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All Jazzed Up: Looking for a Jazz Center Within the Folds of the Brain
by Hrayr Attarian
Music is a universal phenomenon across all human cultures both past and present. In that respect it is much like language, and as the understanding of language comes naturally to humans, so, too, does appreciation of music. Language has been mapped to distinct areas of the brain for well over a century, and relatively recently there ...
Hrayr Attarian's Best Releases of 2010: Female Instrumentalists
by Hrayr Attarian
More experienced editors before me have already posted their best choices for this past year. Instead of adding yet another list of some of the same, I would like to take a slightly different approach. Here are my top 10 picks for 2010, by female jazz instrumentalists: Mary Halvorson QuintetSaturn Sings
DeBrunner / Silverman / Carter / Zlabinger: Macroscopia
by Hrayr Attarian
The theme of Macroscopia is the universality of music, expressed as group improvisation by four superlative musicians. The quartet includes classically trained bassoonist Claire DeBrunner, an alumna of the Lennie Tristano school of free jazz via her mentors Lee Konitz and Connie Crothers}}; guitarist/percussionist Ken Silverman, who is heavily influenced by world music; reedman and trumpeter ...
Sebastian Liedke: To Walk In The Past
by Hrayr Attarian
One of the enduring allures of the piano trio is the intimacy it creates, something that German bassist/composer Sebastian Liedke does superbly on his debut, To Walk in the Past. The record consists of 10 modal sonatas with rich texture, painted in dark sounds and lush tones. Eight are composed by Liedke, and ...
Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory: Far Side
by Hrayr Attarian
Roscoe Mitchell's Far Side, with its theatrical quality, could easily function as a soundtrack to a modernist play. The beginning of the first and longest piece, “Far Side/Cards/Far Side," is reminiscent of the works of 20th century composers like Alfred Schnitke and Arvo Pärt, in the ominous sea of notes pouring out of the dual pianos ...
Ryuichi Sakamoto at the Vic Theatre in Chicago
by Hrayr Attarian
Ryuichi SakamotoVic TheatreChicago, ILOctober 26, 2010 Mysticism and minimalism were the dual themes for the Ryuichi Sakamoto concert at the historic Vic Theatre in Chicago on Tuesday night the 26th of October 2010. Sakamoto stopped at this venue as a part of a rare North American tour to promote his ...
Anat Fort: And If
by Hrayr Attarian
That pianist Anat Fort is an intensely lyrical musician is apparent throughout And If; her poetic lyricism acts, in fact, as sort of a unifying theme for the entire work. A hauntingly beautiful and sublime musical opus, the disc opens with her modal composition; “Paul Motian," a tribute to her previous band-mate, where her minimalist improvisation ...
Charles Lloyd: Mirror
by Hrayr Attarian
Charles Lloyd's Mirror is an intensely personal almost autobiographical work. This is apparent from the opener, a deconstructing of the standard “I Fall in Love Too Easily," where the saxophonist's urgent and pleading tone accurately conveys the feeling of unrequited love. The first track bleeds into the next, the traditional gospel tune “Go Down Moses," rearranged ...
Marbin: Marbin
by Hrayr Attarian
Categorizing Marbin's eponymous release as ambient jazz hugely underestimates its music. It is rather atmospheric, but also has enough improvisational substance to not just stay in the background. Marbin is the duo of guitarist Dani Rabin and saxophonist Danny Markovitz. The two also composed all the pieces on the record, ranging from the ...
Paul Wertico: Impressions Of A City
by Hrayr Attarian
Almost 40 years after its inception and despite many detractors among master musicians and critics, jazz-rock fusion continues to have a tenacious hold on both creators and consumers of instrumental music. Percussionist Paul Wertico's Impressions of a City puts a modern spin on the genre by creating a work that brings together jazz like improvisation and ...
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