Results for "Play This!"

Charles Lloyd: Defiant, Tender Warrior

by Scott Lichtman
January 31, 2024

Feng shui--the Chinese art of physical arrangements--says that a garden is perfect when no item can be removed without diminishing its substance. Woodwind grand-master Charles Lloyd's song release, “Defiant, Tender Warrior," is a lot like feng shui in this respect. This minimalist gem blends suggestive flurries on tenor sax, ethereal reflections on piano, and a steady ...

Hugh Masekela: Grazing In The Grass

by Chris May
January 27, 2024

Dudu Pukwana: Baloyi

by Chris May
January 27, 2024

Victor Bailey: Kid Logic

by Mike Jacobs
January 26, 2024

The late Victor Bailey probably missed out on much of the acclaim he was due, first by having to succeed the legendary Jaco Pastorius in the Weather Report bass chair and then later being somewhat upstaged by another virtuosic bass-playing “Victor"--(Victor Wooten). But if Bailey was relegated to being the “other Victor," it wasn't for lack ...

Samora Pinderhughes: Ascension

by Scott Lichtman
January 25, 2024

"Ascension," from tenor vocalist Samora Pinderhughes, delivers multiple delights. Opening to a Coltrane-like mantra, the song quickly transforms itself into an upbeat rendition of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot," then onto tasteful trumpet and flute solos, and ultimately a spoken-word vision for a better world. But the greatest treat is his voice, which flutters and bends in ...

Joshua Redman: The Folks Who Live On The Hill

by Scott Lichtman
January 24, 2024

While there's a long list of jazz performers recording with strings, it's unusual for those recordings to have the sheer elegance of tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman's “The Folks Who Live on the Hill." Featured on his Walking Shadows album, the tune's every melodic line has just the right amount of tone, range and redirection to qualify ...

Bill Frisell: Jimmy Carter Pts 1 & 2

by Mike Jacobs
January 16, 2024

Bill Frisell's career arc has been extraordinary. From edgy, effect-laden, avant-jazz poster guitarist to sublime jazz interpreter of folk and Americana (and lots in between), it's been quite a ride for those who have paid attention. “Jimmy Carter Pts 1 & 2" from This Land (Nonesuch, 1994) occupies a special period in Frisell's stylistic journey where ...

Irreversible Entanglements: Open The Gates

by Chris May
January 16, 2024

Tom Griesgraber & Bert Lams: Don't Look Back

by Geno Thackara
January 13, 2024

The title probably isn't really a warning. To judge from the warm affable sound of Tom Griesgraber's Chapman Stick piece, “Don't Look Back" feels more like a piece of optimistic advice. Further brightened by the easygoing chemistry he shares with Bert Lams as they skip through what should be a rhythmic booby trap, it's as bouncy ...

Brad Shepik: Vapor Oro

by Mike Jacobs
January 11, 2024