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Results for "Calligram Records"
Chad McCullough: Transverse
by Jack Bowers
Would all those who can locate North Macedonia on a map please raise your hands. Not many, it seems. For the benefit of those whose hands remained motionless, it is a part of the Balkan Peninsula in southeast Europe whose boundaries overspread parts of half a dozen Balkan countries including Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Serbia and Kosovo. ...
José Gobbo Trio: Confluence
by Troy Dostert
Guitarist José Gobbo brought his background in Brazilian music and jazz to Iowa City in 2011, when he began a master's program at the University of Iowa. Since then, he has honed a compelling voice on his instrument, fusing the danceable rhythms of Brazilian folk forms with a more contemporary guitar sound. One of his central ...
Chad McCullough: Transverse
by Dan McClenaghan
Chance encounters can be fortuitous and fruitful. Trumpeter Chad McCullough, on a visit to Macedonia to convene with family, found his way into a small cafe in Skopje, the capital of Independent North Macedonia, where he encountered a local trio: pianist Gordon Spasovski, bassist Kiril Tufekcievski and drummer Viktor Filipovski. McCullough had his horn with him. ...
Several Worthwhile Releases from the Last Few Months
by Jerome Wilson
Despite what is said about physical media going away, a steady supply of new jazz releases keeps showing up every week. Here are some worthy if underappreciated albums from the first half of 2025. Tobias Meinhart Sonic River Self Produced 2025 “Sonic River" is a good description ...
James Davis' Beveled: Arc and Edge
by Mark Corroto
Trumpeter James Davis' sextet is aptly named Beveled--a word that means transforming a sharp, square edge into something smoother, more refined. That concept of reshaping and softening defines both the ensemble's instrumentation and its sonic character. Davis sets the tone by trading his bright trumpet for the warmer, more introspective voice of the flugelhorn. He deepens ...
James Davis' Beveled: Arc and Edge
by Jack Bowers
Beveled, according to Webster's, translates roughly to “slanted" or “grooved." On Arc and Edge, flugelhornist James Davis' Chicago-based sextet clearly has its own slant on contemporary post-bop jazz wherein the groove ranges from typically improvised passages to cutting-edge motifs and classical chamber music, using a second flugelhorn, two bass clarinets and rhythm to flesh out the ...
Alyn Cosker: Onta
by Neil Duggan
Ayr is a coastal town situated in the southwest of Scotland. It is enjoyed by tourists for its scenic beach and as the location of the birthplace of the national poet Robert Burns. It also serves as the inspiration for Onta, the third album from drummer Alyn Cosker, who makes this his love letter to the ...
Chris Varga: Breathe
by Jack Bowers
It is always refreshing to hear a talented vibraphonist seducing the mallets while leading a band, as is true on Breathe, Chris Varga's second recording, and the first in the U.S., following 2023's Vichara on South Korea's Mung Music label. Varga, who has been living and performing in Seoul for more than two decades, returned “home" ...
Jarod Bufe: Brighter Days
by Dan McClenaghan
Making a living as jazz artist is a challenge. For every jazz megastar who can support his or herself with their music, dozens rely on day jobs and remain relative unknowns, even while making great music. Players like saxophonist Buck Hill, who did a forty-year stint working for the Post Office while releasing eleven excellent recordings--including ...
Chris Varga: Breathe
by Dan McClenaghan
Setting up shop as a jazz artist in Seoul, South Korea, is probably not the recommended way of raising the profile in the United States. But vibraphonist Chris Varga, who worked the jazz scene in Chicago during the '90s, made that trans-Pacific move and set himself up as a busy and prolific player in Korea's vibrant ...
