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Wayne Alpern: Gotham
by Jack Bowers
There are a number of bright and interesting moments on New York-based arranger Wayne Alpern's album, Gotham, wherein he makes good use of a well-polished tentet on several generally handsome and engaging charts. Alpern's choice of music is eclectic, ranging from Tchaikovsky to Jobim, Rodgers and Hart to Stephen Sondheim, Hoagy Carmichael to Horace Silver, Alex ...
Kirsten Carey and Aaron Edgcomb: Mature Defense Mechanism
by Hrayr Attarian
Guitarist Kirsten Carey and drummer Aaron Edgcomb are both genre defiers with unique and highly personal styles. Both thrive in improvised settings, as their work is seeped in spontaneity. Conceived during the COVID 19 pandemic, Mature Defense Mechanism consists of 11 tracks, each carrying a wallop. The album was recorded while the artists were in different ...
The Necks: Bleed
by Rob Garratt
There is a diverting theory that modernist developments in the visual arts were mirrored in the evolving language of jazz: the rigid melodies of classic swing analogous with the formal representation of realism; the harmonic blurring of modalism an impressionistic step towards ambiguity; and the breakdown of order that came with free jazz the divisive audio ...
Lisa Hilton: Lucky All Along
by Mike Jurkovic
Throughout the course of her quietly triumphant, just south-of-the-spotlight, virtuoso career, pianist/composer Lisa Hilton has never actively pursued, Captain Ahab-like, the biggest fish in the sea. She has played alongside many of the biggies--Christian McBride, Antonio Sanchez, Nasheet Waits, Sean Jones, JD Allen--but finds the greatest comfort, harmony, and camaraderie among her long-standing rhythm mates: bassist Luques Curtis, drummer ...
Jason Robinson: Ancestral Numbers II
by Terence Collie
Ancestral Numbers II is saxophonist, flautist and composer Jason Robinson's second album of music reflecting on his ancestry, following the May 2024 release of Ancestral Numbers I. The album launches with “Sweet Tooth," a simple but compelling composition that starts with a vamp. Opening melodic statements--with saxophone and trombone playing together over infectious piano ...
Lisa Hilton: Lucky All Along
by Neil Duggan
Another Lisa Hilton album, and for many the world seems a better place. Lucky All Along is the pianist's 30th release, proving that it can take a long time to be considered a jazz success story. Her blend of jazz, Latin, pop and blues means she counts the number of plays on streaming services in the ...
Méva's Journal: Chimera
by James Aren
Straight from Australia, sounding like New York in 1960, Meva's Journal plays it mostly old school, with an interesting twist. On Chimera, this hard-bop band swings in all the right places. The band, led by Evan J. Evans, lists Thelonious Monk as their major influence, and it is easy to hear. The band features ...
Hannah Gill: Spooky Jazz. Vol. 2
by Kyle Simpler
In most cases, seasonal albums get shelved after the holiday passes, but Hannah Gill's Spooky Jazz Vol. 2 is an exception. Although it might appear to be a novelty record centered on Halloween-themed songs, the music here transcends the holiday, offering a collection of tunes enjoyable throughout the year. Although the selections ...
The Jim Self-John Chiodini Duo: Feels So Good
by Jack Bowers
Tuba maestro Jim Self and gregarious guitarist John Chiodini unite for the fifth time on Feels So Good, a studio date whose title neatly encapsulates its upbeat vibe. Even though it seems at first blush that the tuba and guitar should be playing in different leagues, Self and Chiodini somehow make the odd mixture work. Self ...
Benjamin Boone: Confluence: The Ireland Sessions
by Paul Rauch
Saxophonist/composer/educator Benjamin Boone is known as a project artist in the first degree. His collaboration with major modern poets has produced a foursome of albums on the Origin Records label, including two with US Poet Laureate, Philip Levine. His saxophone approach could be described as colorful melodicism, a quality accentuated by Boone's open ended compositions that ...
