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Pol Belardi's Force: Organic Machines
by Don Phipps
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 ...
Robert Landfermann: Topaz
by Don Phipps
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 ...
Ruby Rushton: Ironside
by Don Phipps
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 ...
Nils Wogram Nostalgia: Things We Like to Hear
by Don Phipps
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.
Evgeny Sivtsov: Zoo
by Don Phipps
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 Tristanonot just in his technique, but in his attack as well. This makes for piano playing that, depending upon the number, is at times robust ...
Mike Murley: Taking Flight
by Don Phipps
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 ...
Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio: Even Better
by Don Phipps
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. ...
Nguyen Le: Overseas
by Don Phipps
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 ...
Fabio Giachino: At The Edges Of The Horizon
by Don Phipps
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.
Jan Alexander Trio: Of Memories To Come
by Don Phipps
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.



