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Article: Live Review

Bark Culture At Solar Myth

Read "Bark Culture At Solar Myth" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Bark Culture Solar Myth Philadelphia, PAAugust 21, 2025 Midway through an extended road trip, Bark Culture returned to Solar Myth in their hometown of Philadelphia for an evening, taking the stage before a standing room only audience. Formed in 2021, Bark Culture is comprised of Brazilian ex-pat Victor Vieira--Branco on vibraphone, ...

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Article: Album Review

Nick Finzer: The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1

Read "The Jazz Orchestra Volume 1" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Listening chronologically to seven of Nick Finzer's preceding albums is enlightening and entertaining, making several aspects of his musicianship abundantly apparent. His trombone sound is full and expressive, his playing melodious and he can soulfully sing a ballad. Six albums, dating back to 2013, featured his highly talented sextet, a significant accomplishment that enhances the depth ...

2

Article: Play This!

Daniel Casimir: Balance

Read "Daniel Casimir: Balance" reviewed by Carl Medsker


The dynamic London underground jazz scene has produced a stellar roster of innovative musicians over the last decade or so. Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Binker Golding, Moses Boyd and Theon Cross, to name a few, meld bebop, hip hop, grime, reggae, dub, calypso, afrobeat and classical musics into fresh, novel hybrids. Bassist and rising star Daniel ...

7

Article: Album Review

Jaleel Shaw: Painter Of The Invisible

Read "Painter Of The Invisible" reviewed by Carl Medsker


For twenty years, Jaleel Shaw has steadily built a robust career that includes a lengthy apprenticeship with Roy Haynes, steady work as an in-demand sideman and mentoring the next generation at the Manhattan School of Music. Painter Of The Invisible caps two years of significant events: Dave Holland enlisted him in his 2024 quartet along with ...

3

Article: Play This!

Steve Nelson: Ceora

Read "Steve Nelson: Ceora" reviewed by Carl Medsker


For those who love the bright, ringing sound of the vibraphone, this is something of a golden age. In addition to an abundance of talented musicians dedicated exclusively to the vibraphone, numerous percussionists also employ mallet instruments over an expansive range of styles. On the double CD A Common Language (Timeless Records, 2025), veteran Steve Nelson ...

11

Article: Album Review

Freedom Art Quartet: First Dance

Read "First Dance" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Raucous, brash and freewheeling, First Dance by The Freedom Art Quartet is rooted in the past yet fresh and contemporary. The album should sound familiar to those who have ventured outside the mainstream and spent time with Ornette Coleman and the Art Ensemble Of Chicago. Those forces are strong in the band, but labeling them retro ...

5

Article: Album Review

David Ecker: How to Rebuild

Read "How to Rebuild" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Attempting to enhance jazz with classical music trappings is nothing new and has previously yielded mixed results. Often, the music comes across as saccharine, or the strings serve as mere window dressing to add a faux classical touch. At best, when the two worlds are creatively combined, the emergent results are something new and vibrant. Frequently, ...

5

Article: Live Review

James Brandon Lewis Quartet At Solar Myth

Read "James Brandon Lewis Quartet At Solar Myth" reviewed by Carl Medsker


James Brandon Lewis Quartet Solar Myth Philadelphia, PA June 9, 2025 Freshly minted album in hand, the James Brandon Lewis quartet filed down the center aisle of Solar Myth and took the stage before a sold-out, anticipatory audience. Then, they rocked the house, establishing themselves as a top-ranked, forward-looking power quartet. ...

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Article: Live Review

Ensemble Novo At Mount Laurel Library

Read "Ensemble Novo At Mount Laurel Library" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Ensemble Novo Mount Laurel Library Mount Laurel, NJ June 8, 2025 In a spacious, windowed corner of the Mount Laurel, NJ public library (yes, library), amidst the Silent Zone signs, Ensemble Novo was anything but. The beautiful, sultry and sometimes melancholy sounds of Brazilian Samba and Bossa Nova filled ...

11

Article: Album Review

Behn Gillece: Pivot Point

Read "Pivot Point" reviewed by Carl Medsker


Posi-Tone will have released 253 albums in its post-bop contemporary mainstream jazz space with Pivot Point by Behn Gillece. Maintaining freshness and avoiding formula could become a creative challenge for any such productive label, but Gillece avoids that potential pitfall through well-written songs, crafty arrangements and excellent musicianship. The sequencing of songs is also thoughtful, varying ...


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