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Hanging Hearts: Into a Myth
by Jerome Wilson
From Minneapolis, the city that gave us The Bad Plus, here is another trio with a distinctive take on mixing jazz and rock. However Hanging Hearts serve up a sound that takes some of the jazz-rock ideas of the Seventies and amps them up into a louder, punkier present. The opening clash of harsh ...
Brian Landrus: Generations
by Dan Bilawsky
Brian Landrus established himself as a composer of great strength and substance, and rose to his position as one of the foremost low reed specialists on the scene, through albums like the expansive Mirage (Blueland Records, 2013) and the trio-centric The Deep Below (Blueland, Records/Palmetto Records, 2015). But even well wrought and absorbing dates like those ...
Stephan Micus: Inland Sea
by Geno Thackara
Like an actual inland sea, the Stephan Micus catalogue stands as a unique entity distinct from all its surroundings. Always too restless to rely on familiar sounds, he travels to find little-known instruments in far corners of the world and take time getting to know each one's voice. His 22nd ECM recording is centered mostly around ...
Rob Luft: Riser
by Roger Farbey
London-based guitarist Rob Luft, an alumnus of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, reveals on tracks like the opener “Night Songs" a lightness and deftness of touch. There's also a trace of highlife West African influence too. But notably, Luft veers away from the more well-worn modern jazz guitar style, steadfastly avoiding the usual plethora of blues ...
Ted Chubb: Gratified Never Satisfied
by Troy Dostert
Trumpeter Ted Chubb offers a well-balanced album of four originals and four thoughtfully-arranged covers on Gratified Never Satisfied, his third record as a leader. With solid, in-the-pocket musicianship and strong chemistry among his bandmates, it's an enjoyable outing likely to generate some buzz for this up-and-coming jazzman. Chubb is a disciplined, meticulous soloist, and ...
Big Star: The Best of Big Star
by Doug Collette
The Best of Big Star might be the ideal introduction to the greatest 'never was but shoulda been' band of all time. Not nearly so extensive or lavishly packaged as Keep An Eye on the Sky (Rhino, 2009) or Third Complete (Omnivore, 2016), the quick succession of sixteen tracks, a half-dozen of which are rare single ...
Nate Smith: Kinfolk: Postcards from Everywhere
by Mike Jacobs
To get right to it, rarely does a first effort as leader come along that is so worthy of attention. With Postcards From Everywhere, Nate Smith has offered a many-faceted jewel whose luster only grows with re-examination. On one level, this is indeed an album that satisfies the requisite expectations for a debut from ...
Matija Dedić: Dedication
by Dan McClenaghan
Croatian pianist Matija Dedic opens his Dedicated with the extraordinarily lovely and wistful “Symphoetetic Waltz." Saxophonist Chris Cheek's sweet saxophone floats like an angel over this chamber jazz esthetic. Pianist Dedic tells this--and all of the stories on the disc--with a crystal clear clarity. Upping the chamber jazz mood, cellist Noah Hoffeld enters on “His Visit" ...
Walt Weiskopf: Fountain Of Youth
by David A. Orthmann
Fountain Of Youth is the latest installment of Walt Weiskopf's mid-career renaissance. In reviews of Weiskopf's three previous Posi-Tone releases, I made the misstep of treating his imposing skills as a tenor saxophonist, composer, arranger, and bandleader as separate, albeit compatible entities; this time around I realized that they are indeed parts of a larger, all-encompassing ...
Isamu McGregor: Resonance
by Troy Dostert
On this album, his second as a leader since 2012's Live at the Baked Potato, pianist/keyboardist Isamu McGregor continues to hone his approach to crafting intelligent, challenging jazz fusion. With bassist Evan Marien and drummer Gene Coye once again at his side, he's got the right partners for navigating his maze-like compositions, and guest spots by ...
