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Joe Syrian Motor City Jazz Octet: Secret Message
by Jack Bowers
No fuss, no frills here, simply forty-seven or so minutes of generally bright and engaging straight-ahead jazz, stylishly performed by drummer Joe Syrian's admirable Detroit-based octet. This is music the group plays often, blending standards from the Great American Songbook with more recent themes by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Leon Russell and others. ...
Doug MacDonald: Live at the Rancho Mirage Library
by Richard J Salvucci
"Another damn'd thick, square book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr. Gibbon?" Well, maybe the Duke of Gloucester did (or did not say it) on the publication ofThe Rise and Fall of The Roman Empire, but something similar comes to mind when Doug McDonald's most recent recording comes to hand. “The SoCal guitarist has been at ...
Eric Bell: Vulnerability
by Pierre Giroux
Eric Bell's debut album Vulnerability is an exploration of artistry, creativity and respect for jazz traditions. Accompanied by his regular partners bassist Cole Sainburg and drummer Nico Vasquez along with special guests guitarist Dean Anbar and tenor saxophonist Eric Hirschhorn, Bell delivers a compelling performance, balancing the weight of jazz history with an innovative spirit. The ...
Jakob Bro, Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Jason Moran, Thomas Morgan, Andrew Cyrille: Taking Turns
by Neil Duggan
Despite being recorded a decade ago, this album from Danish guitarist Jakob Bro sounds as fresh and contemporary as any 2024 release. Taking Turns was originally recorded in New York in 2014; the album release was delayed by ECM Records, who initially preferred to highlight Bro's trio work. The postponement proves fortuitous, as Bro's melodic compositions ...
Indra Rios-Moore: Where Do We Go From Here?
by Jakob Baekgaard
Death is not a possibility, it is a certainty, and yet it is almost impossible to comprehend that life must end. The miracle of life happens, and as soon as we are born, death enters as an invisible companion. It is a companion that we might ignore most of our life until we cannot. But what ...
Joe Fonda: Eyes On The Horizon
by Mike Jurkovic
As we enter into the season of giving, what better gift can there be than Eyes on the Horizon, bassist/composer Joe Fonda's sonic tribute to his mentor, muse, and like-minded creator, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith. As if welcoming one to a grand destination, Smith's clear and majestic timbre, supported by Fonda's pronounced bowing, proclaims ...
Brian Lynch: 7X7BY7
by Jack Bowers
The number seven, which for reasons shrouded in mystery, has long been considered a symbol of good luck, lies at the core of trumpeter Brian Lynch's latest album, 7X7BY7, which consists of seven themes performed by seven musicians with each number clocking in at precisely six seconds past seven minutes. Furthermore, it is said, “the...process [of ...
The Attic & Eve Risser: La Grande Crue
by Glenn Astarita
The Attic & Eve Risser's La Grande Crue is a multi-directional ride through the world of free jazz, featuring the talents of Rodrigo Amado on tenor saxophone, Gonçalo Almeida on bass, Onno Govaert on drums and French pianist Eve Risser. The Attic, renowned for its intuitive and spontaneous style, welcomes Risser into its musical ecosystem, crafting ...
Michael Robinson: Jeweled Saddle
by Hrayr Attarian
Multi-instrumentalist, composer and inventor Michael Robinson is an idiosyncratic artist whose prolific output is split between piano improvisations and performances on his own invention, the electronic keyboard, the meruvina. Over his career, Robinson has been heavily influenced by Indian traditional music as well as the stylings of such luminaries as alto saxophonist Lee Konitz and clarinetist ...
Alawari: Leviathan
by Troy Dostert
Although Denmark's Alawari has been a known quantity in Europe since its founding in 2016, the group has yet to achieve the visibility it deserves elsewhere--but maybe that will change with Leviathan, the band's sophomore release. Filled with dense arrangements belying the sextet's diminutive size, emotionally resonant themes and fine musicianship, Alawari has crafted a gem ...
