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Results for "Michael Formanek"
Michael Formanek Very Practical Trio: Even Better
by Don Phipps
Composer and bassist Michael Formanek's Even Better is an adventurous compilation of bluesy abstractions with surprising twists and turns. Opting for a drummer-less trio format, Formanek gives himself room to negotiate the terrain with his own intimate rhythm. He is aided and abetted by his longtime collaborator, saxophonist virtuoso Tim Berne, and guitarist extraordinaire Mary Halvorson. ...
Lisa Hoppe, Sorey & Crispell, Gebhard Ullman and More
by Maurice Hogue
This episode is very wide-ranging in styles and sounds; the boundaries keep expanding. I was very impressed with bassist Lisa Hoppe's new trio, Third Reality, with saxophonist David Leon and guitarist Tal Yahalom. Very original stuff! It's on a German label—Jazzhausmusik—so do some digging to find it. It's well worth the effort. Drummer, composer and influencer ...
Sonic Explorations and Creative Improvisations at The Guelph Jazz Festival
by Dave Kaufman
In North America, there are over 100 annual jazz festivals. Only a small number of these festivals are devoted to the avant-garde, adventurous, and freely improvised music. The Vision Festival in New York City is perhaps the best known festival with its celebration of improvised music, dance, and poetry. There are a few others that are ...
William Parker, Gonçalo Marques & More
by Maurice Hogue
Back in 2017, one of the great quartets was in a celebratory mood over the release of a new recording, so they booked the Shapeshifter Lab in New York for their record release party. Someone had the smarts to record those musical proceedings and the results are a new album by bassist William Parker and In ...
All new sounds with a focus on Simon Nabotov
by Bob Osborne
This week we focus on a batch of new releases including the latest album from Simon Nabatov who has a great band, they are so good I play something from each band member as well. Playlist Zach Brock, Matt Ulery, and Jon Deitemyer “Wonderment" from Wonderment (Woolgathering Records) 00:00 Simon Nabatov Quintet “Old ...
Audio Cave Artists
by Maurice Hogue
This episode hones in on some of the fine artists recorded by Audio Cave, an independent label based in Krakow, Poland. They've been in operation since 2012, releasing a mix of genres. Much attention is paid to the finished products' sound, as you'll hear in the music from the likes of the Oles Brothers, Mark Alban ...
Mara Rosenbloom, Thumbscrew & Nation Beat
by Martin Longley
Mara Rosenbloom/Melanie Dyer/Ken Filiano/Rashaan Carter Soup & Sound April 10, 2019 It's an old tradition, sometimes out of necessity, for artists to host low-key gigs in their own homes. The hyper-inventive and often powerfully percussive drummer Andrew Drury has been offering soup and sound for quite a while now, opening ...
Quantum Trio, Baba Andrew Lamb & More
by Maurice Hogue
My music GPS keeps pointing to bassist Carlos Bica for riveting music. His new release I Am the Escaped One finds him heading in a different direction than the usual guitar trio. This time he's working with German saxophonist Daniel Erdmann and turntablist DJ Illvibe. The result is captivating. Bica is now living in Germany but ...
Devin Gray: Dirigo Rataplan II
by Vincenzo Roggero
A sei anni di distanza dall'ottimo esordio, ecco il secondo capitolo del Devin Gray's Dirigo Rataplan, una delle formazioni che l'ancor giovane batterista di stanza a New York utilizza per veicolare la sua eclettica visione musicale. E che quartetto, perché oltre al leader troviamo Dave Ballou (trombettista assai considerato dai colleghi e attivo anche nell'ambito della ...
Jeff Williams: Bloom
by Roger Farbey
In a new departure, Jeff Williams has forsaken the quartet, quintet or sextet configurations of his previous four albums for Whirlwind in favour of this very convincing trio format. In tandem with this slimmed-down enterprise, he's employed a pianist and composer who is undoubtedly a rising star of jazz. Carmen Staaf graduated with a joint degree ...
