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Camille Thurman: Origins
by Hrayr Attarian
Vocalist, multi-instrumentalist Camille Thurman is not just another girl singer accessorizing with a horn. She is a first class saxophonist that blows the proverbial roof off the place and an accomplished stylist who uses her vocal cords like she does her various woodwinds, with agility and sophistication. Her sophomore effort Origins is a testament ...
Mimi Jones: Balance
by Hrayr Attarian
Virtuoso bassist and superlative bandleader Mimi Jones' (AKA Miriam Sullivan) Balance is a delightful album filled with 79 minutes of engaging music. Despite the title, however, it is an unevenly structured work. The edgy, dramatic “The Incy Wincy Spider" for instance completely deconstructs the children's rhyme into an intriguing, darkly hued and haunting piece. ...
The Acoustic and the Electric: Hristo Vitchev and Joe DeRose
by Hrayr Attarian
Bay area guitarist Hristo Vitchev is a prolific and consummate musician. Capable of both deeply introspective lyricism and electrifyingly gregarious fervor, Vitchev, nevertheless, maintains his individuality and hi, easily recognizable, impressionistic style in all of his diverse engagements. Two records released in 2013 superbly showcase his adroitness in and adaptability to various musical situations.
Brian McCarthy: This Just In
by Hrayr Attarian
Jazz is not the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Vermont but the state, despite its size, has had a long involvement with improvised music. Trumpeters Alan Shorter and Bill Dixon taught at Bennington College and guitarist Attila Zoller founded the Vermont Jazz Center in Brattleboro. In addition to having a small yet ...
Laurenzi-Ernst-Green: Sightline
by Hrayr Attarian
Chicago based trio Laurenzi-Ernst-Green's debut Sightline is an atmospheric album filled with intriguing patterns and exuberant and elegant spontaneity. An intimate mysticism imbues this collaborative effort of seven original compositions with a modal bent. Bassist Katie Ernst's wordless vocals hauntingly echo saxophonist Dustin Laurenzi's big toned tenor on the mesmerizing “Skoops," while her resonant ...
Abbey Rader: Reach For The Skies
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer Abbey Rader's compelling Reach for the Skies is a set of entirely improvised music that, nevertheless, follows an intricate and stimulating progression along certain unique motifs and ideas. The spontaneous orchestration flows freely and seamlessly thanks to the superlative musicianship of the quartet and the intuitive camaraderie among its members.Rader's haunting cymbal vibrations ...
Jack Mouse Group: Range of Motion
by Hrayr Attarian
Drummer and educator Jack Mouse has a versatile and prolific career. In addition to playing, among many others, with trumpeter Clark Terry, saxophonist James Moody and pianist Stan Kenton he has been actively involved in education as a faculty member at various institutions and as a writer for percussion magazines. His debut album Range of Motion ...
Jane Ira Bloom: Sixteen Sunsets
by Hrayr Attarian
Soprano saxophone virtuoso Jane Ira Bloom's intensely intimate and simultaneously cinematic Sixteen Sunsets is quite different from her preceding albums, Like Silver, Like Song (Artistshare, 2005), Mental Weather (Outline, 2008) and Wingwalker (Outline, 2010). Gone are the edgy flirtations with freer styles as well as the provocative, electrifying compositions. Instead the material is mostly standards and ...
Satoko Fujii & Natsuki Tamura: Gen Himmel / Dragon Nat / Tornado
by Hrayr Attarian
Pianist Satoko Fujii and her husband trumpeter Natsuki Tamura are one of the most boldly creative and fearlessly innovative couples in contemporary music. For the past three years they have also been quite prolific, releasing eight albums on their own Libra Records alone. This increase in productivity, however, has not come at the expense of quality ...
Hrayr Attarian's Top Dozen with a Feminine Bend for 2013
by Hrayr Attarian
Here is my top dozen for 2013 (with a feminine bent and in alphabetical order). Women remain unjustly underrepresented as instrumentalists in jazz. Hopefully these superb records will help improve that disparity by introducing listeners to these outstandingly creative artists and their stimulating work. Jamie Baum In This Life ...
