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Results for "Dan McClenaghan"
Bryan and the Haggards: Pretend It's the End of the World
by Dan McClenaghan
Can a saxophone twang?" If it's a set of music celebrating the sounds of Bakersfield, California's county music legend, Merle Haggard, it had better do just that. And strangely, with Pretend It's the End of the World, by Bryan and the Haggards, the saxophone blowing of altoist Jon Irabagon and the tenorist/leader Bryan Murray find that ...
Contact: Dave Liebman / John Abercrombie / Marc Copland / Drew Gress / Billy Hart: Five on One
by Dan McClenaghan
The band called Contact is about as all-star an affair as can be found in modern jazz, and it's hard to imagine any serious listener not having a favorite among the players, whether it's saxophonist and renaissance man Dave Liebman, pianist Marc Copland--whose marvelous New York Trio Recordings pushed his profile up closer to where it ...
Bill Carrothers: See the Piano, Play the Piano
by Dan McClenaghan
"I want to keep my fingers in a state of chaos...I try to keep my fingers stupid."----Bill Carrothers, jazz pianist. The quest for chaotic and stupid finger seems an unusual one for a jazz pianist. But then, a conversation with Bill Carrothers reveals an unusual man; one who is to-the-point and forthright ...
Havana Carbo: Phantoms of Love
by Dan McClenaghan
On Tarde Triste," the opening track of Phantoms of Love, the Cuban-American vocalist sounds as relaxed, genuine, and comfortable in her own skin as can be. The singer's search for beauty and tranquility is worn on her sleeve, as it was on her Luna De Varadero (CAP, 2004). This set is crafted to perfection with spare ...
Denny Zeitlin: Precipice
by Dan McClenaghan
The recorded live format seems to suit pianist Denny Zeitlin, who is certainly the only top tier jazz pianist who is also a practicing psychiatrist. His In Concert (Sunnyside Records, 2009), with his trio featuring bassist Buster Williams and drummer Matt Wilson, was filled with beautiful moments of surrender and improvisational élan, and stunningly spontaneous displays ...
Carrie Wicks: I'll Get Around to It
by Dan McClenaghan
In the crowded and talent-filled lady jazz vocalist field, standing apart is no small feat. Some natural vocal chops, combined with a bunch of hard work and a good backing band, can make for a very viable artistic effort, and there are a lot of those around. But a very workable artistic effort is not enough. ...
Bill Carrothers: Joy Spring
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Bill Carrothers has narrowed his often expansive focus. Where the marvelous and career-defining Armistice 1918 (Sketch Records, 2004) concerned itself with the scope of World War I, and I Love Paris (Pirouet Records, 2005) explored popular songs from the twenties through the forties, Joy Spring zeros in on a smaller slice of a more recent ...
Paul Motian / Chris Potter / Jason Moran: Lost in a Dream
by Dan McClenaghan
Drummer Paul Motian seems to fit very comfortably into any musical situation, and elevate it. With a career that spans more than five decades--and seeming to begin at an early pinnacle with pianist Bill Evans' trio on the legendary Sunday at the Village Vanguard (Riverside Records, 1961)--Motian has, as a sideman, augmented musical visions galore. A ...
Wellstone Conspiracy: Motives
by Dan McClenaghan
This ensemble might have been labeled the Brent Jensen Quartet. They recorded One More Mile under the Idaho-based saxophonist's name. For their album Motives, however, they are calling themselves the Wellstone Conspiracy as they delve deeper into a melodic music that is steeped in the modern harmonic concepts of Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. The set ...
Hal Galper: E Pluribus Unum
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Hal Galper began his journey into rubato" playing early on in the new millennium, after a quite vibrant career in the mainstream, playing and recording with the likes of all-star alto saxophonists Phil Woods and Cannonball Adderley, legendary trumpeter Chet Baker and guitarist John Scofield. It hasn't always been a smooth ride. At a show ...


