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Results for "Geno Thackara"
The Claudia Quintet: Super Petite
by Geno Thackara
If there's one thing you can pin down about the Claudia Quintet, it's their inability to be pinned down. Starting off this release with “Nightbreak" is like dropping into a soundtrack to some sleepy '50s-style arty cartoon, with an acoustic retro tone that comes from the combination of vibraphone and clarinet. The piece isn't catchy and ...
Tord Gustavsen with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad at Fringe Arts
by Geno Thackara
Tord Gustavsen (with Simin Tander and Jarle Vespestad) Fringe Arts Philadelphia, PA June 20, 2016 The music of this trio project is “a mystical and spiritual journey," Tord Gustavsen declared early in the set during his first-ever appearance in Philadelphia, an endeavor about “finding the divine light within ...
Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers: Rehab Reunion
by Geno Thackara
A Bruce Hornsby album with no piano seems sort of like a Chinese dinner without rice. Well, upon further consideration it may not be quite as crazy as it sounds. The man's career is defined by nothing if not restlessness, and he's managed to do something fresh and different almost every time out. The most surprising ...
Brad Mehldau Trio: Blues and Ballads
by Geno Thackara
It's easy to play the blues--or at the very least it's easy to learn the basics--but keeping the form fresh and interesting is another matter entirely. Likewise, any beginner can tackle a quiet ballad, but presenting something simple and pretty is really harder than it sounds. The Brad Mehldau Trio manages its always-distinctive blend of all ...
Miles Ahead Soundtrack / Live in Tokyo 1975
by Geno Thackara
Miles Davis / Various Artists Miles Ahead (motion picture soundtrack) Sony Legacy 2016 It's hard to imagine why the world would ever need yet another Miles Davis compilation. We're talking about a catalogue big enough to fill its own library and eclectic enough to give you whiplash for the ...
Karen Lane Organ Project: Two Steps from the Blues
by Geno Thackara
From intimate singer-songwriter crooning to bossa nova, Karen Lane and her versatile voice have graced many a stage in quite different contexts. The blues have always been an ingredient in there as well--albeit an infrequent one usually represented by the occasional encore--so it was probably inevitable that this facet of her personality would get its own ...
Kristin Norderval: Parrhésie
by Geno Thackara
Kristin Norderval has a lot on her mind. Most of us do, of course, but most of us probably tend to keep some mental distance between the enjoyable pleasantries (art, music obsessions and the like) and the remainder of life that's somewhat less fun (worries about society or the future of the planet). Norderval isn't like ...
The Unity Sessions / Cuong Vu Trio Meets Pat Metheny
by Geno Thackara
Pat Metheny The Unity Sessions Nonesuch Records 2016 What's in a name? First there was the Unity Band in 2012; after several years of collaborations, solo work and small ensembles, the ever-restless Pat Metheny decided it was time for a steady quartet of his own again. The following year it ...
Center City Jazz Fest: Five Years Strong
by Geno Thackara
Center City Jazz Festival Philadelphia, PA April 30, 2016 “The Fifth Annual Center City Jazz Festival is officially sold out!" Thus tweeted a spokesperson from @ccjazzfest two days before the start of Philadelphia's annual celebration (most likely its founder, local trombonist Ernest Stuart). I'm not sure if there was any backup plan ...
Brad Mehldau Trio / GoGo Penguin at World Cafe Live
by Geno Thackara
If there's one thing about music that keeps us all going, it has to be endless adaptability. There's no instrument or genre that doesn't have some fresh possibilities still to discover (except maybe hair metal, I suppose). Philadelphia's World Cafe Live offered yet another illustration of the idea by hosting two exceptional piano trios within the ...
