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Rogér Fakhr: Fine Anyway
by Gareth Thompson
Based in Berlin, the label Habibi Funk took its name from an online comment about one of its mixes. Habibi" is actually the Arabic word for darling," which seems fitting for a company intent on sharing the love. Their stated aim is to reissue mostly North African musical treasures from the 1970s and '80s, ranging from ...
Julie Sassoon: If You Can't Go Outside...Go Inside
by Mike Jurkovic
As we've learned time and time again throughout this sick year, 2021, not many humans are ready to completely surrender themselves for the good of their fellow kind. So it's truly a beautiful thing when Berlin based pianist Julie Sassoon surrenders so completely to her instrument and the moment that, like a medium, reveals mysteries to ...
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii: Keshin
by Dan McClenaghan
The Covid-19 virus tightened its grip on the world in 2020, bringing the old one door closes, another one opens" trope to mind. The door into touring, to presenting music in live venues, slammed shut. But the extra time afforded by the lack of live music opportunities let the recording studio doors swing wide open--especially in ...
Tubby Hayes: Free Flight
by Chris May
Tenor saxophonist, flautist, vibraphonist and composer Tubby Hayes, who died at the unconscionably young age of thirty-eight in 1973, was that rare thing among the first generation of British jazz musicians in the 1960sa player who was taken seriously by the hippest American musicians and audiences. He visited New York in 1961 and 1964 for well-received ...
A Bu Trio with Larry Grenadier and Eric Harland: One Step East
by Karl Ackermann
Pianist/composer A Bu, whose given name is Dai Liang, has outgrown the child prodigy" tag but not the attributes. A student at Central Conservatory in Beijing, and later at Juilliard, he was influenced by a meaningful meeting with Chick Corea at the age of thirteen. Corea performed in Shanghai, where he invited A Bu onto the ...
Julius Hemphill: The Boyé Multi-National Crusade For Harmony
by Mark Corroto
There is something inherently objectionable when a billionaire acquires an artistic masterpiece by say, Leonardo DaVinci or Claude Monet, only to sequester it from public view. You might feel the same about Julius Hemphill's recordings Dogon A.D. (Mbari, 1972) and 'Coon Bid'ness (Arista/Freedom, 1975). Both five star recordings, now out of print, cost a small fortune ...
Christopher Burnett: The Standards, Vol. 1
by Kyle Simpler
Modern jazz can certainly take a variety of different forms, but standards still remain the foundation for many players. With The Standards Vol. 1, Christopher Burnett brings modern and traditional elements together in an excellent meeting. His approach is to bring a traditional approach to each song, whether it's a well-loved favorite or an original composition. ...
Garage A Trois: Calm Down Cologne
by Chris May
Formed by guitarist Charlie Hunter, saxophonist Skerik and drummer Stanton Moore in 1999, Garage A Trois has sparked a slew of But is it jazz?" debates with every new release. Calm Down Cologne will do it again. GAT has been through various incarnations since its debut EP, The Mysteryfunk (Fog City Records, 1999), necessitated ...
The Dave Weckl Band: Live in St. Louis at the Chesterfield Jazz Festival
by Jim Worsley
At a time where millions around the world are thankfully being vaccinated, the cure for live music blues has yet to be addressed. While nothing can replace the sound, the energy, and feel of live music, a medicinal record will be on the market in April 2021. While this reunion concert recorded in 2019 would no ...
@-Quartet: ¡En Seguida!
by Jack Bowers
On ¡En Seguida!, its third album as a unit, French guitarist Didier Verna's astutely-named @-Quartet is lyrically clever and charming, rhythmically sharp and strong, and never banal or boring. One reason for this is the many bright and pleasing sounds Verna coaxes from his guitars (regular and fretless), guitar synth and sitar; a second is his ...

