Results for "Glenn Astarita"

Miles Okazaki: The Sky Below

by Glenn Astarita
February 12, 2020

Electric guitarist Miles Okazaki—also using electronics—and his rhythm section comprise three-fifths of alto sax great Steve Coleman's current band, as keyboardist Matt Mitchell rounds out this quartet for the leader's second release for Pi Recrodings, but his fifth album overall. And while the album length is a little over 39-minutes, many artists are cutting back some ...

Urs Leimgruber - Andreas Willers - Alvin Curran - Fabrizio Spera: Rome-Ing

by Glenn Astarita
February 10, 2020

These venerable European improvisers tease and taunt the listeners' psyches with free-form minimalist sound-shaping designs and subdued inner-workings with gradual buildups and asynchronous movements, countered by explosive episodes of angst, tinted with creaky sub-motifs. With four lengthy works recorded live in Rome--hence, the album title—American pianist Alvin Curran and Swiss guitarist Andreas Willers incorporate electronics into ...

Glenn Astarita

Born: August 21

I own a jazz/blues club (Water's Edge Bar & Grill) in Slidell, LA and write for Downbeat magazine, the New Orleans Weekly Gambit, All About Jazz and other music related mags/zines. Play the drums (briefly studied with Andrew Cyrille) and trying to start a house band at the club. Did some freelance photography years back, i.e. Corporate Functions, landscapes, drunks. Also spent time in a rainforest in Indonesia.

I'm an Information Technology Consultant (Not too persistent, but pushy by nature.) Hence, results oriented. Resumes are available upon request

Tim Stine Quartet: Knots

by Glenn Astarita
January 18, 2020

Guitarist Tim Stine leads a democratically oriented quartet with progressive/free jazz Chicago heavyweights, providing a bit of credence to the album moniker since many of these pieces are woven together with incongruent angles and geometrical designs. With false endings, scrappy breakouts and off-metered pulses, the leader's intricate chordal and single note developments assist with maintaining an ...

Rhys Marsh: October After All

by Glenn Astarita
January 4, 2020

Hopefully, this alluring album by progressive rock multi-instrumentalist, composer, vocalist Rhys Marsh won't slip under the radar. It's an album that has staying power due to the artist's atmospheric and cleverly arranged works, largely containing memorably melodic hooks and emotive expressionism. Born in the UK, Marsh now resides in Norway, which has become a fertile region ...

Rosalie Cunningham: Rosalie Cunningham

by Glenn Astarita
January 2, 2020

Throughout a mélange of classic psyche rock and other related genres, dappled with cabaret-like chutzpah, UK-reared vocalist, guitarist, keyboardist Rosalie Cunningham maintains a distinct persona on her debut, following the breakup of Purson, the critically celebrated band she co-founded. With fluid walls of sound, disparate time signatures and sprightly themes largely framed on melodic choruses, Cunningham's ...

Mário Costa with Marc Ducret & Benoit Delbeq: Oxy Patina

by Glenn Astarita
December 28, 2019

Nascent Portuguese drummer Mario Costa fronts a wily and power-packed supergroup with the addition of French musicians Marc Ducret and keyboardist Benoit Delbecq on this audiophile quality album that could also be useful for demoing high-end stereo equipment. More importantly, the kaleidoscopic disposition of this trio spans pensive intricacies, booming cadenzas, otherworldly spatial effects, swirling ostinatos ...

Eri Yamamoto Trio & Choral Chameleon: Goshu Ondo Suite

by Glenn Astarita
December 21, 2019

Modern jazz combined with choral vocals has not been in vogue during the genre's varied history. Some notable recordings such as drummer Max Roach's It's Time (Impulse, 1962) and trumpeter Donald Byrd's melding of jazz with spiritual vocals on A New Perspective (Blue Note, 1964) were prolific outings of this ilk. And on Byrd's album, the ...

Scheen Jazzorkester & Thomas Johansson: As We See It...

by Glenn Astarita
December 7, 2019

Given the breadth of the Clean Feed label's extensive Scandinavian improvisation and free jazz discography, this large-scale orchestra, featuring venerable trumpeter Thomas Johansson, is not strictly framed on avant-garde persuasions. In fact, the predominate x-factor that deals the KO punch is how hummable melodic hooks alluringly coexist with emotive soloing without an endless range of cacophonic ...

Mat Maneri Quartet: Dust

by Glenn Astarita
November 29, 2019

The respective artists are firmly rooted in the modern vanguard of experimentation, improvisation and countless offshoots of the jazz vernacular. However, A-list bassist John Hebert is also a veteran of many modern/progressive jazz sessions but, as evidenced here, is also comfortable exploring the outside realm. Hence, the musicians dish out a rather somber and stoic chamber-jazz ...