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News: Radio

The Jazz Session #244: Nicholas Urie

March 1, 2011

Nicholas Uries new album, My Garden (Red Piano Records, 2011), features his settings of the poems of Charles Bukowski. In this interview, Urie talks about his identification with Bukowski, who, like Urie, spent much of his life in Los Angeles; the challenges of setting Bukowskis non-lyrical poems; and the even greater challenge of getting the rights ...

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News: Recording

Shorty Rogers: Portrait of Shorty

March 1, 2011

As modern as Stan Kenton was in 1950, he wasn't modern enough for Shorty Rogers. Rogers, like many members of Kenton's band at the time, was a big fan of Count Basie and his orchestra's dynamic ability to swing hard. While Kenton was obsessed with modern classical music in 1950, Rogers and others like Bud Shank, ...

News: Recording

Oluyemi Thomas, Sirone, Michael Wimberley - Beneath Tones Floor (Nobusiness, 2010) ****

March 1, 2011

By Stef So far, I have only reviewed one CD, Nigeria, by saxophonist Oluyemi Thomas, and I praised it for its poetic power.That I have not reviewed many albums by him has more to do with his limited number of recordings than with the quality of his playing. Thomas, wo plays bass clarinet, flute, soprano, musette ...

232

News: Recording

Scott Fields, Matthias Schubert - Minaret Minuets (Clean Feed, 2111) ****

March 1, 2011

By Paul Acquaro There is a great deal of space for electric guitarist Scott Fields and tenor saxophonist Matthias Schubert to fill on this recent duo outing. Clean Feed offers this description on their site: “In the Minaret Minuets system there are two separate but equal branches: the electric guitar and the tenor saxophone. Composer slash ...

News: Recording

Piano, Piano, Piano

March 1, 2011

David Arner Trio—Porgy & Bess (CIMP, 2011) **** A little over a year ago, I was quite excited about David Arner's piano trio with Michael Bisio and Jay Rosen, called “Out In The Open." The same trio released “Porgy/Bess, Act 1" and now “Porgy/Bess Act 2," also on CIMP. The trio's take on the Gershwin classic ...

News: Recording

Michael Bisio - Travel Music (Self-Published, 2011) ****

March 1, 2011

By Stef A cold rainey night, with small snow flakes falling hesitatingly from the sky, and the best remedy for warming you up is this intimate solo bass album by Michael Bisio. I have written plenty of reviews of music with the bassist as part of the band, or even as leader of the band, but ...

140

News: Recording

Agusti Fernandez, Barry Guy and Ramon Lopez - Morning Glory (Maya, 2010) ****1/2

March 1, 2011

By Stanley Zappa At its high points, Morning Glory is no less a musical achievement than the greatest of the great piano trios in our beloved music. Two that come to mind are the The Lowell Davidison Trio and Bill Evan's Sunday at the Village Vanguard. At their best Agusti Fernández, Barry Guy and Ramón López ...

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News: Recording

Agusti Fernandez, Baldo Martinez and Ramon Lopez - Triez (Emarcy, 2010) ****

March 1, 2011

By Stef No doubt Spain's number one pianist in jazz is Agustí Fernández, whose playing spans the history of music, from classical over traditional jazz to avant-garde. Just to show the pianist's breadth, I confront this very accessible and almost Bill Evanesque album with Trio Local, reviewed below, bringing music totally out of the comfort zone ...

141

News: Recording

Memorize the Sky - Creeks (Broken Research, 2010) ****

March 1, 2011

By Stef I was quite thrilled by “In Former Times," the second album by “Memorize The Sky," for its uncompromising nature and their adventurous take on the sax trio, a journey they take totally over the edge in “Creeks." The band is Matt Bauder on reeds, Zach Wallace on bass and Aaron Siegel on percussion. And ...

News: Recording

Jason Stein's Locksmith Isidore - Three Kinds of Happiness (Not Two, 2010) ****1/2

March 1, 2011

By Guy Peters I have a soft spot for the bass clarinet. The quirky look of the instrument certainly has something to do with that. Also the fact that it has rather few practitioners and the realisation that some of them (like Rudi Mahall and Louis Sclavis) do tremendous things with it. Of course, there's also ...