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John Bacon / Michael McNeill / Danny Ziemann: Refractions
by Nicholas F. Mondello
The Thelonious Monk canon has proved to be fertile ground for jazz musicians' explorations. The reasons range from a sincere and deep appreciation of Monk's melodic and harmonic approaches to a sort of a quirky fascination with the eccentricity of some of Monk's off-center sounds. Pianist Michael McNeill's trio effort, Refractions, is less a hagiography of ...
Gloriæ Dei Cantores: Arvo Pärt - Stabat Mater
by C. Michael Bailey
The late Twentieth-and early Twenty-First-Centuries have been a rich and productive period for sacred choral composers. Sir John Tavener (1944 -2013), Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 -2020), Henryk Górecki (1933 -), and Tigran Mansurian (1939 -) are just a smattering of modern talent behind this ancient form. Estonian composer Arvo Pärt sits atop this collection of composers with ...
Daniel Rorke: Naked Allies
by Ian Patterson
Naked Allies is a two-horn, no-chord quartet, formed in 2018, that bridges the Atlantic. Dublin-based Australian Daniel Rorke and Dubliner Matthew Jacobson made the trek across the big pond in June that year to hook up with Oscar Noriega and electric bassist Simon Jermyn. The Irish connection runs deep, for Dublin was also home to Jermyn, ...
AuB: AuB
by Chris May
Twin-tenor frontlines are almost as old as jazz itself. Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane's meeting on the title track of Rollins' Tenor Madness (Prestige, 1956) may be the starting point for some listeners, but AAJers do not need reminding that the tradition was popular in live performances as far back the 1920s. Later, with the arrival ...
Viktor Skokic Sextett: Basement Music
by Mark Corroto
Basement Music, the title of bassist Viktor Skokic's premiere as a band leader, refers not to the social isolation of the 2020 global pandemic, but to the sites of his compositional efforts. Written in his basement, and recorded prior to the lockdown, the music is actually the converse of social distancing—'converse' as in conversation. His 'Sextett' ...
Anne Mette Iversen: Racing a Butterfly
by Mike Jurkovic
Many can surely recall the sunny, childlike fervor and bounce chasing a butterfly. Whether it was the park behind the projects or a rolling, rural vista, a feeling of wonder and wander settled into our core memory, only to be summoned in up from the subconscious to displace the current. Even if but for a moment. ...
Rich Halley: Terra Incognita
by Neri Pollastri
Ultimo di una lunga serie, quest'album di Rich Halley vede il settantatreenne tenorsassofonista di Portland affiancato da quello che, in buona sostanza, è il trio del pianista Matthew Shipp, con Michael Bisio al contrabbasso e Newman Taylor Baker alla batteria. Formazione dunque di grande prestigio e affiatatissima, la quale si mette alla prova su sei improvvisazioni, ...
Stephen Menold: On the Night Bus
by Jack Bowers
Stephen Menold's ride On the Night Bus is for the most part an amiable and pleasant trip, one wherein the Canadian-born bassist's quintet revisits a time when bop reigned supreme and giants whose names are forever enshrined in the historic annals of jazz were alive and swinging. While Menold says his series of ten original compositions ...
Yuri Honing Acoustic Quartet: Bluebeard
by Bruce Lindsay
Mournful. That's the adjective that springs to mind when Dutch musician Yuri Honing blows his saxophone on Bluebeard. “Blows" is something of a mis-description though: Honing's considered approach to his instrument is closer to caressing. His sound and approach are mirrored by his bandmates, who are equally adept at such a distinctive form of creativity. The ...
Antonino Restuccia: Otro Camino
by Hrayr Attarian
Montevideo native and Barcelona-based bassist Antonino Restuccia is a talented composer and inventive improviser. His elegant and introspective third release, the absorbing Otro Camino exhibits these aspects of his artistry, together with his superb leadership skills to their fullest. Heading a cohesive quintet primarily of Uruguayan musicians, Restuccia interprets eight of his enchanting originals.
