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Brent Laidler: Hidden Gems
by Jack Bowers
The Hidden Gems alluded to by guitarist Brent Laidler on his third recording as leader comprise unique and seductive melodies and chord changes he uncovered while taking time during the Covid pandemic to skim through and sight-read some 14,000 tunes in 'fake books' and on his laptop computer, most of which never made it past that ...
Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band: What Is?
by Jack Bowers
Although the music of New York-based bandleader and arranger Russ Anixter may leave the average listener bemused and scratching his or her head, even the more perplexed among them would have to concede that Anixter has his personal North Star, and that he and the eleven-member Hippie Big Band follow it to the letter. Having grown ...
Zach Adleman: We Make: Stories For A New Day
by Jack Bowers
For someone not that long out of college, New York City-based drummer Zach Adleman has kept a full dance card, leading to the release of his impressive debut recording, We Make: Stories for a New Day, on which Adleman leads a nimble sextet through its paces on 11 charming and upbeat songs, nine of which he ...
Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet: Situation
by Jack Bowers
As might be envisioned from a sextet whose membership encompasses harp, vibraphone, flute and pedal steel guitar, the themes on saxophonist Alex Coke and guitarist Carl Michel's third album, Situation, are in large measure thoughtful and atmospheric. And while the music is charming and graceful, its ties to jazz are tenuous at best. ...
Dwayne Clemons: Center of Gravity: Live at Smalls
by Jack Bowers
On Center of Gravity, veteran trumpeter Dwayne Clemons displays his astuteness and savvy in a generally impressive session recorded in September 2023 at Smalls Jazz Club in New York City, leading a sextet in which he shares the front line with alto saxophonist Amanda Sedgwick and tenor Aaron Johnson. This is a colorful ...
Brad Goode: Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer
by Jack Bowers
"Polytonal," according to Webster's, denotes “the simultaneous use of two or more musical keys." Denver-based trumpeter and educator Brad Goode makes full use of that technique on The Snake Charmer, the debut recording by Goode's well-named Polytonal Big Band. When all has been written and played, two things are clear: first, Goode is a world-class big-band ...
Randy Hoexter: Tomorrowsville
by Jack Bowers
Several words spring to mind when listening to the music of Atlanta-based composer, arranger and pianist Randy Hoexter. Colorful is one, wide-ranging is another. Not to mention creative, robust and well-ordered. Each of those traits and more are deftly combined in Hoexter's latest album, Tomorrowsville, on which he leads a high-grade ensemble through its paces on ...
The Sofia Goodman Group: Receptive
by Jack Bowers
Receptive is the third album as leader of the Sofia Goodman Group by Nashville, Tennessee-based drummer and composer Goodman, following 2018's Myriad of Flowers and 2023's Secrets of the Shore, both on Joyous Records. As on those earlier recordings, Goodman shows her compositional skills with a series of mostly meditative and personal themes designed to entice ...
The Len Pierro Jazz Orchestra: As I Was Saying
by Jack Bowers
Remember the good old days before high-tech hardware and software seized control and the country's leading big bands were recorded in a studio or in concert employing a wide dynamic range with no overdubs or splices to enhance the performance? Composer and arranger Len Pierro does, which is why he planned As I Was Saying, the ...
Roberto Magris Europlane for Jazz: Freedom Is Peace
by Jack Bowers
After twenty years making beautiful music elsewhere, the members of Italian-born pianist and composer Roberto Magris' stellar sextet, Europlane, have reunited to record a second album, Freedom Is Peace, a sequel to the ensemble's impressive debut, Check-In (Soul Note, 2005). As before, snugly swinging bop-centered jazz is the order of the day; and as before, Magris ...
