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Article: Liner Notes

David Kikoski: Surf's Up

by C. Andrew Hovan
June 17, 2023

It seems that the show tunes of the '30s, '40s, and '50s have served as fodder for several generations of jazz musicians, either providing their own melodies for subsequent development or lending their harmonic framework for the jazz writer to use as a basis for an original tune. Most recently, we've seen attention begin to shift ...

Article: Liner Notes

Ravita Jazz: Oriana

by Bill Milkowski
June 12, 2023

On his second outing as a leader, bassist-composer Phil Ravita recruited a close-knit crew of musicians that he's worked with in the Mid-Atlantic region since their time together in grad school at the University of Maryland, College Park. “We've known each other since 2007," he said of bandmates Greg Small on piano and Nucleo Vega on ...

Article: Liner Notes

Samuel Blaser: As the Sea

by John Kelman
May 27, 2023

Plenty has been written about musical camaraderie--the building of long-term musical relationships and their unmistakable impact on the evolution of a group. Few, however, discuss the inevitable impact of personal relationships behind the music. Times have changed, and few jazz groups tour for more than a couple of consecutive weeks; still, hitting the road for even ...

Article: Liner Notes

Arve Henriksen: Solidification

by John Kelman
May 26, 2023

Constellations and the Something of Discovery Music as a chosen profession may suggest occupying the minds of its makers far beyond the 9-to-5 hours of your average job, but for some it goes further still. Transcending mere preoccupation, trumpeter Arve Henriksen seems to eat, drink, sleep and dream music, 24/7, 365 days a year. “I was ...

Article: Liner Notes

Marc Copland: Impressions

by John Kelman
May 25, 2023

Solo performances may approach presenting an artist at his or her most vulnerable, but it's in the context of the duo that they're the most exposed. Not only are their abilities, instincts and improvisational élan laid bare, but their communication skills, at the deepest level, are impossible to disguise. The good news is that, were pianist ...

Article: Liner Notes

The Great Houdini: Arnett Brewster and Woodrow T. Greenwich

by Howard Mandel
May 23, 2023

Guitarist Arnette Brewster and harmonica man Woodrow Tecumseh Greenwich hang out in the office of the jazz department at New York University, playin' the blues. It's natural to them as drinkin' water. They've been playin' the blues all their lives. Door's open and famous jazz musicians peek in. Some scoff at these bluesmen. Some ...

Article: Liner Notes

Yoron Israel: Visions – Tribute to Stevie Wonder

by Howard Mandel
May 20, 2023

One of the enlightening insights drummer and bandleader Yoron Israel brings to Visions, The Music of Stevie Wonder is that Wonder's hits are true jazz compositions, with inherent swing and groove. Not only have the easy-to-love melodies of Stevland Hardaway Morris (b. May 13, 1950) become staples of the modern American soundtrack, they naturally ...

Article: Liner Notes

Jeff Johnson: My Heart

by Jeff Johnson
May 17, 2023

Minneapolis... circa 1972 is where this story begins. People ask me, “where did you go to study music?" I always answer, “Minneapolis / St.Paul, Minnesota." Then they ask, “yes... but what school?" My reply, “the streets, night clubs, and music scene of Minneapolis / St. Paul. I have a bastard's degree in music from ...

Article: Liner Notes

Oleg Kireyev and Keith Javors: The Meeting

by Howard Mandel
May 15, 2023

How far must a reeds virtuoso from Bashkiria--a town in the Ural Mountains, southeast of Moscow towards Mongolia--and a pianist-composer-educator from southern Illinois, now living in Philadelphia, have to go to get together? Not very, based on the music Oleg Kireyev and Keith Javors arrive at on The Meeting. Simply to a shared sense of joy ...

Article: Liner Notes

Les DeMerle & Sound 67: Once in a Lifetime

by Scott Yanow
May 14, 2023

Every once in a while, the discovery of a forgotten recording from the past results in the history of jazz being altered. Until now, it was believed that the hard-driving and swinging drummer Les DeMerle made his first recordings in 1969 with his debut as a leader, Spectrum. The first-time release of Once In A Lifetime, ...