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Zhengtao Pan Jazz Orchestra: Scenery in My Story
by Jack Bowers
Zhengtao Pan, born in Shanghai, China, less than twenty-five years ago, was already well-known as a designer of video games when he chose to move to Boston, MA, to study jazz composition at the Berklee College of Music. Scenery In My Story is Pan's debut recording as leader of his Jazz Orchestra, and as its title ...
Vince Guaraldi: It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown!
by Joshua Weiner
The series of complete Peanuts television special soundtracks put out by Lee Mendelson Film Productions continues to thrill fans of Vince Guaraldi, Charlie Brown, Snoopy and all the gang. After the highly successful Christmas, Halloween, and Thanksgiving animated specials, the stage was set for 1974's It's The Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown! Recorded over two days at ...
Simin Tander: The Wind
by Ian Patterson
A journey of progression and discovery might best describe singer Simin Tander's musical evolution. From the outset, with her debut album Wagma (Neuklang Records, 2011), the German-Afghan singer was already stretching the boundaries of jazz, displaying a deeply personal approach to vocal improvisation and forging a sound that remains elusive. With Where Water Travels Home (Jazzhaus ...
Stefan Sirbu: Reverie
by Dan McClenaghan
The art of daydreaming is the birthplace of creativity. Moldavian-born pianist Stefan Sirbu delves into that state of receptive awareness with his album Reverie. The seven tunes presented here total up to a bit under 40 minutes. Sirbu says his goal was: “To produce a record that one could listen to during a short commute home, ...
Mike McClelland Rm 210: You'll Hear It: The Music of Bob Fenton
by Pierre Giroux
The Mike McClelland Quartet in this release has adopted the title of Mike McClelland Rm 210, led by McClelland on drums and joined by a stellar trio of Toronto musicians, including Mike Murley on tenor and soprano saxophones, Reg Schwager on guitar, and bassist Neil Swainson. The band pays a heartfelt tribute to pianist and composer ...
Eugenia Choe: So We Speak
by Dan McClenaghan
New York-based pianist Eugenia Choe's first two trio albums on SteepleChase Records, 2016's Magic Light (review here) and 2018's Verdfant Green (review here), featured her trio with bassist Danny Weller and drummer Alex Wyatt. For her third album release, So We Speak, Choe goes with a trio once again, this time teaming with vibraphonist Yuhan Su ...
Liz Cole: I Want to Be Happy
by Richard J Salvucci
"Unfortunately, I became entangled in a variety of day jobs and set music on the backburner for a shameful number of years. Finally, I have realized that I don't want to work in an office." How often has some frustrated artist said just those words, or some variant? The music business is a tough one, and ...
Rob Brown: Walkabout
by Fran Kursztejn
Despite spending the majority of his career as a side man for William Parker and Matthew Shipp, Rob Brown is perhaps the most recognizable alto saxophonist on the East Coast. Recognizable not because he is famous (far from it), but simply because he is rather difficult to mistake. His sound is abrasive, bellowing and free, oozing ...
Matt Carmichael: Dancing With Embers
by Neil Duggan
Scottish tenor saxophonist Matt Carmichael captured attention with his first album Where Will The River Flow (Porthole Music, 2021), garnering over 8 million streams. His second album, Marram (Edition Records, 2022), developed his blend of jazz and Scottish folk, winning “Best Album" in the Scottish Jazz Awards. He follows this with Dancing With Embers, which changes ...
University of Nevada-Las Vegas: Let The Good Times Roll
by Jack Bowers
If energy and enthusiasm were enough to earn a prize, the University of Nevada Las Vegas Jazz Ensemble 1 would surely have one in hand to salute its newest album, Let the Good Times Roll, a textbook lesson in buoyant and heavy-duty big-band jazz. While co-directors Dave Loeb and Nathan Tanouye enlist no fewer than seven ...
