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Results for "Hrayr Attarian"
B.J. Jansen: Ronin
by Hrayr Attarian
Baritone saxophonist B.J. Jansen demonstrates his versatility as a composer and performer on Ronin, his third release as a leader. The nine originals that comprise the album cover a gamut of styles while remaining firmly in the jazz mainstream. On the boppish “Manhattan Trane'in" for instance Jansen wields his horn with agility as he ...
Shawn Maxwell: Shawn Maxwell's Alliance
by Hrayr Attarian
Woodwind player and composer Shawn Maxwell's Shawn Maxwell's Alliance on the Chicago Sessions label is a carefully orchestrated suite with a subtle yet distinct dramatic sense. Although the description in the liner notes makes mention of a group of friends experimenting with new styles and sounds the disc is not a blowing date nor it is ...
1032K: That Which Is Planted
by Hrayr Attarian
The intrepid and original trio 1032K (the temperature at which the laws of physics no longer apply) is comprised of three versatile and singularly artful musicians who share a common creative vision. Their phenomenal That Which is Planted is a stimulating glimpse at this collaboration recorded live in Buffalo and Rochester, New York. The group radically ...
Momo Kodama: La Vallee Des Cloches
by Hrayr Attarian
Japan-born and France-educated pianist Momo Kodama is perfectly at home on La vallée des cloches, as she brings her signature, sublime approach to the interpretation of three introspective 20th century gems. The compositions go from impressionistic to more abstract, both within themselves and throughout the record. Maurice Ravel's five-movement suite “Miroirs," dedicated to various ...
The Fat Babies: 18th & Racine
by Hrayr Attarian
Early jazz stylists The Fat Babies' second album 18th & Racine is bolder than their first in their choice of material and their delivery of the songs included. Encouraged by the successful execution of their debut Chicago Hot (Delmark 2012) the band presents 14 lesser-known gems and an original composition by their cornetist Andy Schumm. The ...
Daniel Smith: Smokin' Hot Bassoon Blues
by Hrayr Attarian
It is rare that a jazz album comes with laugh out loud moments but bassoonist Daniel Smith's Smokin' Hot Bassoon Blues is full of them. Unfortunately these do not appear to be intentional humorous attempts merely risibly poor performances. This is a shame as Smith is both an accomplished musician and a jazz connoisseur ...
Marcos Pin: Duology Session 1
by Hrayr Attarian
Galician guitarist Marcos Pin is no stranger to ambitious projects. His Barbanza (Free Code Jazz Records, 2012) was a cinematic, expansive large ensemble work that fused modal jazz orchestration with his native musical heritage. His Duology is much more intimate yet no less challenging an undertaking. It will consist of ten separate sessions, each a duet ...
Shirazette Tinnin: Humility: Purity of My Soul
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer Shirazette Tinnin's debut album Humility: Purity of My Soul is a solid and inventive soul-jazz date that showcases several facets of her talent. In addition to Tinnin's passionate yet subtle and sophisticated handling of her kit the disc demonstrates her compositional creativity and her deft leadership. Tinnin's boldly visceral beats create the stimulating ...
The Healing Power of Music: Can Jazz Repair a Damaged Brain? The case of trumpeter Louis Smith
by Hrayr Attarian
The title above is not an abstract statement or a philosophical question. Hence, what follows is not a speculative or metaphysical piece. It is an evaluation of the concrete, experimental data on the merits of music therapy in the treatment of brain injury, particularly one due to a stroke. A stroke or a cerebrovascular accident (CVA) ...
Ari Brown: Groove Awakening
by Hrayr Attarian
It is easy to think of saxophonist Ari Brown as the heir to the late, great Chicago tenorists Von Freeman and Fred Anderson but that would not be a fair assessment. Far more than a successor, Brown is the youngest and remaining member of a powerfully unique musical triumvirate. His idiosyncratic style is equally appropriate to ...
