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Gary Bartz NTU Troop: Live In Bremen
by Chris May
In the early 1970s there was fusion and there was NTU Troop. After paying his dues in bands led by Charles Mingus, Max Roach and Art Blakey, Bartz made a splash in 1969 with his sophomore album, Another Earth (Milestone), a genius blend of spiritual jazz, space jazz and down and dirty blues. On it, Bartz ...
Maridalen: Maridalen
by Gareth Thompson
The use of sacred spaces has long been a feature of jazz recordings. Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd made their classic Jazz Samba (Verve, 1962) album at All Souls Church, Washington DC, whilst a converted Greek Orthodox site played home to Miles Davis' Kind Of Blue (Columbia, 1959). Among similar stories, the Norwegian act Moskus recorded ...
Alban Darche: Le Gros Cube #2
by Alberto Bazzurro
La passione di Alban Darche, quarantasettenne tenorsassofonista e compositore bretone, per i grossi organici è nota: ce ne siamo già occupati diverse volte, su queste colonne. Questo suo ultimo lavoro, edito come d'uso su Yolk Music, non fa eccezione: diciotto elementi, big band che più classica non si potrebbe. Per una volta (almeno rispetto al passato) ...
Charlie Porter: Hindsight
by Hrayr Attarian
Trumpeter Charlie Porter has proved himself to be an inventive composer whose works are simultaneously thought-provoking and mellifluous. His third and perhaps most immediately relevant release, Hindsight, draws inspiration from the events that came to public attention in 2020. Musically, the nine originals are fluid yet complex and are peppered with sounds from other genres such ...
KT Reeder: 2021 Jazz
by David Burke
Jazz has always defied convention, its improvisational nature eliciting as much opprobrium as ovation. Ironically, given the libertarian philosophy that underpins it, those who play, critique or listen aren't always so receptive to change, to boundaries being forced, to new territory being mapped out. Remember, there were many who didn't dig bebop at first, many others ...
Glenn Close & Ted Nash: Transformation
by Paul Rauch
Transformation is a multi-disciplinary work from saxophonist/composer Ted Nash, and iconic actress Glenn Close, exploring the multi-faceted and abstract theme of transformation. The works included examine the theme from both universal and individual conceptions. Music and literature at its best is clearly transformative for anyone experiencing it. Transformation is by essence, the highest and most illuminating ...
Extrema Ratio: A Dangerous Method
by Mark Corroto
In 1989, John Zorn, in the liner notes of Spy Vs Spy (Elektra), a cover album of Ornette Coleman compositions, thanked (among many) the bands Napalm Death, Blind Idiot God, and The Accused, before finishing with Fucking hardcore rules. Smash racism." Zorn's music comes slamming back to mind with A Dangerous Method from Extrema Ratio, because ...
Danilo Blaiotta Trio: Departures
by Neri Pollastri
Primo disco a nome del pianista Danilo Blaiotta che sceglie per l'occasione la tipica formazione in trio con giovani e interessantissimi musicisti quali sono il contrabbassista Jacopo Ferrazza e il batterista Valerio Vantaggio, operando poi su un repertorio per due terzi di proprie composizioni. Calabrese di cultura arbëreshë, Blaiotta è cresciuto in vari luoghi ...
Irene Schweizer / Hamid Drake: Celebration
by Troy Dostert
If John Coltrane was the dominant figure behind the rise of Impulse Records in the 1960s, and Wayne Shorter played a similar role for Blue Note in the same decade, one could argue that pianist Irène Schweizer has placed her stamp upon Intakt Records. Certainly the Swiss avant-garde label has embraced that relationship, as aside from ...
Zurich Jazz Orchestra & Steffen Schorn: Dedications
by Dan McClenaghan
The Zurich Jazz Orchestra (ZJO), under the leadership of multiple reedist Steffen Schorn, is a colorful listening experience on their 2021 release Dedications. The arrangements weave woodwind pastels over backdrops of the darker hues of the trombones and bursts of bright primaries from the trumpets. Schorn took the leadership role of the ZJO in ...

