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Bruford-Borstlap: Sheer Reckless Abandon
by John Kelman
One of the great joys of music can be that of distance: coming back to a piece of music, a musician/group or a discography, even, years later to rediscover it anew. While returning to music after a break of months, years...even decades...is not always a revelation, it's likely true that, if the music was appealing the ...
Greg Abate & The Tim Ray Trio: Gratitude: Stage Door Live @ the Z
by Jack Bowers
If somehow you haven't yet heard saxophonist Greg Abate (pronounced Uh-BAH-tay), now in his seventh decade and as sharp and eloquent an orator as ever, it is high time you did. The Rhode Island native is an earnest post-bopper from the Phil Woods / Bud Shank school of straight-on swinging, and Gratitude, Abate's fourth album with ...
Alex Delcourt: To My Brothers
by Victor L. Schermer
This album by bassist Alex Delcourt is a treasure of a recording, a contemporary mirror of the hard bop movement of the past. It's as if that music awakened from its sleep years later and is as fresh today as it was then. Except for seasoned valve trombonist and trumpeter John Swana, the personnel consists of ...
Daniel Cano: Social Music
by Roger Farbey
Interviewed by Bryant Gumbel for NBC's the Today Show in 1982, Miles Davis wrily responded “I don't like that word jazz...I think social music...all the social melodies...out in [the] air...it's not jazz anymore...that's the social music I'm talking about. You take what you want out and leave what you don't like. You know, like food." Thus ...
Beresford Hammond: Circle Inside The Folds
by John Eyles
Circle Inside the Folds is the fourth album on The 52nd label featuring the duo of guitarist, pianist and vocalist Charlie Beresford with classically-trained cellist Sonia Hammond, following The Science of Snow (2014), The Lightning Bell (2016)--on which the duo were joined by Beresford's Fourth Page band mate pianist Carolyn Hume and guest vocalist Judie Tzuke--and ...
Ellen Rowe Octet: Momentum
by Jerome Wilson
At a time when women are gaining more prominence in every field, it's no surprise there are more and more all-female jazz groups popping up. This particular octet, led by pianist Ellen Rowe, takes that a step farther with a CD that delves into women's history. They have recorded a set of Rowe compositions that honor ...
Bonsai: Bonsai Club
by Roger Farbey
Bonsai, under their previous moniker Jam Experiment, released one eponymous and extremely good, self-produced CD in 2017. In their new incarnation, they have replaced saxophonist Alexander Bone with violinist / vocalist Dominic Ingham. (To avoid ambiguity, Dominic and trombonist brother Rory—winner of Rising Star in the 2017 British Jazz Awards—will be referred to as DI and ...
Luís Lopes: Guillotine
by Mark Corroto
Many people know the opening lines of Charles Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." But how many remember the author goes on to report on an age of wisdom/foolishness, an epoch of belief/incredulity, a season of light/darkness and the spring of hope/winter of despair? ...
Torben Westergaard: Kirsebærsne
by Geno Thackara
Torben Westergaard is nothing if not restless. Latin music has been the most defining element of his career to date, though explorations such as his Tangofied series have also happily bridged music and musicians of South America with those of his native Europe. This album's immediate predecessor, Heart Tunes (self-produced, 2018), made an unexpected detour into ...
Fire! Orchestra: Arrival
by Gareth Thompson
The ancient Zen art of decluttering has found modern favour as a mindful practice. Letting go of things is, perhaps, a way of breaking with the past. In the years since its inception, the Nordic big band Fire! Orchestra has jettisoned about half its original cast. Now down to a mere fourteen members, the outfit has ...
