specialist Briggan Krauss, bassist Stomu Takeishi ...

Freedom of Assembly: Freedom of Assembly

by Derek Taylor
March 1, 2000

Light on liner notes, but rife with quiet timbres and subtle shadings this disc is a ruminative feast. I had not heard of these three players before listening to this release but their work here left me wanting to hear more. That is perhaps the greatest praise possible when it comes to evaluating music. Their winsome approach is one of open-ended improvisation within a congruously swinging framework. Taking into account his instrument and the trio format Seager might be assumed ...

Satoko Fujii Orchestra: Jo

by Jim Santella
March 1, 2000

An explosive ensemble, Satoko Fujii’s 15-piece New York big band includes some of the world’s most creative improvisers working with powerful charts. A 1987 graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and a 1996 graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music, Fujii exhibits forward-leaning elements of compositional style while allowing ample freedom for her soloists to stretch out. She’s a prolific pianist/composer with a half dozen recordings in the past four years and more to come.

“Kyu" ...

Maybe Monday (Ochs-Frith-Masaoka): Saturn's Finger

by Glenn Astarita
January 1, 2000

Saturn’s Finger is a new release by the trio which calls itself “Maybe Monday” consisting of saxophonist Larry Ochs, guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith along with master “koto” performer Miya Masaoka who also utilizes various electronics.

What we have here are three performers who possess extensive, disparate resumes along with exemplary credentials. The title track, Saturn’s Finger clocks in at 33 minutes and features unabashed, serious minded improvisation as Larry Ochs assumes the role of the speaker or lead ...

Maybe Monday (Ochs-Frith-Masaoka): Saturn's Finger

by Glenn Astarita
November 1, 1999

Saturn’s Finger is a new release by the trio which calls itself “Maybe Monday” consisting of saxophonist Larry Ochs, guitarist, composer and multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith along with master “koto” performer Miya Masaoka who also utilizes various electronics. Recorded live in Chicago, July 1998, Saturn’s Finger is currently released in Europe and Japan only. At this juncture, the expected release date in the States is January 2000.

What we have here are three performers who possess extensive, disparate resumes along with ...