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Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble: Another Parallel Reality
by Karl Ackermann
The pundits who regularly question the vital signs of jazz would be well served to turn their ears toward the Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble. Almost two-dozen albums into a constantly evolving presence, Denny Christianson, the Director of Toronto's Humber Music Program, has been mentoring young musicians through their persistent reinventing of sound and process. The combined ...
David White Jazz Orchestra: The Chase
by Karl Ackermann
Some of the same high school kids that we're jamming with composer/arranger/trombonist David White more than fifteen years ago still occupy a space alongside newer faces in his New York based jazz orchestra. Tradition and transition are very much at the core of White's approach to progressive swing. White continues to express his unique style of ...
Noshir Mody: Stories from The Years of Living Passionately
by Karl Ackermann
A random sampling of Stories from The Years of Living Passionately could easily leave the impression that this is a hybrid of cool jazz, classical and world music. Even that broad an assumption would not be a comprehensive representation of Indian born Noshir Mody's complex, multi-layered collection of original music. A self-taught guitarist, he can invoke ...
Alexander Hawkins Ensemble: Step Wide, Step Deep
by Karl Ackermann
As he did on his fine solo piano release Song Singular (Babel, 2014), Alexander Hawkins takes his newly formed ensemble on a path that blurs the perceptions of composition and free improvisation. Step Wide, Step Deep floats free of implications and becomes its own entity. The ensemble establishes a rich and unique setting, sometimes disquieting, sometimes ...
Miles Davis: We Want Miles (Bonus Track Version)
by Karl Ackermann
The audaciously titled We Want Miles has one of the more interesting histories in the catalog of trumpeter Miles Davis. Originally released by Columbia Records in 1982, it was not made widely available outside of Japan where it was recorded live in 1981. For those who managed to find it, it was both celebrated and vilified. ...
Max Johnson Trio: The Invisible Trio
by Karl Ackermann
The musical lineage within the small circle of bassist Max Johnson's trio is unquestionably among the finest in cutting-edge jazz. The leader has played with bassist William Parker, alto legend Anthony Braxton, trombonist Steve Swell and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. In the case of Johnson's current trio, his drummer, Ziv Ravitz, is also a member of the ...
Alexander Hawkins: Song Singular
by Karl Ackermann
The concurrent releases of pianist/composer Alexander Hawkins solo and ensemble recordings demonstrate the up-and-coming artist's exceptional range of compositional skills across dissimilar formats. The young Oxford, UK native has been a much sought after sideman, working with free jazz sax legend Evan Parker, saxophonist Joe McPhee and renowned South African drummer, Louis Moholo-Moholo. Hawkins is also ...
Bohren & der Club of Gore: Piano Nights
by Karl Ackermann
Of the many hard-to-define sub-genres of jazz, dark jazz" may be the most challenging to classify. Exemplifying the category is Bohren & der Club of Gore's Piano Nights . The German quartet, whose members have a variety of doom metal origins, has morphed their earlier inclinations into a hybrid that has little to suggest the player's ...
Arshak Sirunyan: Hoodman's Blind
by Karl Ackermann
Pianist/composer Arshak Sirunyan's Hoodman's Blind is likely to be one of the most unique and compelling releases of the year. The Armenian born musician was a finalist in that country's prestigious National J. S. Bach Concerto Competition in 1994. Now a Washington DC resident, he has assembled a top-tier ensemble of award-winning artists from around the ...
Maciej Fortuna / Krzysztof Dys: Tropy
by Karl Ackermann
It remains largely unrecognized that the Polish jazz culture predates Louis Armstrong's invention" of modern improvised jazz. As early as 1923, Polish jazz musicians were touring Eastern Europe in the company of Chicago and New Orleans Dixieland players. The American perspective of Polish jazz is principally defined by trumpeter Tomasz Stanko, violinist Michal Urbaniak and pianist ...


