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Larry Stabbins & Mark Sanders: Cup & Ring
by John Sharpe
Inspired by the 5000 year old Neolithic rock carvings pictured on the sleeve, Cup & Ring opens and closes with brooding, ritualistic pieces in which Larry Stabbins' breathy flute drifts like mist over Mark Sanders' deliberate, processional percussion. These atmospheric bookends, along with similarly spare interludes throughout, frame a set grounded more deeply in the language ...
Adam O'Farrill: For These Streets
by John Sharpe
With For These Streets, trumpeter and composer Adam O'Farrill presents a sharply contoured, richly imagined statement for mid-sized band--his most complete vision to date. Drawing on an eclectic range of influences, from 1930s-era music, literature and film to the rhythms of contemporary urban life, O'Farrill leads a wily crew of his peers through a program that ...
Sergio Armaroli / Francesca Gemmo / Barry Guy: At Sotto Il Mare First Visit
by John Sharpe
Deep hinterlands distinguish the three protagonists on this exceptionally simpatico date and imbue it with a sharpened sense of purpose. You might call it freely improvised, but as the liner notes reveal, unplanned might be a better descriptor. Italian vibraphonist Sergio Armaroli, who seems to be the principal mover, reportedly gave short verbal instructions before the ...
Sun Ra: Nuits De La Fondation Maeght (Sun Ra)
by John Sharpe
Discoveries of lost tapes are often trumpeted as legendary or revelatory, but in the case of the greatly expanded Nuits De La Fondation Maeght, the hype feels entirely warranted. The release offers a comprehensive view of a pivotal moment in Sun Ra's career. In 1970, Sun Ra was invited to play at the ...
Paul Dunmall New Quartet: World Without
by John Sharpe
Amid the torrent of recordings that mark British saxophone legend Paul Dunmall's prolific creative output, World Without might have slipped beneath the radar. Recorded in 2021, the album bypasses preambles entirely: no themes, no heads, just immediate immersion into two expansive studio explorations that unfold with the confidence of deep familiarity. Dunmall has long ...
Satoko Fujii: Dream a Dream
by John Sharpe
Japanese pianist and composer Satoko Fujii has long demonstrated her ability to marshal ensembles of varying size--from intimate duos to sprawling orchestras--with an ear attuned to both spontaneity and design. On Dream A Dream, the second release from her Tokyo Trio, she reaffirms that a small group can still conjure orchestral breadth when agency and imagination ...
Phillip Golub / Lesley Mok: Dream Brigade
by John Sharpe
Pianist Phillip Golub and drummer Lesley Mok explore the porous boundaries between form and freedom on their exploratory debut as Dream Brigade, blending spontaneous composition with intuitive interplay in a wide-ranging program of six spontaneous inventions and two dives into the Great American Songbook. An in-demand side person, Mok can be heard in the ...
Tim Daisy and Ken Vandermark: Fourth Atlas
by John Sharpe
True to its title, Fourth Atlas is the fourth album by the Chicago twosome of reedman Ken Vandermark and drummer Tim Daisy. Daisy was a member of the esteemed Vandermark 5 from 2002 to its demise in 2010, and the association has only deepened since. More than shared history, they enjoy a a shared aesthetic and ...
William Parker / Hugo Costa / Philipp Ernsting: Pulsar
by John Sharpe
Inestimable bassist William Parker has made hundreds of records, but this unlikely meeting with two stalwarts of the Rotterdam scene, Portuguese alto saxophonist Hugo Costa and German drummer Philipp Ernsting, should not to be overlooked. The Dutch-based pair invited Parker to join them for a recording in October 2023 and Pulsar is the splendid result. Costa ...
James Mainwaring / Dave Kane / Emil Karlsen: The Exu
by John Sharpe
The Exu, a lean and volatile threesome, makes a forceful first impression on its self-titled debut. Composed of Leeds-based pairing of tenor saxophonist James Mainwaring (best known for his tenure in the Mercury Prize-nominated Roller Trio) and Irish bassist Dave Kane (a longtime collaborator of Paul Dunmall and Matthew Bourne), alongside British-domiciled Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen, ...


