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Results for "Dan McClenaghan"
Chad McCullough: Watch As The Echo Falls
by Dan McClenaghan
The music ensemble Atlantic Road Trip started as a quintet that made folk sounds stirred with jazz modes. One (Calligram Records, 2023) was the album. It featured trumpeter Chad McCullough in the leader's spot. He was joined by alto saxophonist and multi-reedist Paul Towndrow, Miro Herak on vibraphone, bassist Connor Murray, with Alyn Cosker in the ...
Tumbao Bravo with Paul Vornhagen: Joy of the Mambo
by Dan McClenaghan
Dance music means a good time. The mambo, the cha cha, 'rhumba' and bolero beats challenge the feet to stay still, they challenge the butt to stay in the chair. The music is pure joy, and reed man Paul Vornhagen and his sextet, Tumbao Bravo, exploit that joy to the max on the fittingly titled Joy ...
Maria Schneider Orchestra: American Crow
by Dan McClenaghan
Maria Schneider has a thing for birds. Credible sources have reported sightings of the jazz composer frequenting Central Park wearing a floppy hat, a pair of binoculars hanging from her neck. Her 20-plus minute Cerulean Skies," from her album (one of her masterpieces) Sky Blue (ArtistShare, 2007) speaks to her love for birds; her fascination with ...
Matt Greenwood: Daybreak
by Dan McClenaghan
Writing about guitarist Matt Greenwood's debut album, Atlas (Self-Produced, 2023), one All About Jazz reviewer wrote, Expect a great deal more from Matt Greenwood." The Zimbabwe-born artist begins the fulfillment of those expectations with his sophomore outing, Daybreak, moving forward on the sweeping luminosity and atmospheric world-building of his debut. Ambient textures, sometimes subtle ...
Anthony Branker: Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by Dan McClenaghan
At the time of this writing (early 2026), the United States is beset by an odious president, a racist sociopath who seems hellbent on erasing all references to achievement or success of anyone of African descent--leaving aside that we are all of African descent; but some made the relocation to North America involuntarily. Stubborn ...
Roberto Magris / Denis Razz Quartet: In Action
by Dan McClenaghan
It is not easy for a European jazz artist to establish a notable profile in the United States, but Italian pianist Roberto Magris has done just that, in part via the tried and true just show up" method of operation. It is necessary to show up with the drive, determination and talent to pull the success ...
John Vanore & Abstract Truth: Easter Island Suite
by Dan McClenaghan
The spirit of Oliver Nelson and the thousand ghosts of Easter Island loom large over John Vanore & Abstract Truth's Easter Island Suite. The Nelson side of the equation has its roots in trumpeter Vanore's attendance at a Nelson-directed summer program at Indiana University, which led him, as a student, into deeper explorations of Nelson's work, ...
Jussi Reijonen: Sayr: Kaiho--Live In Helsinki
by Dan McClenaghan
Finnish-born guitarist Jussi Reijonen says, For there to be motion, there needs to be stillness as its counterpoint and vice versa, since through their dance, each defines the other." Music unfolds over time. Reijonen has released a pair of albums in 2025: Sayr: Salt | Thirst (Unmusic)--a studio solo set employing a late--1940s Gibson ...
Paul Colombo Group: Mabrouka
by Dan McClenaghan
Guitarist Paul Colombo is blessed in his collaborative album, Mabrouka, with a group of imaginative and inspired sidemen, including, most notably, keyboardist Ron Thomas. This is Colombo's sophomore outing, following Rio Crystal (Vectordisc Records, 2021), and Thomas, bassist Andy Alonso and drummer Chris Loser make return appearances on Mabrouka. Add guest slots by flutist Tom Strohman ...
Kerry Politzer: Alternate Route
by Dan McClenaghan
A first impression as pianist Kerry Politzer's ninth album spins: This is an artist adept at bringing a band together for a one-day studio outing to play a bunch of her forward-leaning compositions to turn out a vibrant, crisp-sounding set. Obvious also, on tune # 1--"Before It's Too Late"--is that guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel has a special ...

