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Stefano Battaglia: Pelagos
by Dan McClenaghan
Italian pianist Stefano Battaglia, an ECM artist since 2005, is a player possessed of an alluring refinement and polish carried over into his jazz work via his classical training. His best recordings, 2015's In the Morning (ECM Records) and River Of Anyder (ECM Records, 2011), are studies intricate and understated beauty. Both are piano trio outings--a ...
Satoko Fujii Quartet: Live At Jazz Room Cortez
by Karl Ackermann
As prolific as Satoko Fujii is, she has never sacrificed quality for quantity. With a half-dozen leader/co-leader releases in just the past year, no two albums have conveyed redundancy, and none have fallen short of her serious artistic standards. Following the live sessions that led to Satoko Fujii's solo recording Invisible Hand (Cortez Sound, 2017), the ...
Alejandro Torriggino: Blue Light
by Sacha O'Grady
After listening to Alejandro Torriggino's latest album, Blue Light, it is obvious that this talented singer-songwriter from Argentina has grown considerably since his superb debut Sureste, an album which took the listener back to the days of classic Neil Young and the sunny, reflective climes of Laurel Canyon. Here, Torriggino, once again, has composed a collection ...
Anouar Brahem: Blue Maqams
by John Kelman
Following an unusually long, five-year gap between 2009's low register-driven The Astounding Eyes of Rita and 2014's particularly ambitious orchestral collaboration, Souvenance, Tunisian oudist Anouar Brahem returns with Blue Maqams, another game-changing release on ECM Records. Change--or, in some cases, natural evolution--has never been hard to find on Brahem's previous nine albums for the label, the ...
Gil Spitzer: Falando Docemente
by Dan McClenaghan
Bossa Nova music, from Brazil, became part of the America's DNA in the early 1960s, with albums like Jazz Samba (Verve Records, 1962) and Getz/Gilberto (Verve Records, 1964). The key players: Saxophonist Stan Getz, guitarist Charlie Byrd, vocalist/guitarist Joao Gilberto; composer/pianist Antonio Carlos Jobim. With Falando Docemente alto saxophonist Gil Spitzer--who cites Stan Getz ...
Rudresh Mahanthappa: Agrima
by Karl Ackermann
Ancestral influences have long occupied second-generation Indian-American saxophonist/composer Rudresh Mahanthappa's thinking and have strongly influenced his music. That was especially true in the case of his 2008 Indo-Pak Coalition album Apti (Innova Recordings) and now with Agrima. But there is an obvious evolutionary leap in the near decade between releases; a measure of the progression is ...
Lisa Björänge Quintet: Resting Spirit
by Troy Dostert
The subject matter on Swedish vocalist Lisa Björänge's third album, Resting Spirit, is heavy stuff: difficult relationships, poignant memories, and the daily struggle for personal happiness and peace. But fortunately, Björänge's top- notch quintet brings an invigorating purpose and vitality to these eight tunes, leaving one grateful for having plumbed their emotional depths, since a confident ...
Itaru Oki: Kami Fusen
by John Sharpe
This second instalment from NoBusiness Records collaboration with the Japanese Chap Chap label under the name of trumpeter Itaru Oki constitutes a real find. One of the pioneers of free jazz in his native country, Oki moved to Paris in 1974, subsequently working with many luminaries including saxophonists Steve Lacy, Noah Howard and Sam Rivers, and ...
Hermeto Pascoal: No Mundo Dos Sons
by Harry S. Pariser
The packaging for the two-CD set from Brazil's Hermeto Pascoal, an 81-year-old multi-instrumentalist, shines of its own accord. Its trifold paper cover, unfolds like a lotus to reveal two CDs and a sleeve containing a large fold-out glossy paper. The insert unfolds to read “Hermeto Pascoal & Grupo," along with the title No Mundo Dos Sons. ...
Harald Peterstorfer & Ali Angerer: Songbook Volume 1
by Jim Olin
Songbook is a stunning blend of fusion, ethnic folk, and jazz, going for a moody, textural, and lush vibe. These recordings are haunting and beautifully arranged, aiming for a diverse and elegant approach. The production is particularly tasteful: this is the sound of two people sitting together and performing, adding a really organic feel to the ...
