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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 ...
Anna Kolchina: Wild Is The Wind
by C. Michael Bailey
Anna Kolchina's debut Wild is the Wind is a masterclass in ensemble performance. Backed by pianist John Di Martino, bassist Peter Washington, and drummer Willie Jones, Kolchina is more an equal quartet member than a singer backed by a trio. This is experienced immediately on the title piece, where Kolchina's delicately-played voice peeks out from behind ...
Radka Toneff: Fairytales
by Gareth Thompson
Norway's best-selling jazz album ever is also a recording laced with tragedy. Only weeks after its 1982 release, singer Radka Toneff was found dead in the Bygdøy woods, near Oslo. She was aged thirty. The verdict was suicide caused by an overdose of sleeping pills. Toneff was born in 1952 and by her ...
Dan Siegel: Origins
by Dan Bilawsky
Keyboard ace Dan Siegel's music has “contemporary chic" written all over it. Having worked a smooth seam for decades and crafted a fair amount of music for television and film, he knows a thing or two about putting together a tight arrangement, pulling from different stylistic sources, contracting the right players for a job, and producing ...
Kira Kira: Bright Force
by Karl Ackermann
Pianist Satoko Fujii was playing for the Sydney Improvised Music Association in 2007 when she first crossed paths with composer/keyboardist/effects artist Alister Spence. Kindred spirits in terms of boundless musical interests, their initial collaboration took place in 2008 after their respective groups shared the stage at the Tokyo Jazz Festival. Later that year, the two recorded ...
John Proulx: Say It
by C. Michael Bailey
Vocalist/pianist John Proulx has previously released three exceptional recordings on the MAXJAZZ Label (now owned by Mack Avenue Records): Moon and Sand (2006); The Best Thing For You (2006); and Baker's Dozen: Remembering Chet Baker (2016). With the death of MAXJAZZ founder Richard McDonnell, Proulx elected to self-release his recording Say It. The recording is produced ...
Lucas Niggli: Alchemia Garden
by Glenn Astarita
Powerhouse Swiss drummer Lucas Niggli augments this solo effort with ethnocentric percussion instruments, that largely emphasizes his well-rounded musical approach. He draws inspiration from his gardening hobby, classical composers and fellow countryman, drumming great Pierre Favre. As a leader and collaborator, Niggli's longstanding affiliation and extensive discography with this pioneering Swiss label features a cavalcade of ...
Jay Leonhart: Don't You Wish
by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
After experimenting with other instruments, a phase described in the title track, “Don't You Wish," Jay Leonhart locked onto the bass at the age of 13. Later inspired and mentored by the legendary Ray Brown, he began his stellar career which included playing with icons Duke Ellington, Judy Garland, Buddy Rich, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, and ...
Linley Hamilton: Making Other Arrangements
by Bruce Lindsay
Making Other Arrangements has been a long time coming--over 25 years, since trumpeter and broadcaster Linley Hamilton first heard Freddie Hubbard's Ride Like The Wind and decided that one day he, too, would make an album with a large ensemble. It's been worth the wait. Hamilton's third album as leader is lush, romantic and beautifully performed. ...
Carl Michel: Music in Motian
by Mike Jurkovic
Late drummer, texturalist, bandleader, and composer Paul Motian holds a revered space in the post-bop of the last half century. From early stints with Lennie Tristano and Coleman Hawkins to his seared-into-legend work with Bill Evans on Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside Records, 1961), and Waltz for Debby (Riverside Records, 1962)); through his fiery live ...
