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Alex Norris Organ Quartet: Extension Deadline
by Dan Bilawsky
Extension Deadline isn't the first organ-based date that trumpeter Alex Norris put together. It is, however, the first one to see the light of day. In the liner notes for this satisfying quartet outing, Norris notes that he recorded an organ-centric record in the '90s, but that record was shelved. So it is with great satisfaction ...
Lucas Pino: No Net Nonet
by Jack Bowers
So there is hope after all. With so much jazz these days soaring into realms that are often uncharted and at times unfathomable, it is a pleasure to hear groups such as tenor saxophonist Lucas Pino's No Net Nonet, which are remarkably creative even as they adhere to the basic precepts of melody, harmony and rhythm. ...
Matt Pavolka: The Horns Band
by Dave Wayne
I played Matt Pavolka's The Horns Band for a friend who immediately noticed that the very impressive list of acknowledgements contained more nods to literary and intellectual heavyweights such as Jose Saramago, Cormac McCarthy and Soren Kierkegaard than to musicians (the band members and Guillermo Klein). Perhaps Pavolka's intent was to show that he's interested in ...
Mark Helias - Tony Malaby - Tom Rainey: The Signal Maker
by Glenn Astarita
Celebrated bassist Mark Helias brings his all-star Open Loose trio back to the studio where compositions are reimagined, and heavy doses of improvisation are devised with a whole lot of cunningness. With these 13 pieces, the band infuses changeable and buoyantly rendered grooves, ideas, and detours, highlighted by the respective musicians' signature styles and striking intuitiveness. ...
Shawn Maxwell: Shawn Maxwell's Alliance
by Ben Scholz
Fronted by an already well-established Chicago area saxophonist, the Shawn Maxwell Alliance expands the concept of what a mixed ensemble can accomplish in the jazz realm. This debut album features a sprawling list of modern jazz composers and leaders including another Chicago saxophonist, Chris Greene, vocalist Keri Johnsrud, vibraphonist Stephen Lynerd, and bassist Stacy McMichael. The ...
Brian Simpson: Out of A Dream
by Jeff Winbush
Some records not only desire your attention, they demand it. Think of Miles or Trane or Mingus and think of just puttering around the house as the music plays. It can't be done. The grandmasters of jazz made music that required it be heard and not merely listened to. Out of A Dream is ...
Drkwav: The Purge
by Doug Collette
The extent to which saxophonist Skerik, keyboardist John Medeski and percussionist Adam Deitch love to explore the nuances of melody, rhythm and space, especially at their respective outer limits, makes their collaboration as Drkwav almost inevitable. And it's perfectly appropriate the trio chose a name for themselves as an ensemble here because, as much as their ...
Avi Avital: Vivaldi
by C. Michael Bailey
On his debut recording, Bach (2013, Deutsche Grammophon), mandolinist Avi Avital played a pristine, clinically punctilious JSB. It is therefore no surprise that Avital moves a little earlier in the Baroque Era to produce a very similar collection by Antonio Vivaldi. Avital is an Israeli born in 1978 who took part in a local mandolin youth ...
ARS Antiqua Austria, Gunnar Letzbor: Biber: Sonaten Uber Die Mysterien des Rosenkranzes
by C. Michael Bailey
It is a funny thing. There are just some pieces of music that scream to be owned in multiple performances. This past Christmas, I bought my 52nd and 53rd performances of Handel's Messiah. I am not sure if one can own to many performances of Bach's Goldberg Variations or Christmas Oratorio or Mass in B Minor. ...
Pulsarus: Bee Itch
by Glenn Astarita
When discussing progressive jazz contexts, let us not forget our brothers and sisters in Poland who have been riding the cutting-edge schema for decades, evidenced by pianists Adam Makowicz, Marcin Wasilewski, trumpeter Tomasz Stańko and other notables of the global jazz and improvising network. However, the young For Tune record label highlights fledgling talent and seasoned ...

