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Mark Walker: You Get What You Give
by Ljubinko Zivkovic
Often, there is a tendency among jazz fans to simply pass by albums with drummers as the leaders of a CD release, as if they--the drummer/leaders--know less about jazz or music in general. As if examples of Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, Max Roach or those excellent vocal albums by Grady Tate are not good enough examples. ...
Charles Ruggiero & Hilary Gardner: Play The Bird And The Bee
by Dan Bilawsky
If you've encountered drummer Charles Ruggiero's debut, Boom Bang, Boom Bang! (Rondette Jazz, 2014), you might've seen this coming. There, in the penultimate spot on the playlist, is a cover of The Bird and the Bee's “I'm A Broken Heart" featuring vocalist Hilary Gardner. Something of an outlier on the album, it hinted at a great ...
Alex Koo: Appleblueseagreen
by Dan McClenaghan
The Belgian/Japanese pianist/composer Alex Koo enlisted a pair of first call allstars, saxophonist Mark Turner and trumpeter Ralph Alessi, forming an acoustic chamber trio that brings his vision to life on Appleblueseagreen. The title is taken from the literal translation of the Flemish word “appelblauwzeegroen," to describe a color of ambiguous personality. The music is cinematic, ...
Bertrand Denzler / CoÔ: Arc
by John Eyles
This release is particularly welcome as Potlatch Records has not released an album since Infra by Pascale Criton, in September 2017. As the label issued its first album--No Waiting, by Derek Bailey & Joëlle Léandre--in 1998, this is an opportunity to mark the ground-breaking label's twentieth anniversary, and send congratulations to proprietor Jacques Oger. It is ...
David Bixler: In The Face Of Chaos
by Dan Bilawsky
In The Face Of Chaos marks a re-emergence, if not a complete artistic rebirth, for David Bixler. It serves as a true inspiration, drawing beauty from pain, and peace from personal struggle. Life took an unexpected turn for the saxophonist's family when his youngest son suffered a traumatic brain injury a number of years ...
Royal Hartigan & Blood Drum Spirit: Time Changes
by Karl Ackermann
Drummer, pianist, and composer, Royal Hartigan, first encountered bassist Wes Brown and saxophonist David Bindman at Wesleyan University. The three were instrumental in the early development of the Ghanaian-American group Talking Drums and recorded Blood Drum Spirit (Innova) in 1993 with Kevin McNeal on guitar. The ensemble's follow up, Blood Drum Spirit: Royal Hartigan Ensemble Live ...
Bobbi Humphrey: Blacks And Blues
by Chris May
The title of the album and that of its opening track ("Chicago, Damn"), the original release date (1973) and the 'fro might suggest flautist Bobbi Humphrey's Blacks And Blues came with a clenched-fist salute and a political manifesto. But hey, Humphrey's third Blue Note release was composed and produced in La La Land by brothers Fonce ...
Al Foster: Inspirations and Dedications
by Peter J. Hoetjes
On paper Al Foster's resume as a supporting artist reads better than most other jazz drummers. He's recorded albums with Dexter Gordon, Art Pepper, Frank Morgan, Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner}, and a comeback-era {Miles Davis, among a plethora of others. Chances are, those who aren't familiar with his name have heard him somewhere, and for the ...
Aki Takase Japanic: Thema Prima
by Ian Patterson
Japanese pianist-composer Aki Takase might have agreed with Miles Davis when he said in a 1986 interview with Nick Kent for The Face: “just about everything sounds better these days. Even a car crash sounds better." For the brilliant collison of jazz and hip-hop that is Thema Prima bristles with sonic textures seemingly inspired by the ...
Stefano Travaglini - Massimiliano Coclite: The Long Line
by Karl Ackermann
Italian pianists Stefano Travaglini and Massimiliano Coclite team up for a varied session of original improvisations and those influenced by composers of historical consequence. Both artists are coming from inspiring releases, Travaglini with his solo album Ellipse (Notami Jazz, 2017) and Coclite with his namesake quartet on Strange People (Odardek Records, 2018). These two musicians have ...
