Home » Search Center » Results: Album Review
Results for "Album Review"
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii / Ramon Lopez: Yama Kawa Umi
by Dan McClenaghan
In a nearly thirty-year career, Satoko Fujii (pianist, bandleader, composer, provocateur, sonic experimenter in the first degree) has shown herself to be one of the most daring and uncompromising artists in music. In a way, she is like Thelonious Monk in that--upon an initial experience with Monk's music (and Fujii's)--the uninitiated may not know quite what ...
Jeremy Pelt: Tomorrow's Another Day
by Alberto Bazzurro
L'avvio non è dei più incoraggianti, lambendo abbastanza pericolosamente la deriva dell'easy listening, ma poi, per fortuna, le cose migliorano e questo nuovo lavoro di Jeremy Pelt, virgulto ormai quarantottenne di certo “nuovo" jazz, riprende abbastanza convintamente la retta via. O meglio la strada maestra, perché è questo il nuovo verbo cui il trombettista californiano fa ...
Alvin Queen: The Jazzcup Café Blues
by Pierre Giroux
Alvin Queen, the legendary drummer who astounded audiences as a child prodigy when he sat in with John Coltrane at Birdland at age twelve, delivers a riveting live performance from Jazzclub Domicile in Pforzheim, Germany, in May 2019. In this eight-track session, Queen is accompanied by Jesse Davis on alto sax, Danny Grissett piano, Dezron Douglas ...
Darryl Yokley: Un Mundo en Soledad
by Paul Rauch
Composer/saxophonist Darryl Yokley's Sound Reformation recordings have always revealed a keen compositional sense for sound, mood-setting melodies that tell a story. One could easily describe his writing and playing style as lyrical, creating a narrative of sound without actual vocal or spoken word participation. Imagine then, a suite of tunes written lyrically in terms of melody, ...
Joel Jeschke: Time & Place
by Glenn Astarita
Joel Jeschke, a versatile Canadian drummer from Edmonton, Alberta, has made a name for himself across multiple genres, from rock to jazz. Having performed and recorded with numerous artists including rock bands like Royal Tusk and Whale and the Wolf as well as modern jazz artists such as Aretha Tillotson and the Stephanie Urquhart Quartet, Jeschke ...
PAZ: Variation and Creation: The Story of PAZ
by Tony Poole
Paz was a London-based British fusion collective formed in 1972 by vibraphonist Dick Crouch. Their sound was heavily influenced by Latin music, though not entirely. Crouch worked as a producer for the BBC Transcription Department in West London. He formed the group out of a growing dissatisfaction with the local jazz of the time, and a ...
James Emery Neo Trio: Inner Drive
by Glenn Astarita
Before forming this trio, James Emery established himself as a prominent figure in the New York jazz scene, notably as a founding member of the acclaimed String Trio of NY. This unique ensemble, blending classical and jazz influences, garnered critical acclaim for its inventive arrangements and dynamic performances. And Inner Drive highlights the virtuosic talents and ...
Dave Stryker: Stryker with Strings Goes to the Movies
by Jack Bowers
Guitarist Dave Stryker, who is at home in any venue, Goes to the Movies on this ambitious album, wherein his working quartet is greeted by a thirty-piece orchestra with strings and four talented guest artists. There are some gems here--Henry Mancini's “Dreamsville," Rodgers and Hammerstein's “Edelweiss," Ennio Morricone's theme from Cinema Paradiso among them--and a few ...
Jessica Jones Quartet: Edible Flowers
by Dan McClenaghan
The Jessica Jones Quartet's Edible Flowers can be described as a pair of hot tenor saxophonists cranking things up and shouting out one freewheeling romp (or rant) after another. There is a structure to her tunes, but the improvisation slice of the pie is a big one. Saxophonist Jones is joined by her sax mate, Tony ...
Heavy Hitters: That's What's Up!
by Jack Bowers
Heavy Hitters is a superb New York-based sextet co-led by pianist Mike LeDonne and tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. Individually and as a team, the Hitters keep their eyes squarely on the ball, swing for the fences and, more often than not, slam the spheroid solidly out of the park. And on this typically upbeat session they ...
