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Clarence Johnson: Low Down Papa
by Nic Jones
Pianist Clarence “Jelly" Johnson recorded for the Paramount label between 1923 and 1925. He was also accompanist to Chicago blues singers Sodarisa Miller and Edna Taylor amongst others, and recorded piano rolls in New York for the QRS label alongside James P. Johnson and Fats Waller. But, apart from that, very little is known about him, ...
Darius Jones / Matthew Shipp: Cosmic Lieder
by Nic Jones
Cosmic Lieder contains the sound of a duo engaged in an exercise in totality, which takes in no small amount of the music's past even while there's never any doubt that both players are concerned with music of the future--though, happily, not over-earnestly so. But to call this program a “coming-of-age" would be misleading. Of the ...
Stephan Crump & Steve Lehman: Kaleidoscope & Collage
by Nic Jones
Bassist Stephan Crump and alto saxophonist Steve Lehman are both musicians with little time for musical boundaries. Their CVs confirm this, but what they perhaps don't throw up so readily is that they are both closer to the future of this music than many of their contemporaries. In recent years, Crump has been an active member ...
John Burnett Orchestra: Down For Double
by Nic Jones
The John Burnett Orchestra is a formidable swing band because, while there's undoubted reverence in their evocations of the era, that reverence is tempered by sparks of originality. Indeed, the tight-but-loose thing which summarizes its collective sound is now pretty hard to come by, which makes this release a cause for celebration. When ...
Manfred Kniel and his Reduction Quartet: Low Down Music
by Nic Jones
Drummer Manfred Kniel has leadership status on this release, and all the compositions are his. But this is also, perhaps, the key to the music's shortcomings, especially when the rhythmic vitality the leader habitually imparts is not matched by some other equally compelling element. His sly and sometimes witty melodic sense seems often to be a ...
Oliver Lake / Christian Weber / Dieter Ulrich: For A Little Dancin’
by Nic Jones
Alto and soprano sax man Oliver Lake has been a key member of a trio with bassist Reggie Workman and drummer Andrew Cyrille in the past. That band, sometimes with the addition of a pianist, has been responsible for some of this century's most compelling small group jazz. This alto sax-bass-drums trio thus has a lot ...
Pierre Favre Ensemble: Le Voyage
by Nic Jones
Pierre Favre is a scion of the improvisation scene in Europe and beyond. There's always been a reflective element in his drum and percussion work that suggests a slightly conservative disposition which has been manifested in a kind of politeness and reticence. Those two qualities in many respects sum up the music on this disc. While ...
Samo Salamon Trio: Almost Almond
by Nic Jones
It's starting to feel as if the further guitarist Salamon Salamon progresses in his career, the faster the company he keeps. On this trio date, he's working with bassist Drew Gress and drummer Tom Rainey, both with numerous appearances on record to their credit. But Salamon isn't out of his depth; this is a trio that ...
James Kinds: Love You From The Top
by Nic Jones
Guitarist/vocalist James Kinds was hailed as a promising young bluesman back in 1977, but since then success that might have promised has eluded him. Indeed, it's not unfair to say that he hasn't even managed to maintain a profile of the likes of Billy Branch and Lurrie Bell, with whom he toured Germany back in the ...
Frank Gratkowski / Jacob Anderskov: Ardent Grass
by Nic Jones
The reeds-piano duo is hardly overdone within the recorded canon, but then neither has it been as rare or unusual as some lineups. This particular duo is apparently not unaware of this, and there's a personality to its work that's entirely its own.There's a little of Anthony Braxton about Frank Gratkowski's alto sax playing ...
