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Jorg Brinkmann Trio: Ha!
by John Kelman
Uncommon instruments in jazz have become, well, more common. Instruments normally considered exotic are finding their way into music that's often distanced from their conventional comfort zones. Uncommon groupings are also becoming more commonplace, with traditional rhythm sections by no means obsolete, but no longer essential. Jörg Brinkmann isn't the first cellist to operate in the ...
Robert Balzar Trio with John Abercrombie: Tales
by John Kelman
Releases teaming unknown musicians with high profile players can be inherently suspect. Everyone has to pay the rent, so it's always possible that such sessions are taken on for strictly financial reasons, with the playing as impeccable as ever but lacking in the commitment that turns a good date into a great one. Still, that's not ...
Aaron Parks: Invisible Cinema
by John Kelman
If ever there were a supporting case for the importance of mentoring in jazz, it would be Aaron Parks. The pianist began playing with trumpeter Terence Blanchard in 2003 at the age of 18 and, over the course of three albums culminating in last year's deeply moving A Tale of God's Will (Blue Note, 2007), has ...
Pete Levin: Certified Organic
by John Kelman
Pete Levin is sometimes overshadowed by his brother Tony, an in-demand player in the art-rock world (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson), who also built serious jazz cred in his youth with vibraphonist Gary Burton and pianist Warren Bernhardt. But keyboardist Pete Levin has built a fine discography of his own more closely linked to the jazz world. ...
Martin Speake: Generations
by John Kelman
British altoist Martin Speake isn't as well-known as he ought to be, but he may well be the clearest successor to the unadorned, warm-toned approach of the legendary Lee Konitz. But while Konitz has undeniably led a career defined by diversity, Speake has stretched considerably farther, with albums ranging from the Indo- centric The Journey (Black ...
Wolfert Brederode: Currents
by John Kelman
Along with Norwegian trumpeter Mathias Eick's first disc as a leader, The Door, ECM's North American release of pianist Wolfert Brederode's debut on the same day is more than happenstance. At 34, Brederode is a few years older than Eick, but the two share much in common. Both are firmly committed to melody as a strong ...
Mathias Eick: The Door
by John Kelman
Not yet 30, Mathias Eick has racked up an impressive number of appearances on ECM, including guitarist Jacob Young's Evening Falls (2004) and Sideways (2008), drummer Manu Katché's Playground (2007) and pianist/harpist Iro Haarla's outstanding Northbound (2005). But that's only the tip of the iceberg, with the Norwegian trumpeter appearing on over fifty albums ranging from ...
Mahogany Frog: DO5
by John Kelman
With contemporary music often looking to dissolve artificial boundaries and cross-pollinate with abandon, it shouldn't comes as a surprise to hear progressive rock groups using the same tack. On one hand, expectations often drive them to stay close to home-- Yes may release new music periodically, but its live shows draw more from the classic 1970-1977 ...
Travis & Fripp: Thread
by John Kelman
The question of who first took snippets of music and created repetitive loops could be argued until the cows come home; looking to classical composers like Terry Riley, Steve Reich and Karlheinz Stockhausen or, in the jazz sphere, producer Teo Macero and his landmark collage work with Miles Davis would be good starting points. In the ...
D.F.A. (Duty Free Area): 4TH
by John Kelman
The release of Kaleidoscope (MoonJune, 2007) brought Italian progressive/fusion group D.F.A. (Duty Free Area) back into the spotlight by reissuing, in remastered form, its first two out-of-print discs-- Lavori in Corso (Scolopendra, 1996) and Duty Free Area (Mellow, 1999). But unlike many reissues, bringing early material back into release to flesh out an existing discography, Kaleidoscope ...
