Jazz Articles

Brian Groder Trio: R Train On The D Line

by Mark Corroto
July 22, 2016

An album like R Train On The D Line is what separates jazz listeners from non-jazz listeners. The Brian Groder Trio plays the kind of composed yet improvised music that portends to go off the rails at any time, yet never does. And that may be the true definition of jazz. Consider the audiences' double-take when Louis Armstrong put a trumpet to his lips to open “West End Blues." Satchmo broke all the musical commandments with his improvised ...

Brian Groder Trio: R Train On The D Line

by Karl Ackermann
March 10, 2016

A New York City jazz scene regular, the trumpeter and flugelhorn player Brian Groder returns with the trio that helped make Reflexology (Latham Records, 2014) such a highly satisfying recording. Bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Jay Rosen are well-suited to supporting Groder's flexible, energetic and probing objectives. Following their previous work together, their mutual empathy of free-form approaches, combined with uncompromising melodies, the trio has proven to be an ambitious unit with a truly different sound.The title--R Train ...

Brian Groder Trio: Reflexology

by Eyal Hareuveni
September 15, 2014

The cover of trumpeter Brian Groder new trio tells much about his aesthetics. He is well-versed with the compositional ideas of the great American jazz masters and their improvisation strategies--Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, including trumpeters as Woody Shaw and Freddie Hubbard. But in the same manner that these innovative and creative muscians marked their sonic footprint in the rich legacy of the genre, Groder not only reflects on past achievments but wants to take this genre a step ...

Brian Groder: Reflexology

by Karl Ackermann
August 25, 2014

A long-time fixture in the his native New York City jazz scene, trumpeter and flugelhorn player Brian Groder has devoted a considerable part of his career to the frequent use of free-form approaches. His previous trios have included bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Newman Taylor Baker. Groder has also worked with trumpeter Taylor Ho Bynum and many others. On Reflexology he surrounds himself with very like-minded improvisers in bassist Michael Bisio and drummer Jay Rosen. Bisio has led virtually every ...

Brian Groder: Reflexology

by Hrayr Attarian
August 22, 2014

Trumpeter Brian Groder distinctive style marks his intelligent versatility and superlative musicianship. This is, of course, not news for those familiar with his work. Whether in electronically tinged improvisational ensembles like Confusion Bleue, large orchestras or intimately small groups Groder's unconventional yet always engaging approach morphs to fit the setting while remaining singularly recognizable.His trio outing Reflexology is a sparse, haunting exploration of hard bop motifs that is simultaneously provocative and endowed with a visceral rhythmic sense. The ...

Brian Groder: Groder & Greene

by Mark Corroto
November 5, 2009

Trumpeter Brian Groder has a talent for creating combinations of players to achieve certain musical outcomes. This instinct is especially important when the territory traversed is free jazz , where the mixtures of players are indispensable if the music is to be coherent. On Groder & Greene, the free jazz is indeed cogent and compelling.

This disc follows Torque (Latham Records, 2006), where Groder was paired with free jazz legend/octogenarian Sam Rivers. Here he invites Burton Greene, the Chicago jazzman ...

Brian Groder: Torque

by Elliott Simon
March 2, 2007

The axis on which this session rotates is the superb rhythm section of bassist Doug Mathews and drummer Anthony Cole. That said, Torque is likewise an intergenerational jazz jaunt that works exceptionally well due to several factors: the extreme level of comfort that flutist/saxophonist Sam Rivers has with this rhythm section; the fact that Rivers, at the age of 83, can still stylistically blow away just about anybody; and the chops and compositional skills of the driving force behind this ...

Brian Groder: Torque

by Ken Kase
December 27, 2006

Once in a great while, a new release comes along in which all the elements of musical magic come together: great ensemble playing, impeccable and sensitive improvisation, and great compositional structures that make it all work. Trumpeter Brian Groder's Torque is one of those rare releases in which everything clicks.Groder's cohorts on this release are the members of the Sam Rivers Trio, and even the most cursory listen reveals that such a combination of musicians is truly inspired. ...

Brian Groder: Torque

by Samuel Chell
December 26, 2006

I've always tried to remain open to the avant-garde, except when the musicians' freedom comes at the expense of the listener's, forcibly invading the precious personal space required for an aesthetic response. On three occasions when I caught Coltrane following the departure of Elvin Jones and McCoy Tyner, I reached such a point but stayed out of devotion, even as I witnessed the house empty. With certain free players, however, I've simply had to leave--not so much because they were ...