Home » Search Center » Results: Album Review
Results for "Album Review"
Microplastique: Blare Blow Bloom!
by Glenn Astarita
Blare Blow Bloom! by Microplastique, a Chicago-based contemporary music group, is a wild ride through the avant-garde jazz landscape. The album is a cacophony of sound that somehow manages to be both chaotic and harmonious, a testament to the artists' musical prowess and fearless creativity. The press release states: “Performing the compositions of band leader Adam ...
The Dam Jawn featuring Dick Oatts: Forward!
by Pierre Giroux
The Dam Jawn's Forward! is an exhilarating journey through the sonic spectrum of modern jazz, elevated by the presence of alto saxophonist Dick Oatts. This collaboration captures the creative energy of five talented young musicians presently living in Amsterdam (hence the Dam in the name) alongside a veteran master, weaving a tapestry of grooves, colors and ...
BSDE 4tet: Live at Parma Jazz Frontiere
by Neil Duggan
The 2022 release of Elevating Jazz Music Vol. 1 (GleAM Records) marked the debut of the BSDE 4tet, showcasing compositions from Chicago-born, Bologna-based saxophonist Daniele Nasi. Since this debut, Nasi has established himself as a compelling voice on the European jazz scene, with his artistic evolution culminating in winning the prestigious Premio Internazionale Giorgio Gaslini in ...
David Janeway: Forward Motion
by Dan McClenaghan
New York City-based pianist David Janeway began his music journey studying classical music at age five. The move to the Big Apple happened in 1978, and became a permanent move in 1986. He has been a busy presence there for four decades, in various ensemble configurations. Still, he gravitates--especially on recordings--toward the piano trio, with Distant ...
Michael Dease: Found in Space: The Music of Gregg Hill
by Jack Bowers
Even though all but unsung outside his customary locale, Michigan-based composer Gregg Hill has drawn into his orbit a small but well-respected circle of jazz artists including bassist Rodney Whitaker, guitarist Randy Napoleon and trombonist Michael Dease, all of whom have recorded albums dedicated to Hill's diverse and sophisticated music. Found in Space is Dease's second ...
Gardyn Jazz Orchestra: Vinyl Brews
by Jack Bowers
Alto saxophonist Jon C. Gardner not only leads the piquant and powerful Philadelphia-based Gardyn Jazz Orchestra, he also wrote and arranged every song on Vinyl Brews, an in-concert performance recorded in December 2023 at Chris' Jazz Café in the City of Brotherly Love. There are half a dozen tunes in all, three of which are presented ...
Steve Coleman and Five Elements: PolyTropos / Of Many Turns
by Troy Dostert
Perpetually churning rhythms, telepathic detours, unexpected juxtapositions: these are the stock-in-trade of Steve Coleman's Five Elements. And once again the intrepid alto saxophonist's inimitable approach surfaces on PolyTropos / Of Many Turns, a generous, two-disc helping of music that manages to be both intricately complex and fundamentally accessible at the same time. With two live dates ...
Cliff Korman: Urban Tracks
by Katchie Cartwright
As ever, Urban Tracks finds pianist, arranger-composer and scholar Cliff Korman alchemizing, jazzifying choros and Brasilifying jazz tunes to create his own distinctive arrangements. Mood Ingênuo: Pixinguinha Meets Duke Ellington with Paulo Moura (Jazzheads, 1999), Brasilified (Tiger Turn, 2022) and Bossas and Ballads (Tiger Turn, 2024) are among other examples in his discography. He recorded Urban ...
Arild Andersen: Landloper
by Neil Duggan
The stark elegance of Arild Andersen's bass playing has been inspiring and entertaining audiences since the 1970s. He first gained prominence as a member of the Jan Garbarek Quartet, performing alongside Jon Christensen and Terje Rypdal, and was among ECM's first recording artists. Throughout his career he has performed and recorded with jazz luminaries including Sonny ...
Freysteinn Gíslason: Að einhverju / To somewhere
by Glenn Astarita
Emerging from Iceland's volcanic landscape--a land where glaciers and geysers conspire to create heavenly magic--Freysteinn arrives with their third sonic missive, Að einhverju/To somewhere. This is not your grandmother's jazz album; it is a musical expedition that pirouettes between traditional Icelandic folk whispers, rock and a progressive jazz swagger. Along with the melodic complexities ...
