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Aaron Shragge: This World of Dew
by Franz A. Matzner
The distinctiveness of This World of Dew stems equally from Aaron Shragge's technical mastery of the flugelhorn, dragon mouth trumpet, and Japanese Shakuhachi, his deep understanding of the traditions underpinning the Japanese aesthetic, and guitarist Ben Monder's ethereal, elongated harmonic syntax. Combined, these elements produce an immersive experience permeated by the sensibilities of the ...
Jazzkaar 2018
by Martin Longley
Jazzkaar 2018 Tallinn, Estonia April 20-29, 2018 In the year of Estonia's celebrations, having attained a full century as a Republic, its Jazzkaar festival continues to be amongst the very best of the European range. Held annually in Tallinn, and primarily centred around the Telliskivi Creative City, the festival continued ...
Aaron Shragge & Ben Monder: This World of Dew
by Dan McClenaghan
This World of Dew is the third recorded go-around by trumpeter Aaron Shragge and guitarist Ben Monder. Shragge expands the expected pallette of the duo sound with his use of the shakuhachi (Japanese flute) and his Dragon Mouth Trumpet, a custom microtonal instrument designed to expand the melodic capacity of the horn. Monder ...
Donny McCaslin Group / Ensemble LPR: Symphonic Bowie at Central Park SummerStage
by Kurt Gottschalk
Donny McCaslin Group / Ensemble LPRCentral Park SummerStage Symphonic Bowie New York, NY June 9, 2018 New York City can't stop saying goodbye to David Bowie. And with good reason. The rock legend lived in Manhattan for more than 20 years and often spoke fondly of his adopted city. On ...
Kristjan Randalu: Absence
by Mike Jurkovic
With a gathering, rubato flurry, Estonian pianist Kristjan Randalu, a Chick Corea-inspired student of the late, virtuosic and highly lyrical British pianist John Taylor and his mischievous compatriot Django Bates, begins “Forecast" in whirling descent, before the quiet storm of guitarist Ben Monder and drummer Marku Ounaskari take the weather out to sea, where Randalu threatens ...
David Ake: Humanities
by David A. Orthmann
The group that pianist/composer David Ake assembles for Humanities thrives on change and doesn't care all that much for boundaries, familiar stylistic references, or decorum. Distinctions between written material and improvisation, soloists and accompaniment, are subject to transformation, collapse, consolidation and mutation. Nothing stays on exactly the same course for very long. Featuring Ake, Ralph Alessi's ...
Dan Weiss: Starebaby
by Mark Corroto
It is always interesting when a musician's newest release zigzags away from previous works, making an abrupt change of course. Often it happens at the request of a producer or record company, and probably because his/her previous disc was not well received. This in no way explains Starebaby by drummer Dan Weiss. Sixteen: Drummers Suite (Pi ...
David Ake: Humanities
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist David Ake is a tough man to pin down. With Bridges (Posi-Tone, 2013) he took on the form of label outlier and pathfinder, breaking away from Posi-Tone's radio-friendly album format with a series of outward bound excursions; on Lake Effect (Posi-Tone, 2015) he offered a cooler alternative that proved ruminative in many of its pursuits; ...
John Kelman's Best Releases of 2017
by John Kelman
For those who may have noticed, there have been no best of lists coming from yours truly since 2014; sadly, the chronic health problem that has reduced my previous writing pace to a crawl continues without much respite. My best of the year lists have always been predicated upon having reviewed the releases chosen, and with ...
Mikkel Ploug: Alleviation
by Dan Bilawsky
Alleviation is a fascinatingly winsome document showcasing what occurs when tool serves as muse. While out and about in New York in 2016, Danish guitarist Mikkel Ploug happened upon a musical curio--a mahogany-top Gibson Banner LG-2. The instrument, essentially a wartime relic made by the (mostly) female work force in Gibson's Kalamazoo plant in the early ...
