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New World Jazz Composers Octet: Breaking News
by Hrayr Attarian
Established in 2000, in the spirit of the Mingus Jazz Workshop, the New World Jazz Composer's Octet sounds more like an orchestra than a group of eight musicians. On its third release, Breaking News, the octet showcases six contemporary composers affiliated with the ensemble. The music is intricate and well-constructed, with hints of ...
The Landrus Kaleidoscope: Capsule
by Hrayr Attarian
On Capsule his second album on his own BlueLand label, baritone saxophonist and reed multi-instrumentalist, Brian Landrus pushes the boundaries of jazz and explores a more fusion-like style inspired by Motown and other related genres. Contributing to this electric sound is the addition of Nir Felder to the rhythm section whose Jimi Hendrix-like ...
Medical History Blues: The Curious Case of Jake.
by Hrayr Attarian
Historians and scholars of medical humanities mine the (mostly) Western literary classics for the first descriptions of illnesses we have now categorized and studied. But why not explore popular culture as a historical source as well? Can art forms like the blues--the progenitor of jazz and other modern musical forms--contain also clues to medical mysteries of ...
Satoko Fujii's Triple Whammy
by Hrayr Attarian
The year 2011 is proving to be a fruitful one for Japanese composer and improviser Satoko Fujii. In addition to a world tour, she has released three albums (all on June 21) on her own Libra record label, each in a different setting and in the company of different musicians. Her only constant companion, through all ...
Satoko Fujii with Natsuki Tamura: Chicago, Illinois, June 27, 2011
by Hrayr Attarian
Satoko Fujii with Natsuki TamuraPianoforteChicago, IllinoisJune 27, 2011 The intimate salon at Pianoforte, Chicago's premier piano shop and performance venue, was extremely well suited for Satoko Fujii's intensely personal, introspective music, especially in the solo and duet formats. This was Fujii's much anticipated Chicago debut and she did not disappoint. ...
Jamie Ruben: Groove-O-Ly-O-Scene
by Hrayr Attarian
Canadian composer/guitarist Jamie Ruben's debut, Groove-O-Ly-O-Scene, is a very atmospheric affair, but its stylistic intricacies are not at the expense of substance. Although the opener, “AQ Giraffe," is short on improvisation, its almost Hawaiian-sounding heavy groove serves as a good introduction that sets the theme for the rest of the record. The lazy nocturnesque “Pennapa," on ...
Ken Silverman Septet: From Emptiness
by Hrayr Attarian
Guitarist/oudist/composer Ken Silverman's From Emptiness is an overtly theatrical and intensely spiritual work. From the abstract, Zen-like, black and white cover art to the chanting of the Buddhist Monk and Sanshin player Kossan that opens and closes the record, the profound spirituality of the music is quite apparent. The titles of the tunes ...
On Blind Tom, Essence of Creativity, Autism and Jazz
by Hrayr Attarian
It is safe to assume, that today, Blind Tom Wiggins (AKA Bethune) is not a household name. In the mid to late 19th century, and into the first decade of the 20th, however, Blind Tom was a phenomenon who some named the Eighth Wonder. Although no contemporary physician made the actual diagnosis of autism, it is ...
Brian Landrus: Traverse
by Hrayr Attarian
Saxophonist/composer Brian Landrus' Traverse is a mature, cohesive and intensely personal musical opus that reflects his various influences. Although adept at playing multiple reed instruments. Landrus is best-known for being a baritone saxophonist, an instrument he mostly sticks, along with some bass clarinet, with on this, his third CD. His creative and personal ...
Wayne Wallace: To Hear From There
by Hrayr Attarian
San Francisco-area trombonist Wayne Wallace is known for his Grammy-nominated forays into Afro-Cuban music, and on the surface, To Hear From There is another Latin jazz album. But mixed with the danceable, percussion-heavy rhythms and exuberant melodies, with a touch of melancholy, are complex, improvised solos that would delight even a jazz purist. ...
