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Javier Red: Life & Umbrella
by Mike Jurkovic
The secret behind Life & Umbrella is that Chicago-based, Mexican-born pianist/composer Javier Red is a studied composer who puts a great deal of thought into the music he presents, both to his peers and to the world. But that music never feels calculated like an equation with an obvious answer. Just the exact opposite. So it ...
Artemis: In Real Time
by Katchie Cartwright
For drummer Allison Miller, a key feature of In Real Time is that this second Blue Note release captures the unique ensemble sound of Artemis. She stresses a palpable sonic integrity that she attributes to trust and chemistry. Renee Rosnes emphasizes the singularity of each player in the equation, underscoring a striking juxtaposition between the stylistic ...
Jay Rattman: In the Towns
by Richard J Salvucci
Jay Rattman may not exactly be a household name to some jazz listeners and saxophone hounds. Perhaps he should be. Busy, literate, and creative, Rattman is that rare player who makes one think. In a juxtaposition of styles, genres, and horns, New York-based Rattman, could be accused of what was termed formalism" in the good old ...
Alexander Hawkins Trio With Neil Charles And Stephen Davis: Carnival Celestial
by Ian Patterson
The laws of probability dictate that if three musicians spend enough time together a trio recording will eventually arise. Pianist Alexander Hawkins, bassist Neil Charles and drummer Stephen Davis have clocked up many a road mile since forming in 2012. They have also recorded together in various settings, notably on the Alexander Hawkins/Elaine Mitchener album UpRoot ...
Phil Minton / Pat Thomas / Dave Tucker / Roger Turner: Scatter: On A Clear Day Like This
by John Sharpe
Recorded on the first night of a Pat Thomas residency at north London's Cafe Oto, On A Clear Day Like This by the collective Scatter demonstrates the breadth of the pianist's artistry, following as it did an opening set of Duke Ellington tunes. Aside from Thomas, who founded the group in 1992 and performs on piano ...
Louise Dodds and Elchin Shirinov: Two Hours After Midnight
by Neil Duggan
Two Hours After Midnight is the first duo release from Scottish jazz vocalist, Louise Dodds, and Azerbaijani pianist, Elchin Shirinov. The album title is inspired by the last letter Mary Queen of Scots wrote just hours before her execution in 1587. It was written to Henry III, King of France and signed this Wednesday, two hours ...
Gretchen Parlato and Lionel Loueke: Lean In
by Geno Thackara
With a voice as sweet and cool as a spring breeze, Gretchen Parlato would sound at home in any cozy jazz club from Paris to Sao Paulo. The sound of Lionel Loueke's voice and guitar is at least 60 percent rhythm, with his plucking and crooning having an innate percussive pulse running through it. Two decades ...
Metropolitan Jazz Octet: The Bowie Project
by Paul Reynolds
A tribute to a pop artist by jazz musicians--as with the new David Bowie album by Chicago's Metropolitan Jazz Octet--has to tread a careful line. It obviously won't--can't--be a rote reproduction of the originals, a flaw that sinks many pop-to-pop tributes. Yet it needs to translate the songs into jazz--its harmonic sophistication, especially--in a way that ...
Danny Fox Trio: Time Took Care of It
by Neil Duggan
Brooklyn-based pianist and composer Danny Fox has an eye-catching background. He has studied with John Kamitsuka, Fred Hersch, Ethan Iverson and Garry Dial, and performed with artists as varied as Bruce Springsteen, Cassandra Wilson and Emmylou Harris. Since 2008, he has led the Danny Fox Trio with Time Took Care of It being their fourth album. ...
Karl Berger: Heart Is A Melody
by Dave Linn
Karl Berger, one of the more unsung and underrated jazz musicians of our time, passed away on April 9, 2023. He had just turned 88 years old. Berger released several dozen albums as a leader and scores more as a sideman. His discography reads like a Who's Who of modern jazz. He recorded with people such ...


