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Results for "Criss Cross"
Grant Stewart: Grant Stewart + 4
by AAJ Staff
Grant Stewart is a young Canadian tenor saxophonist with a big, burly sound and plenty of drive. On Grant Stewart + 4, he demonstrates his command of both his instrument and the hard bop idiom. He swings without pretense and his top-shelf sidemen move things along with considerable brio. Stewart's improvisations are marked by long, rolling ...
Jonathan Kreisberg Trio: New for Now
by John Kelman
Guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg's recent Mel Bay Records release, Unearth, focused exclusively on his own writing, with a contemporary aesthetic that placed him smack dab in the middle of turf also explored by Kurt Rosenwinkel and Adam Rogers. New for Now, on the other hand, divides Kreisberg's attention between four original compositions and an equal number of ...
Alex Sipiagin: Returning
by John Kelman
Some artists leap into visibility; others almost insidiously find their way into the public eye. Russian-born, New York-resident trumpeter Alex Sipiagin has made considerable strides in the past decade in establishing his reputation within the New York jazz community. He's been recruited for increasingly high profile gigs with the Mingus Big Band, Michael Brecker and, most ...
Adam Rogers: Apparitions
by Francis Lo Kee
Though the liner notes, which contain plenty of quotes by Rogers, try to explain in a technical way what's going on in the music, Apparitions is music you can feel. “The Tyranny of Fixed Numbers, the second track, is indeed a very original composition, though you're hit in the gut with guitar and tenor saxophone (Chris ...
Jimmy Greene Quartet: Forever
by Javier AQ Ortiz
Forever offers a choice of reasons for celebration. Its repertoire, mostly based on music inspired by the Protestant and so-called Evangelical versions of the Christian faith, is a somewhat unexplored vein that contains rich melodic and evocative deposits yet to be strip-mined. Although there certainly are examples of its interpretation throughout the history of jazz, much ...
Adam Rogers: Apparitions
by Mark F. Turner
Kurt Rosenwinkel, Ben Monder, and Liberty Ellman are just a few of the notable modern day guitarists who are making own their marks in technique and ability. Adam Rogers also falls into this category, but the question remains for any artist: how does one distinguish his own identity? Rogers' new release may not sound altogether different ...
Adam Rogers: Apparitions
by Dan McClenaghan
Adam Rogers, an accomplished classical guitarist, brings depth and versatility to his jazz sound. He also brings a fluid improvisational touch, full of forward momentum, on his latest Criss Cross release, Apparitions. Group cohesion is a big factor. The guitarist has recorded with the same lineup on his past three discs for the label, and the ...
Orrin Evans: Easy Now
by AAJ Staff
For those who may have been disappointed by the Philadelphia pianist-composer Orrin Evans' recent experiments with backbeats and electric keyboards, Easy Now marks a notable return to swinging on acoustic instruments. But this new venture is primarily a tribute to the late Don Evans, a gifted playwright and educator, as well as Orrin's father. ...
John Swana & The Philadelphians: Philly Gumbo Vol. 2
by David A. Orthmann
The sequel to a memorable 2001 release, Philly Gumbo Vol. 2 consists of pleasurable hard bop by John Swana and a band of mainstays from the fertile Philadelphia jazz scene. Despite the familiar stylistic trappings, the music stands up to repeat listening for several reasons. The original material (nine of ten tracks) transcends the tired, derivative ...
Alex Sipiagin: Equilibrium
by C. Andrew Hovan
Russian native Alex Sipiagin has been a first call trumpeter for several New York big bands for the past five years or so. A veteran of the Mingus Big Band, the Gil Evans Orchestra, and the Dave Holland Big Band, Sipiagin has been a favorite with critics but has yet to break though to the jazz ...
