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Walt Blanton: Monuments
by John Barron
The notion of forming a group with the intention of playing completely improvised music is something that Las Vegas trumpeter Walt Blanton says has always fascinated him. While the concept of performing free-form jazz is nothing new, it is a bold move for an artist, like Blanton, not usually associated with the genre. After ...
Tom Tallitsch: Medicine Man
by John Barron
Philadelphia has always been something of a breeding ground for tenor saxophonists--John Coltrane, Benny Golson and Archie Shepp to name a few. Adding to the city's rich jazz heritage is saxophonist/composer Tom Tallitsch who, although an Ohio native, has established himself as a revered member of the Philly scene. Medicine Man, Tallitsch's second release as a ...
Zack Lipton: First Steps
by John Barron
There's certainly no shortage of young jazz musicians vying for attention in New York. The sizeable amount of fresh-out-of-college idealists scouring the city's jam-sessions makes one wonder how a young tenor saxophonist like Zack Lipton could ever stand above the crowd and be heard. The answer may lie in artistic integrity, avoiding shifting trends and remaining ...
Paul Towndrow: Six by Six
by John Barron
There's nothing mild or meek about Scottish saxophonist Paul Towndrow. The young reedman approaches improvisation with a go-for-broke assuredness. Six by Six finds Towndrow leading a powerhouse sextet performing a set of original mainstream jazz. Towndrow composes edgy tunes with enough lush harmony to keep band-mates challenged and listeners curious. The disc's explosive opener, “Big Hitter," ...
Thomas Marriott: Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson
by John Barron
Crazy: The Music of Willie Nelson goes above and beyond the confines of mere adulation for an American music icon. Seattle-based trumpeter Thomas Marriott creates a conceptual sonic flow, harnessing energy from the melodic and rhythmic legacy of some of Nelson's well known and not-so-well-known gems. For the bulk of the session Marriott is supported by ...
Kelly Brand Nextet: The Door
by John Barron
The Kelly Brand Nextet is the brain-child of Chicago pianist/composer Kelly Brand. The ensemble, a vehicle for Brand's compositional vision features a crew of top-notch Windy City musicians who swing with an aggressive edge. Something of a family affair, The Door features Brand's husband Kelly Sill on bass and on one track, her daughter Naomi Sill ...
Keefe Jackson's Project Project: Just Like This
by John Barron
Just Like This, Chicago-based saxophonist/composer Keefe Jackson's second recording as a leader for Delmark Records, is a vivacious, provocative musical statement featuring the 12-member collective, Project Project. With hints of Charles Mingus and Duke Ellington, Jackson's compositions are ripe with thick chord clusters, swinging rhythms and jarring, yet lyrical melodies. Interspersed amongst orchestral flourishes and stand-out ...
Don Preston: Works
by John Barron
Keyboardist/composer Don Preston, who is probably best known for his work with Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention, is deeply rooted in contemporary classical music--Preston has scored more than twenty feature films and fourteen plays. Works is a ten track retrospective of Preston's classically influenced works, spanning from 1965 to the present. The ...
Paul Booth: No Looking Back
by John Barron
As a sideman, British saxophonist Paul Booth has quite an impressive résumé. Since graduating with honors from London's Royal Academy of Music, the in-demand Booth has performed with the likes of Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton and the touring company of Riverdance. On No Looking Back, Booth takes on a lead role with strength and conviction, as ...
Sabertooth: Dr. Midnight
by John Barron
For the past fifteen years Sabertooth, founded by saxophonists Cameron Pfiffner and Pat Mallinger, has been playing Saturday night after-hours sessions at Chicago's Green Mill. The quartet, consisting of Pfiffner, Mallinger, organist Pete Benson and drummer Ted Sirota, mixes originals with standards to create a swinging identity ripe with blues, Latin-influenced funk and hard-driving bop. “Blues ...
