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Mary Halvorson: Code Girl
by Troy Dostert
Those familiar with guitarist Mary Halvorson's numerous projects have become well-acquainted with the idiosyncratic, unorthodox, sometimes cerebral approach she takes to her craft. Halvorson's compositions are consistently thoughtful but rarely predictable and her improvising is similarly distinctive, so expecting the unexpected is par for the course. Even so, the breadth of Halvorson's interests and influences can ...
Sara Serpa: Close Up
by Jerome Wilson
Portuguese vocalist Sara Serpa has been a significant presence on the New York jazz scene for several years now, creating music with literary and artistic allusions in the company of renowned musicians like Ran Blake, Nicole Mitchell and Tyshawn Sorey. For her latest project she leads a trio that also features saxophonist Ingrid Laubrock and cellist ...
Gene Jackson Trio Nu Yorx: Power Of Love
by Roger Farbey
Born in Philadelphia in 1961, Gene Jackson had already determined by his late teens to become a professional drummer. He attended Berklee College of Music where his classmates numbered Branford Marsalis, Cindy Blackman, Terri Lyne Carrington and Jeff “Tain" Watts to name just a few. He's worked with many major players in jazz including Dave Holland, ...
Kayo Hiraki: Manhattan Sunset
by Mike Jurkovic
Like a fine lemon sorbet, Manhattan Sunset, the sixth album from pianist and veteran NY presence Kayo Hiraki, is that refreshing, necessary pause between courses that enables you to fully enjoy the vast jazz menu. With an airy, elegant touch, tangible zeal and seasoned respect for her art, Hiraki leads her tried-and-true sidemen, bassist ...
Alexander Hawkins / Elaine Mitchener Quartet: UpRoot
by Alberto Bazzurro
Alexander Hawkins, pianista avventuroso pur senza eccessivi salti nel vuoto, frequenta svariati organici, di cui questo --piano trio più voce --potrebbe anche apparire abbastanza usuale, se non fosse che poi, alla prova dei fatti, tutto procede abbastanza eccentrico rispetto a tale assunto. La cointestataria del quartetto, la vocalista anglo-giamaicana Elaine Mitchener, per cominciare, ...
Wild Card: Life Stories
by Mike Jurkovic
Two things I'll readily admit about Clement Regert's Wild Card and its new offering, Life Stories are: 1--wild isn't the right adjective. A more fitting descriptor is fearless, because this feverish ensemble isn't afraid to bring on the funk, the bop, the pop, the swing or Afro-Blue when they want to; and 2--the spoken word “Intro," ...
Edward Simon with Afinidad & Imani Winds: Sorrows & Triumphs
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist Edward Simon's sensitivity, eloquence, strength, and intelligence stand in full view throughout this gorgeous collection of material plucked from two different suites. “Sorrows and Triumphs," the older of the two, which draws inspiration from Simon's study of Buddhism, first surfaced in 2009. “House of Numbers," taking cues from numerology and weaving cross-cultural implications into its ...
Jim McNeely / Frankfurt Radio Big Band: Barefoot Dances and Other Visions
by Jack Bowers
Barefoot Dances and Other Visions is a contemporary seven-part suite written by composer/arranger Jim McNeely in 2014 for the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, with whom he has worked since 2008. “I tailored my musical visions," he writes, “to fit each player in the ensemble, and placed each soloist in a framework both familiar and challenging." Challenging ...
Alberto Pinton Quartet: Live in Japan
by Mark Corroto
You never really recognize a musician or ensemble until you hear them live. In the studio, artists have the luxury of multiple takes and edits to fine-tune their sound. Live in concert, the trade-off for the lack of second takes, is the musicians' ability to feed off of the energies of the audience. Their true identities ...
Sun Ra: God Is More Than Love Can Ever Be
by Chris May
Sun Ra is best known for the extensive archive of recordings he made with his Arkestra, and most Ra enthusiasts are probably first attracted to his work by the sui generis imagination he brought to arranging for large ensembles. These span the recalibrated swing-band tropes of Jazz In Silhouette (Saturn, 1959), a perfect choice for an ...
