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Results for "Cellar Music Group"
Nick Hempton-Cory Weeds: Horns Locked
by Jack Bowers
It has been far too long since anyone had the pleasure of eavesdropping on a two-tenor duel as heated and expressive as the one between Canadian gurus Nick Hempton and Cory Weeds on the suitably named Horns Locked. As the album's opening number, James Moody's fast-chugging Last Train from Overbrook," unfolded, the memories came flooding back: ...
The Empress: Square One
by Jack Bowers
The Empress is a New York City-based co-op septet whose front line consists of four saxophonists. Based on its title, the assumption is that Square One is the group's first recording as a unit. The Empress is the idea of award-winning saxophonist Pureum Jin, who enlisted the renowned German writer and saxophonist Michael Lutzeier to arrange ...
Dayna Stephens: Closer Than We Think
by Jack Bowers
A few brief observations: first, New York-based Dayna Stephens is an excellent saxophonist. Second, the other members of his quartet on Closer Than We Think, Stephens' twelfth album as a leader, are similarly proficient. Third, Stephens clearly had a specific plan in mind before entering GB's Juke Joint to record the album in May 2023, one ...
David Robbins: Happy Faces
by Pierre Giroux
The release of Happy Faces by the Dave Robbins Big Band is a landmark event in Vancouver, B.C. jazz history. More than a mere archival recording, this revelatory issue celebrates the enduring legacy of a seminal figure who shaped the course of large ensemble jazz in Canada and beyond. Robbins, a trombonist, composer and visionary band ...
Jacob Chung: The Sage
by Jack Bowers
On The Sage, his second album as leader, Canadian-bred saxophonist Jacob Chung lends credence to a speculative yet widely held belief that contempory jazz continues to grow and prosper north of the American border. Chung is no mere hobbyist, nor are his veteran helpmates --one of whom, alto saxophonist Vincent Herring, has been a force on ...
Jacob Wutzke: You Better Bet
by Jack Bowers
Jacob Wutzke, long an admirer of fellow drummer and composer Tony Williams, moved closer to Williams' orbit several years ago when acclaimed bassist Ira Coleman--who had performed and recorded with Williams in the 1980s and '90s-- relocated to Wutzke's home base in Montreal, Canada. After meeting Coleman, Wutzke proposed the idea of recording an album of ...
The Dave Robbins Big Band: Happy Faces
by Jack Bowers
Even though its renowned leader and trombonist passed away in 2005, and the Dave Robbins Big Band's Happy Faces was recorded some forty years before that, the music on this remarkable album remains as fresh and provocative as today's front-page news. The Indiana-born Robbins, a legend among big-band artists and enthusiasts in Vancouver, British Columbia, and ...
Zach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day
by Jack Bowers
For someone not that long out of college, New York City-based drummer Zach Adleman has kept a full dance card, leading to the release of his impressive debut recording, We Make: Stories for a New Day, on which Adleman leads a nimble sextet through its paces on 11 charming and upbeat songs, nine of which he ...
Dwayne Clemons: Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls
by Jack Bowers
On Center of Gravity, veteran trumpeter Dwayne Clemons displays his astuteness and savvy in a generally impressive session recorded in September 2023 at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City, leading a sextet in which he shares the front line with alto saxophonist Amanda Sedgwick and tenor Aaron Johnson. This is a colorful ...
Carl Allen: Tippin'
by Pierre Giroux
Drummer Carl Allen's release Tippin' is an opportune occasion, as it is Allen's first album as a leader in over twenty years. For this storytelling experience, Allen brought together two luminaries of modern jazz: the internationally renowned bassist Christian McBride and the phenomenal horn player Chris Potter. The trio created a cohesive and compelling narrative, resulting ...


