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John Sharpe's Best Jazz Albums Of 2022
by John Sharpe
From the 200 or so discs that I heard in 2022, here are eleven new issues (in roughly the order I came across them), which gave me the most pleasure. As ever I find it particularly invidious to pick and choose between honest artistic endeavours. So perhaps it's better to view these selections as a chance ...
Kobe Van Cauwenberghe: Plays Anthony Braxton
by John Sharpe
Works by Anthony Braxton appear occasionally in the repertoire of others, but it is exceptional for entire albums to be devoted to them. That is especially true for some of his later works. But Belgian guitarist Kobe Van Cauwenberghe looks to rectify that. He already has one such outing under his belt—Ghost Trance Solos (ATD, 2020)—but ...
Dominic Lash / Pat Thomas: New Oxford Brevity
by John Sharpe
For the potential listener seeing Dominic Lash's name on a record sleeve, there is the conundrum of which of his guises this might signal. While primarily known as a bassist, he pursues his craft across several areas, from straightforward free improv, as heard on Discernment (Spoonhunt, 2021), to composition based left field jazz, with his Quartet ...
Sam Rivers: Caldera
by John Sharpe
Caldera constitutes an impressive final entry in the Lithuanian NoBusiness imprint's Sam Rivers Archive Project. It showcases the legendary multi-instrumentalist's longstanding trio with bassist Doug Matthews and drummer Anthony Cole, which he established two years after his relocation from New York to Florida in 1991 and which remained active until 2006. During its ...
Rob Brown/ Juan Pablo Carletti: Fertile Garden
by John Sharpe
Two regular collaborators, alto saxophonist Rob Brown and Argentinean drummer Juan Pablo Carletti, unite in unbridled dialogue on Fertile Garden, a studio date from August 2020. Brown's considerable talents should be well-known, vouchsafed by his tenure in the bands of bassist William Parker over many years and appearances with the likes of drummer Whit Dickey and ...
Punkt. Vrt. Plastik: Zurich Concert
by John Sharpe
Over the course of the five years since its inception, Punkt. Vrt. Plastik, the trio of Slovenian pianist Kaja Draksler, Swedish bassist Petter Eldh and German drummer Christian Lillinger, has become one of the premier bands on the European circuit. Definitive proof arrives in the shape of Zurich Concert, the threesome's third album, recorded at the ...
Martin Kuchen, Agusti Fernandez, Zlatko Kaucic: The Steps That Resonate
by John Sharpe
Once improvisers reach a certain level of experience, it is rare that a meeting between them does not deliver the goods. By this stage they are well versed in the mechanics of collective music making off the map. They have developed a fine sense of when to play and when not, how much they can respond ...
Howard Riley / Keith Tippett: Journal Four
by John Sharpe
British pianists Howard Riley and Keith Tippett were seasoned proponents of the never widespread format of the piano duet, both together and apart. Riley's partners also included Jaki Byard as well as overdubbed sessions with himself, while Tippett's discography contains entries with Stan Tracey, Daryl Runswick and Matthew Bourne (though the last took place subsequent to ...
Yuko Fujiyama: Quiet Passion
by John Sharpe
American-based Japanese pianist Yuko Fujiyama has recorded sparingly over a 40-year career, so the arrival of Quiet Passion, only the fourth date under her leadership, is an occasion to perk up the ears. Also noteworthy is the unusual instrumentation she has chosen, supplementing her piano with the cornet of Graham Haynes and electronics of Ikue Mori. ...
The Chicago Plan: For New Zealand
by John Sharpe
German reedman Gebhard Ullmann and American trombonist Steve Swell, front line comrades for over 15 years in a variety of outfits, reunite on For New Zealand for the second release from their joint led initiative The Chicago Plan. Rounding out the foursome and providing some allusion to the band's moniker are the Windy City pairing of ...
