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Article: Album Review

Pol Belardi's Force: Organic Machines

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by Don Phipps
December 16, 2019

On Organic Machines, Pol Belardi's Force quartet offers intoxicating, warmly accessible melodies over rock beats. Composing all 14 numbers on the album, Belardi's lyricism is buoyed by a relatively light touch on bass and the three musicians who accompany him on this outing, pianist Jerome Klein, saxophonist David Fettmann and drummer Niels Engel. All ...

Article: Album Review

Robert Landfermann: Topaz

by Don Phipps
December 3, 2019

A brilliant tour de force, Robert Landfermann's Topaz is helped in no small part by the amazing contributions of the quartet Landfermann assembled for this session. It is clear he prefers spontaneous improvisation over formal structures. The key to such an approach relies on the ability of the musicians to both listen to one another and ...

Article: Album Review

Ruby Rushton: Ironside

by Don Phipps
December 2, 2019

Ruby Rushton's Ironside is like a trip back to the jazz of Dave Grusin's late 1980s film soundtrack The Fabulous Baker Boys. Hard driving bop, the music bubbles along with syncopated riffs and upbeat, energetic shuffles interlaced with soulful intervals. Woodwind player Edward Cawthorne penned six of the tunes, keyboardist Aidan Shepherd penned two ...

Article: Album Review

Nils Wogram Nostalgia: Things We Like to Hear

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by Don Phipps
November 22, 2019

On Things We Like To Hear, trombonist Nils Wogram and his bassless trio Nostalgia explore a kind of Miles Davis cool to hot fusion. Wogram provides an expressive center to the outing, his playing running from bluesy drawls to punchy explosiveness while focused on the themes and range of rhythms found in the compositions.

Article: Album Review

Evgeny Sivtsov: Zoo

by Don Phipps
November 21, 2019

On Zoo, composer and pianist Evgeny Sivtsov reimagines and contrasts jazz styles in a clever and skillful manner. Sivtsov sounds like a cross between Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, or even Lennie Tristano—not just in his technique, but in his attack as well. This makes for piano playing that, depending upon the number, is at times robust ...

Article: Album Review

Mike Murley: Taking Flight

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by Don Phipps
November 18, 2019

Mike Murley's Taking Flight is a candlelight romance of well-chosen covers and two original compositions. At times, Murley's sax sound is slightly reminiscent of Ben Webster while, when he plays ballads, one can hear echoes of John Coltrane. In short, his sound is sweet and warm. Combining this sound with the elegant contributions of his bandmates ...

Article: Album Review

Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio: Even Better

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by Don Phipps
November 17, 2019

Composer and bassist Michael Formanek's Even Better is an adventurous compilation of bluesy abstractions with surprising twists and turns. Opting for a drummer-less trio format, Formanek gives himself room to negotiate the terrain with his own intimate rhythm. He is aided and abetted by his longtime collaborator, saxophonist virtuoso Tim Berne, and guitarist extraordinaire Mary Halvorson. ...

Article: Album Review

Nguyen Le: Overseas

by Don Phipps
November 16, 2019

Robust and compelling, guitarist and composer Nguyen Le's Overseas continues his explorations of hybrid jazz--a jazz which combines traditional Vietnamese music with a personal style of jazzy soulful funk. Ancient instruments and urban rhythms collide, creating a kaleidoscopic musical mix that is at times hopping, like a busy Ho Chi Minh City avenue, and at times ...

Article: Album Review

Fabio Giachino: At The Edges Of The Horizon

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by Don Phipps
November 15, 2019

The set of invigorating and hard-driving straight-ahead jazz tunes on Italian pianist and composer Fabio Giachino's At The Edges Of The Horizon offers non-stop interplay and flowing syncopation. There's a certain funky richness to the music, and Giachino's bandmates make the most of the flow of the music, highlighting the rhythmic variations with technical virtuosity.

Article: Album Review

Jan Alexander Trio: Of Memories To Come

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by Don Phipps
November 7, 2019

Jan Alexander's Of Memories to Come is a peaceful affair, a sunny set of tunes that offers optimism and solace. While much of the album sparkles with energy and verve, there is also a soft touch to Alexander's piano technique that, like Keith Jarrett or Bill Evans, allows the sweetness of the piano to emerge.