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Michael Formanek’s Ensemble Kolossus: The Distance
by Mark Sullivan
Jazz composers writing for large ensembles have often avoided the label “big band," going back to the Jazz Composer's Orchestra in the '60s, not to mention Sun Ra's Arkestra and the many Swing Era bands that called themselves orchestras. It's an understandable choice, given the unavoidable--and potentially limiting--stylistic associations that come with the big band name. ...
Winter Jazzfest 2016: ECM Records Stage
by Bob Kenselaar
Winter Jazzfest--ECM Records Stage The New School Tishman Auditorium New York, NY January 15 & 16, 2016 There's a very modern feel at the Tishman Auditorium at The New School University Center, the site for a two-night showcase for ECM Records at the 2016 Winter Jazzfest--with the Escher-esque stairs that ...
NYC Winter Jazzfest 2016
by Dan Bilawsky
NYC Winter JazzfestNew York, NYJanuary 13-17, 2016 If you make the rounds in New York City on any night of the week, during any week of the year, there's always an abundance of quality jazz to hear. But when NYC Winter Jazzfest takes hold, the cup truly runneth over. This massive ...
Mette Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg: Mette Henriette
by Karl Ackermann
In her debut recording with the large Norwegian ensemble Torg on Kost/Elak/Gnäll (Jazzland Recordings, 2015), the playing of saxophonist Mette Henriette Martedatter Rølvåg may well have been lost in the pack. That Bugge Wesseltoft produced album was an unrestrained mashup of genres, styles and techniques in an octet that didn't easily lend itself to individual performance ...
RelativE ResonancE: RelativE ResonancE
by Budd Kopman
With RelativE ResonancE, composer and drummer Devin Gray has staked out new, exciting and different territory than that explored in his highly acclaimed previous album, Dirigo Rataplan. Whereas the earlier band (saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, trumpeter Dave Ballou and bassist Michael Formanek) emphasized improvisation within group and compositional boundaries, the music for the new group ...
Daniel Schnyder: The Anatomy of an Opera: Charlie Parker’s Yardbird Suite
by Victor L. Schermer
Saxophonist Charlie Parker revolutionized the world of music with his legendary approach to jazz. Unfortunately, his life was much too short and filled with tragedy. In 1955, Parker died at the age of 34 from excessive drug use. He died in the apartment of the Baroness Nica von Koenigswarter in New York City, but ironically his ...
Roberta Piket: Emanation (Solo: Volume 2)
by Karl Ackermann
The daughter of noted Austrian composer/conductor Fredrick Piket, New York native Roberta Piket took to the piano at an early age, later receiving a degree in jazz piano from New England Conservatory. Piket studied with pianist Richie Beirach, upon returning to New York and receiving an NEA grant. Years later, Beirach has demonstrated his sureness of ...
Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up: After All is Said
by Troy Collins
Tomas Fujiwara is one of the busiest drummers in New York City, with memberships in cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum's Sextet, baritone saxophonist Josh Sinton's Ideal Bread and the cooperative trio Thumbscrew, featuring acclaimed guitarist Mary Halvorson and veteran bassist Michael Formanek, among other projects. Formed in 2008, Fujiwara's flagship ensemble, The Hook Up, is one of ...
Tomas Fujiwara & The Hook Up: After All Is Said
by Glenn Astarita
Drummer Tomas Fujiwara's The Hook Up features artists who are among the more prominent representatives of new directions in jazz and improvisation. Here, the leader acts as an instigator and propulsive factor via his rhythmically shaped works, comprised of rolling, tumbling and splintered movements, etched with budding thematic developments. Guitarist Mary Halvorson's distinctive phraseology ...
La persistente attualità di Tim Berne
by Libero Farnè
Negli ultimi tempi sembra che Tim Berne, sessant'anni compiuti il 16 ottobre 2014, stia vivendo una seconda giovinezza e una grande maturità creativa, che lo hanno portato anche a collaborare con vari gruppi di musicisti emergenti che si potrebbero idealmente considerare suoi allievi. Dopo essere giunto a incidere per la ECM ha raggiunto un riconoscimento ancora ...
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