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Louis Cole: Quality Over Opinion
by Scott Lichtman
Louis Cole is a chameleonic genius--merging beats, samples and catchy tunes across styles ranging from metal-funk-fusion" to pastoral falsettos." His loose incorporation of jazz traits, including syncopation, funk keys and sophisticated horn arrangements, has yielded new validation with a Grammy 2024 Best Alternative Jazz Album nomination for Quality Over Opinion (originally released in 2022). Cole plays ...
Trespass Trio featuring Susana Santos Silva: Live In Oslo
by John Sharpe
Although Swedish saxophonist Martin Küchen is the toast of festival-goers across Europe for the variously sized Angles ensembles he fronts, which revel in sometimes exuberant, sometimes heart-rending riff-fuelled anthems, he also pursues somewhat more somber strands of expression. One involves the sort of adventurous sonic explorations heard on Animal Quotes (Relative Pitch, 2022). But ...
London Afrobeat Collective: Esengo
by Chris May
Back in the day, when Fela Kuti invented Afrobeat--and yes, unlike practically every other music to emerge in the 20th century, Afrobeat was indeed the creation of one person--the music served two functions: to champion the rights and aspirations of post-colonial Black Africans, particularly those at the bottom of the pyramid, and to provide a soundtrack ...
Evan Parker - Barry Guy: So It Goes
by John Sharpe
Two masters who have invented a (the?) lexicon for their instruments meet on So It Goes. British saxophonist Evan Parker and his compatriot bassist Barry Guy should need no introduction to anyone interested in European free improvisation. Both active since the 1970s, they remain vital forces even with as they both move into their eighth decade. ...
Joe Hisaishi: A Symphonic Celebration: Music from the Studio Ghibli films of Hayao Miyazaki
by Scott Gudell
Many movie directors have forged tight bonds with musicians/composers and crafted long lasting and trusted partnerships. Director Hayao Miyazaki is the creator, architect and wizard behind the curtain of arguably the greatest film animation studio on the planet, Japan's Studio Ghibli (with all due respect to, and an occasional photo finish with, Disney.) Joe Hisaishi is ...
John Surman: Words Unspoken
by Joshua Weiner
Englishman John Surman has been one of jazz's most important reedmen since his debut album on the progressive Deram label in 1969. From the start, on classic albums such as John McLaughlin's Extrapolation, Surman displayed a unique voice on the baritone sax, soprano sax, and bass clarinet, sometimes adding electronics to the mix. Since his first ...
Acceleration Due To Gravity: Jonesville
by Pierre Giroux
Bassist, composer and arranger Moppa Elliott's uniquely-titled nonet Acceleration Due To Gravity presents Jonesville a gravity- defying jazz odyssey. It pays a captivating homage to influential bassist Sam Jones by weaving a sonic tapestry which transcends the boundaries of conventional jazz. In this brief seven-track, twenty-one-minute outing, four compositions are by Elliott, with the remainder being ...
Ulysses Owens, Jr. and Generation Y: A New Beat
by Glenn Astarita
A New Beat, crafted by the multi-Grammy award-winning drummer Ulysses Owens Jr. and his Generation Y outfit, materializes as a vivid emblem of jazz's evolving dynamics. This album, an amalgamation of nine tracks, epitomizes the fusion of classic jazz standards with inventive perspectives. Among its highlights, Bird Lives" notably shines for its technical brilliance and tribute ...
Auckland Jazz Orchestra: Inverted
by John Fenton
We lost jazz pianist Phil Broadhurst back in 2020, but his legacy is enduring, and unsurprisingly, he is constantly in the thoughts of the musicians he worked with. Here we have a loving tribute to the man and his music, appropriately performed by the Auckland Jazz Orchestra, which is peopled with musicians who knew him well. ...
Gerald Cannon: Live At Dizzy's Club: The Music of Elvin & McCoy
by Jack Bowers
In June 2022, bassist Gerald Cannon assembled an all-star septet to perform compositions by his late friends and musical colleagues, drummer Elvin Jones and pianist McCoy Tyner, in concert at Dizzy's Club in New York City. It is a respectable blowing session, with capable solos by all hands, albeit a tad less than one might expect ...


