Home » Search Center » Results: Album Reviews
Results for "Album Reviews"
Local Talent: Higienopolis
by Dan McClenaghan
The Toronto-based group Local Talent is the brainchild of pianist James Hill. The group's debut, Higienopolis, takes the piano trio format into an expansively electric realm. Inspired by a trip to Brazil, the music also showcases the influences of Hill's love of classical composition and pop culture of the 1990s. Opening with the electronically ...
Sam Rivers Quintet: Zenith
by John Sharpe
Concertgoers must have been forced back in their seats by the intensity of Sam Rivers opening foray at the 1977 Berlin Jazztage Festival. After an annunciatory tenor saxophone burst, he goes for the jugular with fierce vocalized overblowing atop a churning four piece rhythm section. But if that sounds forbidding, then like the audience, listeners to ...
Rhys Marsh: October After All
by Glenn Astarita
Hopefully, this alluring album by progressive rock multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist Rhys Marsh won't slip under the radar. It's an album that has staying power due to the artist's atmospheric and cleverly arranged works, largely containing memorably melodic hooks and emotive expressionism. Born in the UK, Marsh now resides in Norway, which has become a fertile region ...
Lisa Hilton: Chalkboard Destiny
by Doug Hall
Not surprisingly, considering the political and social climate existing on the threshold of 2020, pianist and composer Lisa Hilton finds ripe inspiration for material on Chalkboard Destiny. Addressing the point, she writes: “Our future, our destiny, can be continually reshaped—we are not beholden by history or traditional myths, allowing us a freedom in creation." With a ...
Bill Mays and Friends: Mays Plays Mays
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
In a career that has flourished for more than half a century and shows no signs whatsoever of slowing down, pianist, composer and author Bill Mays has always been known for his immaculate technique, distinctive creativity, swing and wit. Few players on any instrument are this consistently light-hearted, whether it is reflected in spontaneous and funny ...
Blaine Sharp: Wanderlust
by Jim Olin
Blaine Sharp is a gifted vocalist with a passion for timeless jazz tones. His album Wanderlust is loaded with beautifully melodic songs, including renditions of beloved classics such as “On A Slow Boat To China" and “You Belong To Me." The latter, in particular, has a really atmospheric tempo, with a minimalist drum arrangement and some ...
Die Parzäros: La Cachaca
by Phillip Woolever
Die Parzäros is a Colombian trio currently based in Cologne after studying music in Germany. This album serves as a positive introduction to the band's Latin-based jazz-rock sound and, while the band is already noteworthy, indicates the likelihood of them reaching even higher levels in the future. The trio consists of guitarist and principal composer Juan-Pablo ...
Rosalie Cunningham: Rosalie Cunningham
by Glenn Astarita
Throughout a mélange of classic psyche rock and other related genres, dappled with cabaret-like chutzpah, UK-reared vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist Rosalie Cunningham maintains a distinct persona on her debut, following the breakup of Purson, the critically celebrated band she co-founded. With fluid walls of sound, disparate time signatures and sprightly themes largely framed on melodic choruses, Cunningham's ...
Ian Wardenski Quintet: Collective Thoughts
by Geannine Reid
Ian Wardenski is a highly erudite guitarist; he received his BA in Music from Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, CA. In fall 2004, he received a Master of Music in Music Theory from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. Wardenski completed his Ph.D. in Music Theory at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. ...
Rez Abbasi: A Throw Of Dice
by Friedrich Kunzmann
No matter what style of music Rez Abbasi tackles, he always makes it sound exciting, fresh and uniquely his own. The American guitarist and composer is known for his individual spin on jazz, which is as deeply rooted in western jazz doctrine as it is in traditions of his Pakistani heritage. Be it in the context ...
