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Article: Reassessing

Spectrum

by Dean Nardi
April 13, 2026

Was it jazz or rock? This was (is) the eternal question about fusion. Back in the 1970s when the Mahavishnu Orchestra pioneered the genre, the electric and chaotic unpredictability of the John McLaughlin-led outfit cut across what was thought to be basic jazz concepts by displaying loud electric guitar riffing over what could stand ...

Article: Inside the Songs

Thomas Strønen Time Is A Blind Guide: Off Stillness

by Dean Nardi
April 8, 2026

During his Time Is A Blind Guide reunion with keyboardist Ayumi Tanaka, cellist Leo Svensson Sander (replacing Lucy Railton), violinist Håkon Aase and double-bassist Ole Morten Vågan on Off Stillness (ECM Records, 2025), Norwegian drummer Thomas Strønen lands in a peculiar, improvised pocket. Brushed rhythms, unusual violin counterpoints, verbose bass, pizzicato cello and fractured piano arpeggios lend ...

Article: Interview

Matt Marantz: About Music, Money and Mouthpieces

by Dean Nardi
January 9, 2026

Back in ancient times, when people would buy actual magazines with paper and print and pictures and ads, some of the music publications would offer companion CD compilations. You could always find two or three tracks that stood out and maybe enticed you to check out an artist's recorded output. That is how I came across ...

Article: Interview

Mary Halvorson: About the Ghosts in the Guitar

by Dean Nardi
January 5, 2026

No, guitarheads, recently Mary Halvorson has been inspired to put out records with her Amaryllis sextet more so than some jaggedy, lyrical shredding, but these are pretty darn good jazz records from a tight ensemble consisting of Adam O'Farrill (trumpet), Jacob Garchik (trombone), Patricia Brennan (vibraphone) and a rhythm section of Nick Dunston (bass) and Tomas ...

Article: Interview

Sivan Arbel: Oneness is the Hopefullest Number

by Dean Nardi
December 31, 2025

Israeli vocalist and songwriter Sivan Arbel has a unique composition technique, which she calls “squeezing the sponge." It involves absorbing diverse influences and transforming them into her own original and eclectic musical language. Driven by a desire to bring healing and connection through her music, Arbel's December 2024 release on Adhyâropa Records, Oneness, recorded at Kaleidoscope ...

Article: Inside the Songs

Shuteen Erdenebaatar & Nils Kugelmann: Quiet Excitement for the Unknown

by Dean Nardi
December 29, 2025

Under The Same Stars (Motéma Music, 2025) is the second in a trilogy from pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar, taking inspiration from sun, moon and stars mythology of her Mongolian homeland. The album follows her 2023 quartet debut Rising Sun (also on Motéma) to evoke the vitality, positivity and optimism--a fitting choice for the album's bright sonic landscape. Stars-- representing ...

Article: Year in Review

Dean Nardi's Best Jazz Albums Of 2025

by Dean Nardi
December 18, 2025

The End-of-the-Year lists are upon us once again, and there were some special albums that spun in just-walking-the-dog heavy rotation. Specifically, when plugged into a trusty Walkman, it is the noise-dampening aspect of earphones that aids listening to and evaluating whether a particular album is worth inclusion, because in December you cannot escape the tired and ...

Article: Interview

Tessa Souter: Singing Her Way to Happiness

by Dean Nardi
December 14, 2025

The English/Trinidadian artist is a bona fide treasure--consummate stage presence, captivating singer, accomplished songwriter. Arriving in New York via San Francisco in 1997, Souter won a scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music in 1999 but left after one semester to study privately with Mark Murphy, who mentored her for four years in return for booking ...

Article: Interview

Lara Somogyi: Finding Her Muse in the Desert

by Dean Nardi
December 2, 2025

When one is making a pilgrimage to Joshua Tree in California--even by Zoom call--you must be careful about protecting your eyes from the blinding sunlight and keep your cap on to cover your brain. Listening to the music of Lara Somogyi from her album désert (Mercury KX 2025), one's brain is constantly heated by thoughts of ...

Article: Inside the Songs

Dave Anderson: Plays with Gusto

by Dean Nardi
October 27, 2025

Gusto! Vigorous and enthusiastic. Implies doing something with great spirit and energy. From the Spanish, gusto indicates taste, pleasure or liking, and that, friends, wraps and puts a bow around what you hear from New York-based soprano and tenor saxophonist Dave Anderson on his uplifting In Lieu of Flowers album (Label1, 2025). Anderson needed ...