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Vijay Anderson, Francois Houle & Susan Alcorn

by Maurice Hogue
One could almost make the case that this episode is a reverse sandwich, with the filling on the outside, considering the first tracks from a sizzling hot Vijay Anderson Trio and the windup tune from pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn and her fine band of Mary Halvorson, Michael Formanek, Mark Feldman and Ryan Sawyer. You could ...
Susan Alcorn Quintet: Pedernal

by Troy Dostert
Pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn has achieved the enviable feat of commanding her own instrumental niche in the jazz world. Much like Toots Thielemans' harmonica, Gary Versace's accordion or Béla Fleck's banjo, she seems to have a unique role all to herself, at least until her substantial talents eventually spawn a host of imitators. From her ...
Mary Halvorson: Artlessly Falling

by John Sharpe
Not content with having scaled the heights of the guitar pantheon, with the second release from Code Girl, Mary Halvorson also cements her place in a unique genre of her own design. As befits someone who has taken to heart Anthony Braxton's dictum to find her own musical voice, she presents something which is part art ...
Lucia Cadotsch, Dark Horse, Oaagaada, Sabu Toyozumi and More

by Maurice Hogue
As often happens on this show, the recordings we featured emanate from many countries, and this episode is no different. New releases include those by Japanese drumming legend Sabu Toyozumi (recorded in The Philippines), Sweden's Dark Horse, French drummer Raphael Pannier, Finland's Oaagaada, Italy's Ground 71, and Swiss vocalist Lucia Cadotsch. American baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton ...
Nate Wooley: Seven Storey Mountain VI

by Karl Ackermann
From 2010 onwards, composer-trumpeter Nate Wooley has explored creative music as a solo artist and through a spectrum of collaborators such as Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Mary Halvorson, Ken Vandermark, and Matthew Shipp. These projects have been offset by Wooley's Seven Storey Mountain succession of releases; Seven Storey Mountain VI is a masterwork of expressionist passion and ...
The Volcanic World Of Pyroclastic Records

by Mark Corroto
As listeners we so often typecast musicians and music labels. Artists are pigeonholed into silos: classical, jazz, rock, blues, pop, etc.. Go into any record store (if you can find a brick & mortar one) and this segregation, a forced separation, is also evident. Even streaming services are divided in this manner. Maybe it is just ...
Mary Halvorson's Code Girl: Artlessly Falling

by Vic Albani
Esistono due donne nel mondo del jazz moderno che hanno mostrato di conoscere e capire in toto il genio musicale di Robert Wyatt. La prima, molto tempo fa e quindi in tempi non sospetti, è stata Carla Bley e non c'è altro da aggiungere. La seconda, che è invece colei di cui vogliamo scrivere, è Mary ...
Mary Halvorson's Code Girl: Artlessly Falling

by Troy Dostert
Aside from her most obvious musical talents, including her phenomenal guitar chops and her budding talent as a lyricist, Mary Halvorson has a special gift for understanding the abilities of her bandmates and drawing out their strengths to the fullest. Part of it is the way she tends to keep the same company in her assorted ...
Tim Berne: The Deceptive 4Live

by Mark Corroto
The difference between disc one and disc two of Tim Berne's Snakeoil release The Deceptive 4, two live recordings made eight years apart, might be the same difference between Miles Davis' first and second great quintets. Where Davis' The Legendary Prestige Quintet Sessions (Prestige, 2006) with John Coltrane from 1955-56 are stellar, they lack the complex ...
Sylvie Courvoisier, Christian Lillinger, OM and More

by Maurice Hogue
The international scene continues to demonstrate there's quality music everywhere. Included in this episode new releases by German drummer Christian Lillinger, Belgian drummer Antoine Pierre's Urbex, South Korean drummer SooJin Suh, English pianist Rick Simpson, Argentinean drummer Axel Filip, and the reborn Swiss 70s and 80s powerhouse, OM. From this side of the pond, new works ...