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Sarah Tandy: Infection In The Sentence
by Chris May
Sarah Tandy made a mark on the alternative London jazz scene three years ago as the pianist on alto saxophonist Camilla George's luminous debut, Isang (Ubuntu). More recently, she has played piano and keyboards on two other headline albums: George's The People Could Fly (Ubuntu, 2018), and alto saxophonist Cassie Kinoshi's SEED Ensemble's debut, Driftglass (Jazz ...
Larry Grenadier: The Gleaners
by Karl Ackermann
Bassist Larry Grenadier has a most impressive resume: multiple recordings with Herbie Mann, Paul Motian, Charles Lloyd, trumpeter/brother Phil Grenadier, vocalist/wife Rebecca Martin, Chris Potter, Joshua Redman, Jamie Saft, and many others. His brand has long been enhanced by his stellar work with Pat Metheny and a twenty-plus-year association with Brad Mehldau. It's not surprising that ...
Ustad Saami: God Is Not A Terrorist
by Chris May
God Is Not A Terrorist is by no stretch of the imagination a jazz album, but it contains deep and authentic music and will appeal to some AAJers. Ustad Saami is a master of the Pakistani vocal style known as surti, which is characterized by its use of microtones. Microtones are widely used in music throughout ...
Layale Chaker and Sarafand: Inner Rhyme
by Hrayr Attarian
Arabic poetry is the primary source of inspiration for Lebanese violinist and composer Layale Chaker's innovative and vibrant debut Inner Rhyme. Recorded in New York with her band Sarafand (named after a Palestinian village that was abandoned in 1948) this original music is full of subtle wit and sublime emotion. In crafting this exquisite ...
Mark Vickness: Places
by Andrew J. Sammut
Inspired by rock gods such as Jimi Hendrix and studying with the likes of Mel Powell, guitarist/composer Mark Vickness uses powerful technique and sophisticated harmony to explore texture and mood on Prince William Sound." Comparisons with a body of water aren't cliche: a pensive six-note motif flows in gradually, surfaces over a subtle ground pulse, then ...
Yagull: Yuna
by Glenn Astarita
The duo's third album is an unquestionable treat for the aural senses. Think of fragile lullabies, drifting melody lines, temperate undercurrents and a few tuneful up-tempo numbers, as these piano-guitar duets are organic and wistful, yet not overly sedate or monolithic akin to commercial New Age mall music.Pieces like Dawn" spark imagery of a ...
Eli Wallace: Barriers
by Karl Ackermann
Eli Wallace is best known as the keyboard half of the piano/drum improvising duo Dialectical Imagination with Rob Pumpelly. Listeners familiar with Wallace's work in that setting and with the trio Cataclysmic Commentary, with tenor saxophonist Ben Cohen and Dave Miller on drums, know that Wallace is not averse to swimming against the current. The California ...
Stephan Thelen: Fractal Guitar
by John Kelman
For his Moonjune Records debut, Stephan Thelen, USA-born/Swiss guitarist and primary composer for the post-minimalist/post-progressive band Sonar, challenges some of the foundational premises of a group that has, over almost the last decade, garnered increasing critical and popular acclaim. As informed by Robert Fripp and the guitarist's work with (and beyond) King Crimson as it is ...
Dave Rempis / Brandon Lopez / Ryan Packard: The Early Bird Gets
by Mark Corroto
The trio of saxophonist Dave Rempis, bassist Brandon Lopez, and drummer Ryan Packard have released their debut recording The Early Bird Gets without devising a name for the trio. Packard, like his fellow Chicagoan Tim Daisy, is a percussionist, composer, and sound artist. He is a member of Rempis' Chicago-based Gunwale, along with Albert Wildeman. With ...
Ran Blake & Jeanne Lee: The Newest Sound You Never Heard
by Jerome Wilson
Pianist Ran Blake has developed a reputation over the years for recording duets with vocalists, including in recent times, Sara Serpa, Dominique Eade and Christine Correa. That began back in 1961 when he released The Newest Sound Around (RCA), a remarkable set of duets with singer Jeanne Lee. The duo toured together occasionally in subsequent years ...


