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The West Point Band's Jazz Knights: At First Light
by Dan McClenaghan
The Jazz Knights, West Point's jazz ensemble, is the U.S Army's contribution to big band jazz. An outfit that recruits its members from the finest of the nation's music education schools, it has produced a vibrant, first rate outing with At First Light.It's obvious within the first moments of the opening cut, the Dietz/Swartz ...
Gene Ess: Modes of Limited Transcendence
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist Gene Ess put together a quartet with saxophonist Donny McCaslin for his Sandbox and Sanctum (SIMP Music, 2005) . On Modes of Limited Transcendence he ups the harmonic ingenuity factor with a different quartet, replacing the horn with a guitar, to craft an often cooking, quartet-of-equals chamber vibe.Ess began his musical journey as ...
Dan McClenaghan's 2008 Top Ten
by Dan McClenaghan
Here are ten of 2008's jazz CDs that charmed and seduced me, or grabbed my lapels and wouldn't let go. Bobo Stenson Trio Cantando ECM Records A piano trio set of incredible subtlety, depth and beauty, with Swedish pianist joined by bassist Anders Jormin ...
Shawn Maxwell: Originals II
by Dan McClenaghan
Multiple reedist (alto saxophone, mainly) Shawn Maxwell titled his fine debut CD Originals (Self-Produced, 2005). It was an apt tag for a set of all original tunes, played by Maxwell and an excellent backing unit fronted by the leader's distinctively tart and intrepid horn sound. His sophomore outing, Originals II, is more of the same, and ...
Michael Dease: Clarity
by Dan McClenaghan
The eminent J.J. Johnson casts a big jazz shadow, as the trombone master was instrumental in bringing the big brass horn out of the harmonic background and into the ensemble forefront, beginning with his late 1940's work with Charlie Parker. Without him, we might never have seen the star of Curtis Fuller rise on the classic ...
Julia Hulsmann Trio: The End of a Summer
by Dan McClenaghan
ECM Records stalwarts like Bobo Stenson, Tord Gustavsen and Keith Jarrett have, over the years, helped to define the German label's high quality artistry in the piano arena. And then there are the new players who offer up gorgeously compelling debuts that point in the direction of the future. In 2007 it was Anat Fort, with ...
Satoko Fujii Orchestra Nagoya: Sanrei
by Dan McClenaghan
Satoko Fujii has a rock and roll soul and heart, judging from the opening cut on Sanrei, by her Orchestra Nagoya. The tune thumps and slashes to life on a bass/drums/guitar intro that sounds like Deep Purple searching for the groove on Kentucky Woman," an early burst (1968) in the heavy metal mode. The ...
Mark Masters Ensemble: Farewell Walter Dewey Redman
by Dan McClenaghan
It's hard to believe that Dewey Redman isn't still around when listening to Mark Masters Ensemble set, Farewell Walter Dewey Redman. Masters and the group--especially alto saxophonist Oliver Lake--capture the soul and sound of the unsung tenor titan on this marvelously inspired recording.Dewey Redman (1931-2006), the father of saxophonist Joshua Redman, is probably best ...
Clay Giberson: Spaceton's Approach
by Dan McClenaghan
There's much to be said for holding a band together over the course of years and performances and album/CD releases, honing the familiarity, comfort level and the intricacies of interplay. Think of the two great Miles Davis Quintets, or Keith Jarrett's Standards Trio.There's also a lot to be said for the one-off affairs, the ...
Sangeeta Michael Berardi: Earthship
by Dan McClenaghan
There's a lot of talent vying for our ears in jazz, which translates to many top rate artists falling into the underappreciated category. Guitarist Sangeeta Michael Berardi (b. Sept. 2, 1939, in Waterbury, Conn.) is one of those singular musicians who hasn't gotten his due. Berardi, who was primarily based in Woodstock, N.Y. during ...


