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Chicago / London Underground: A Night Walking Through Mirrors
by Barry Witherden
Rob Mazurek is a remarkable musician, with a rare breadth and depth of expression. Off-hand, the only artist I can think of who possesses a similar emotional profile is Wadada Leo Smith. Like Smith, Mazurek can sear your ears and nerves one minute and soothe your soul the next, without any sense of strain or contrivance ...
Joshua Rager Nonet: Jondo
by Jack Bowers
It's hard to decide what to make of this. Canadian-based composer / pianist Joshua Rager has assembled a splendid corps of musicians, nine in all (plus trumpeter Andy King on the three-part “Prodigal Son Suite"), to perform seven of the leader's original themes, one by Andre White and another by the Hollywood songwriting team of Al ...
Nestor Torres: Jazz Flute Traditions
by Roger Farbey
Born in Puerto Rico in 1957, Néstor Torres began learning the flute at the age of 12. Moving with his family to New York when he was 18, he studied jazz and classical music at the Mannes College of Music in New York and the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. Following in the wake ...
Michael Attias: Nerve Dance
by John Sharpe
Like many, Michaël Attias cultivates multiple outlets for his vibrant alto saxophone. Having moved to NYC in 1994, Attias is now inescapably associated with that city's downtown scene. What unites his Quartet with his other outfits like Renku and Spun Tree is quality. In part that's down to the variety and imagination of the frameworks Attias ...
Rebecca Martin, Guillermo Klein: The Upstate Project
by Angelo Leonardi
Il titolo dell'album prende il nome da quella parte dello stato di New York collocata a nord dell'area metropolitana, anticamente abitata delle nazioni della confederazione irochese. Un'area rurale ricca di boschi, come ricorda la bella copertina, che oggi ospita la cantante e chitarrista Rebecca Martin e il compositore, pianista e orchestratore Guillermo Klein. Quest'ultimo ...
Gochag Askarov, Pierre de Trégomain: Mugham Souls
by Alberto Bazzurro
Prosegue la meritoria perlustrazione dell'universo mugham, quindi della musica azera di marca più o meno contemporanea, da parte della Felmay, come già in passato riferendosi a colui che ne è uno dei massimi esponenti, Gochag Askarov, per l'occasione in una condivisione inusuale (che ne testimonia l'ammirevole curiosità creativa) con il collega francese Pierre de Trégomain, di ...
Jeong Lim Yang: Déjà Vu
by Troy Dostert
On her excellent debut record, Déjà Vu, bassist Jeong Lim Yang proves that there's more than one way to make a first impression on a listener. Rather than taking the obvious route with up-tempo workouts or deviously complex compositions, Yang is content to carve out plenty of open space for her music to breathe. Her graceful ...
Various Artists: Woody Guthrie - The Tribute Concerts
by Jakob Baekgaard
Tribute concerts are often a mixed bag, especially if the idea is to bring a group of stars together to pay homage to an influential musical figure. The recent tribute to the wonderful singer, Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 (Columbia, 2016) is a sad case in point. There is no shortage of stars on that ...
Roscoe Mitchell: Discussions
by Glenn Astarita
Saxophonist, composer, supreme improviser and a seminal artist for modern times, Roscoe Mitchell's (AACM, Art Ensemble of Chicago) illimitable inventiveness shines forth on this outing that encompasses a 20-piece orchestra, bridging experimentalism and counterbalancing song forms with nouveau classical music applications. The final piece is seemingly derived from a New Orleans slang expression “Who ...
The Dan Banks Quintet: Two in a Box
by Jack Bowers
On Two in a Box, British pianist Dan Banks' quintet revisits a Golden Age in jazz when hard bop was king and record labels like Prestige and Blue Note delivered the latest sounds to an astute and appreciative audience. Without mimicry, Banks reimagines the indomitable spirit of such masters as Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Bobby Timmons, ...
