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Antonello Losacco: Worlds Beyond
by Neil Duggan
Jazz albums featuring the seven-string electric bass are fairly unusual. Antonello Losacco makes a strong case that this situation should change, by making full use of the wide harmonic and melodic possibilities of the instrument on his album, Worlds Beyond . He was a co-designer of the bass he uses, having undertaken technical research into the ...
Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Mat Maneri, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe Morris, Matt Moran: Seven Skies Orchestra
by Hrayr Attarian
Ever the intrepid innovator, saxophonist Ivo Perelman takes his music in a new direction on the double-disc set, Seven Skies Orchestra. After a long series, primarily of duets, Perelman returns to a larger ensemble setting, a sextet in this case. That is not the only difference between this release and his previous output; the music here, ...
Frode Gjerstad with Matthew Shipp: We Speak
by John Sharpe
While the combination of reedman Frode Gjerstad--the godfather of Norwegian free jazz who dwells about as far from the so-called Nordic sound as you can get--and pianist Matthew Shipp -whose lineage can be traced back through what he terms The Black Mystery School, which takes in Thelonious Monk, Mal Waldron and Randy Weston among others--might seem ...
Howard University Jazz Ensemble 2023: Nefertiti
by Jack Bowers
The Howard University Jazz Ensemble was formed almost half a century ago, in 1975, by Fred Irby III, its first--and, so far, only--music director. Every year since 1976, the ensemble has recorded and released an album to showcase its prowess and growth under Irby's baton. This year's entry, Nefertiti, is a tribute to ...
Gili Lopes: Algures
by Doug Collette
Bassist, composer, musical director and producer Gili Lopes is nothing if not an astute judge of talent. After all, for Algures (from an old Portuguese word meaning 'somewhere'), he has recruited a redoubtable case of accompanists, not the least of whom is saxophonist John Ellis, he of fruitful collaborations with Charlie Hunter and Miguel Zenon among ...
Mia Zabelka: DUOS featuring Alain Joule / Tracy Lisk
by John Eyles
Although Austrian violinist, vocalist & composer Mia Zabelka's first album--a vinyl LP--was released in 1987, DUOS (Setola Di Maiale, 2023) is only her twenty-fifth album release, sixteen of which have been released since 2010. While that could be a negative sign for some musicians, for Zabelka it is an indication of the quality of her albums ...
Mareike Wiening: Reveal
by Mark Sullivan
Mareike Wiening is a German drummer/composer who began her career in New York, and now divides her time between there and Köln, Germany. On her third album, she continues making music with her New York-based working band, an increasingly rare situation in contemporary jazz. It provides her an opportunity for more compositional experimentation with each release. ...
Tomos Williams: Cwmwl Tystion II: Riot!
by Ian Patterson
Billowing clouds of black smoke dominate a blood-red backdrop. From the cover alone, it is clear that trumpeter/composer Tomos Williams has something extra-musical to say. The Welsh language project name--Cwmwl Tystion means 'witness'--and the English title-- Riot!--writ large, expel any doubt. Inspired by events both famous and infamous in Welsh history--workers revolts, pogroms and race riots--this ...
The Dave Stryker Trio with Bob Mintzer: Groove Street
by Pierre Giroux
The Dave Stryker Trio with tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer is a captivating musical escapade. This collaboration not only showcases the talents of the two principals but also the two accompanying players, organist Jared Gold and drummer McClenty Hunter. Right from the initial notes of the opening track Groove Street," a Dave Stryker ...
Bernie Senensky: Moment to Moment
by Jack Bowers
Canadian pianist Bernie Senensky's latest album, Moment to Moment, encompasses two quartet sessions recorded almost twenty years apart: the first in 2001, the second (live) in 2020. While the rhythm sections differ on each, the one constant (aside from Senensky) is the acclaimed tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander. If you are planning to have only one constant, ...


