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Keith Jarrett: Hymns/Spheres
by John Kelman
In a career well into its fifth decade, while continuing to make fine music in the new millennium, looking back at Keith Jarrett's discography reveals that the 1970s was a particularly important--and busy--time for the influential pianist. In that single decade, Jarrett released epochal solo piano explorations like The Köln Concert (ECM, 1975); orchestral works including ...
Bongos Ikwue and Double X: Wulu Wulu
by James Nadal
Nigeria has been a wellspring of vital African music for some time now, from ethnic folk music with its call and response, to palm-wine, juju, Afrobeat, and the horn and guitar driven sounds of highlife. This polyrhythmic music has also achieved international fame due to popular artists as Fela Kuti and King Sunny Ade. Though these ...
Jackie Ryan with John Clayton & Friends: Listen Here
by Nicholas F. Mondello
With Listen Here, vocalist Jackie Ryan offers a diverse and delectable array of Great American Songbook and jazz classics, well-known but not regularly-recorded older hits, and superb original selections. Supported by Grammy Award-winning bassist John Clayton and most able friends (including Clayton's son, pianist Gerald, a three-time Grammy nominee), the overall effort soars. It's a tour ...
Ilia Skibinsky: The Passage
by Dan Bilawsky
Saxophonist David Binney's Mythology Records imprint is used sparingly, but when this maverick music man chooses to release albums under its banner, they tend to be bold and brimming with the excitement of the unknown; The Passage is no exception. With this debut, Russian-born/Israeli-bred/New York-based saxophonist/composer Ilia Skibinsky joins the elite Mythology roster, which includes post- ...
Eric Schaefer: Who Is Afraid Of Richard W.?
by Bruce Lindsay
In 2013 the international music community celebrates the 200th anniversary of Richard Wagner's birth. The venerable and controversial composer has been rather quiet of late, but his body of work is one of the best known in the classical canon. On Who Is Afraid of Richard W.? Eric Schaefer--a highly-regarded drummer probably best known as a ...
Maria Mendes: Along the Road
by John Kelman
Virtuosity needn't be on display at every moment; restraint, in fact, is an important yet often overlooked aspect of true virtuosity. Norma Winstone is a clear example; certainly capable of plenty, more often than not the British singer's performances are defined by nuance, subtlety and a direct line to the heart of the music. Maria Mendes ...
Toots Thielemans European Quartet: 90 Years
by Ian Patterson
NEA Jazz Master and harmonica playing legend Toots Thielemans turned 90 in April 2012, and the milestone has been marked by an exhibition, a street-naming in his honor and a couple of releases. The double-CD Yesterdays and Todays (Dreyfus, 2012) contained 37 previously unreleased recordings spanning a remarkable 65 years, from 1946 to 2011. Then in ...
Jose James: No Begining No End
by Franz A. Matzner
Smoother than cognac and just as refined, No Beginning No End drips with an unabashed sensuality both subtly delivered and painfully personal. With his Blue Note debut, Jose James employs the terrifying capacity of his voice to penetrate the heart of deeper, more hidden spaces and lay bare the emotional contours of urban existence.To ...
Madeline Eastman + Randy Porter: A Quiet Thing: A Collection of Ballads
by C. Michael Bailey
The beauty of vocalist Madeline Eastman is that she is an undaunted improviser who remains conservative in her improvising. In this context, the word conservative harbors no negative connotations. Eastman has an abiding respect for the melody that is reflected in her thoughtful interpretations of the fourteen ballads making up A Quiet Thing. The piano-voice format ...
Carles Benavent: Un, Dos, Tres...
by Bruce Lindsay
In a 40-year career that has encompassed jazz, rock, fusion and the establishment of the electric bass guitar in flamenco music, Barcelona musician Carles Benavent has constantly evolved his approach to his chosen instrument. His most notable collaborations, with guitarist Paco De Lucia and pianist Chick Corea, are part of a musical story which also includes ...

