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Josh Irving Quartet: Outside to Play
by Franz A. Matzner
Stylistically amorphous, the Josh Irving Quartet's freshman effort, Outside to Play, suffers from an inability to establish a consistent voice, which ultimately distracts from the musicians' talents. Vacillating between bop, hard bop, and more contemporary directions, the four musicians clearly possess a comprehensive--albeit studied--background in jazz forms, and the group's original tunes reveal ...
Lafayette Gilchrist: The Music According to Lafayette Gilchrist
by Franz A. Matzner
Deep, brooding grooves, gravelly bass, taut piano lines that stride forward with lithe, contained energy... the music on The Music According to Lafayette Gilchrist feels as if it is about to explode, held in check only by the tight grasp of strict discipline. This tension between barely checked frenzy and control not only ...
Thelonious Monk: Monk 'Round the World
by Franz A. Matzner
Second in the series of Thelonious Monk releases produced by the his son, T.S. Monk, Monk Round the World presents seven live tracks of the seminal pianist performing in various European and U.S. locales. At this point it would be impossible to expect a Monk release to provide wholly new insights into the ...
Myra Melford: Mystic Manifestations
by Franz A. Matzner
Leave the familiar for a while. Let your senses and bodies stretch out Like a welcome season Onto the meadows and shores and hills. The above lines are from the poem All the Hemispheres , by the Persian mystic poet, Hafiz. Though Myra Melford made no mention ...
A Modern Masterpiece: Chris Potter on Recording "Lift"
by Franz A. Matzner
Recorded live, Chris Potter's current release Lift reunites Potter with band mates Scott Colley, Kevin Hayes, and Bill Stewart, the same line-up who produced the 2002 release Traveling Mercies, and with whom Potter has recorded and performed with many times over the years, whether under his own leadership or as a member of the others' various ...
Hank Jones: The Talented Touch and Porgy and Bess
by Franz A. Matzner
The Talented Touch and Porgy and Bess reissues on one compact disc two albums originally recorded by pianist Hank Jones with two different groups in 1958. The album thus documents Jones' uniquely honed rhythmic sensibilities and insightful interpretive skill as he interacts with a range of musicians, including bassist Milt Jackson, guitarists Kenny Burrell and Barry ...
George Shearing: Like Fine Wine
by Franz A. Matzner
George Shearing's latest release, Like Fine Wine, presents the renowned pianist/composer in a trio setting performing a series of-sadly-quite tired standards. Certainly, Shearing's abilities are in evidence, shinning through at odd moments throughout the course of the album, but the pieces are taken at such a meandering pace, and have been aged to ...
Michel Petrucciani: So What: The Best of Michel Petrucciani
by Franz A. Matzner
Released in memory of pianist/composer Michel Petrucciani, So What presents a comprehensive introduction and carefully constructed homage to Petrucciani’s many musical sides. Afflicted with ontogenesis imperfecta, a bone disorder, Petrucciani found his accomplished career cut short by a pulmonary infection when he was only thirty-six. He showed an early aptitude and interest in music, and he ...
Monty Alexander Brings Reggae Jazz to Blue's Alley
by Franz A. Matzner
Monty Alexander is a profoundly entertaining storyteller. It might be better to state that still more precisely. Monty Alexander is a profound and entertaining story teller, and the truly distinctive quality of his performances is that it becomes impossible to discern the one from the other. This highly potent, heterogeneous concoction is just ...
Matt Jorgensen: Seattle's New Sound
by Franz A. Matzner
Originally from Seattle, drummer, composer, and bandleader Matt Jorgensen began pursuing music relatively late. After only a few years of study during college, he picked up and left home to throw himself into the New York jazz scene. Now, ten years later, he’s formed a critically acclaimed ensemble, released his fourth album, and is co-owner of ...
