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Frank Wess: Magic 201
by Dan Bilawsky
What a wonderful coda on an incredible life and career. Saxophonist/Flautist Frank Wess' final recordings--the critically acclaimed Magic 101 (IPO, 2013) and this follow-up, recorded two months after that album--speak to his brilliance and clarity as a melody maker and improviser. His wisdom and elegance come through in every note on both recordings. ...
Edward Simon: Venezuelan Suite
by Dan Bilawsky
Venezuelan Suite is pianist Edward Simon's love letter to his homeland, but that's not all it is; it's the perfect confluence of Venezuelan ideals, jazz language and chamber-esque sophistication. In short, it's a masterpiece. While every country has its musical adherents in American jazz circles, some are sorely underrepresented. That's why it's so ...
Jim Clayton: Songs My Daughter Knows
by Dan Bilawsky
Pianist Jim Clayton must have one hip daughter; or perhaps it's the other way around. Regardless, both parties clearly inspire one another through music. On the simply-and-directly titled Songs My Daughter Knows, Clayton explores the musical ins-and-outs of the first three years spent with his cherished child--Eileen Agnes “Lenny" Clayton. The album opens ...
Mike Longo and the New York State of the Art Jazz Ensemble: Live From New York!
by Dan Bilawsky
When trumpet titan Dizzy Gillespie left this earth he left no shortage of disciples behind. His now-legendary peers (i.e. saxophonists Jimmy Heath and Benny Golson), a cadre of killer Cubans (Arturo Sandoval, multi-reedist Paquito D'Rivera, pianist Gonzalo Rubalcaba, etc.) and a pride of young lions all worked with him, learned from him, and sang his praises, ...
Desmond White: Short Stories
by Dan Bilawsky
Size and substance are not reflective of one another. Some people mistakenly assume that grand-scale productions automatically deserve grand-scale receptions and small- scale artistry deserves to exist on the fringe. That makes about as much sense as holding a belief that novels, by their very nature, are of greater importance than short stories, but some people ...
Kenny Barron/Gerry Gibbs/Ron Carter: Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Dream Trio
by Dan Bilawsky
When drummer Gerry “The Thrasher" Gibbs was a youngster, growing up in California in the '70s, he idolized bassist Ron Carter and pianist Kenny Barron. Of course, neither man played his instrument of choice, but he recognized the greatness that emanated from both players and he viewed them as exemplars of what's right and good in ...
Rob Derke & The NYJAZZ Quartet: Blue Divide
by Dan Bilawsky
Saxophonist Rob Derke--the man behind the jazz-promoting nonprofit known as the NYJAZZ Initiative--significantly widened his reach with Mad About Thad (Jazzheads, 2011). That album, a finely sculpted tribute to the great trumpeter-composer Thad Jones, helped to shine a light on Derke's organization and brought more deserved attention to the music of a dearly departed legend. Now, ...
Marty Ehrlich: A Trumpet In The Morning
by Dan Bilawsky
A Trumpet In The Morning is a first for multi-reedist Marty Ehrlich; it's the first album completely dedicated to his large group works and the first album under his name that's basically directed by his hand rather than his horn(s). The intrepid Ehrlich, who fell under the sway of St. Louis' Black Artists Group (BAG) in ...
T.K. Blue: A Warm Embrace
by Dan Bilawsky
What do you do after you've already toured the world with jazz legends, helmed a successful college jazz program and recorded everything from bluesy fare to world-meets-jazz music to Latin-ized takes on Charlie Parker? If you're saxophonist T.K. Blue, you turn to the soft(er) and the subtle, delivering an album that's texturally rich yet wholly transparent. ...
Gordon Grdina/Mark Helias: No Difference
by Dan Bilawsky
No Difference takes place at the crossroads of the known and unknown, expected and surprising, and fenced in and free. More importantly, it's an album built upon the bonds of shared experience. Each of the four musicians involved with this project can be paired off with at least one other in their respective backstories. Grdina and ...
