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Daniel Casimir: Balance
by Carl Medsker
The dynamic London underground jazz scene has produced a stellar roster of innovative musicians over the last decade or so. Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Binker Golding, Moses Boyd and Theon Cross, to name a few, meld bebop, hip hop, grime, reggae, dub, calypso, afrobeat and classical musics into fresh, novel hybrids. Bassist and rising star Daniel ...
Majid Bekkas, Nguyên Lê, Hamid Drake: Boom Boom
by Ludovico Granvassu
At a time of daunting provincialism and tribal regression, jazz remains one of the few welcoming oases for the globally minded. If you're one of then, enjoy this track, feauturing a Moroccan oud and guembri player--and vocalist--Majid Bekkas, a Franco Vietnamese guitarist, Nguyen Le, and a living legend of the Chicago scene like drummer ...
Rikard From: Sun of June
by Scott Lichtman
Pianist and songwriter Rikard From may get 360,000 listeners per month on Spotify, but I suspect a larger, as-yet-unaware audience would benefit from a thorough listen of his music. His primary sound combines the maj6/9 embellishments of Bruce Hornsby with the rollicking gospel of Keith Jarrett on a song like “God Bless the Child." His body ...
Christian McBride Big Band with Sting and Andy Summers: Murder by Numbers
by Ludovico Granvassu
It seems that Sting revisits “Murder by Numbers" with once-in-a-lifetime collaborations as a way to comment on the corrupt pulse of the times. He did so in 1988--as a pointed response to televangelist Jimmy Swaggart's claim that the song was “written by the devil"--with Frank Zappa on the stage of Chicago's Auditorium Theater, after ...
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills: Taka
by Ludovico Granvassu
Believe it or not, it has already been four years since Pino Palladino and Blake Mills released Notes with Attachments. The good knews for those, like me, who have been eagerly waiting for a follow up to that sonic flying carpet, is that the wait is over. Almost. Impulse! Records is about to release Palladino and ...
Ella Feingold & Charlie Hunter: Sanford N’ Anybody
by Ludovico Granvassu
Here is music from an album I have been eagerly waiting for, featuring a too-good-to-be-true new collaboration between two of the most distinctive guitar voices around: Ella Feingold and Charlie Hunter. With these kinds of stellar pairings, tempering anticipation with caution is not unwise--but not this time. Feingold and Hunter aren't just virtuosos--they're conversationalists. ...
Steve Nelson: Ceora
by Carl Medsker
For those who love the bright, ringing sound of the vibraphone, this is something of a golden age. In addition to an abundance of talented musicians dedicated exclusively to the vibraphone, numerous percussionists also employ mallet instruments over an expansive range of styles. On the double CD A Common Language (Timeless Records, 2025), veteran Steve Nelson ...
Danny Grissett: Whisper Not
by John Chacona
One of the enduring mysteries of jazz is also one of its most salient criteria: the hookup between bass and drums. Like Justice Stewart's quote about pornography, it is hard to define but impossible to miss when you hear it. By now, Vicente Archer and Bill Stewart have something very special going on, and Danny Grissett ...
Landæus Trio: Greed Ruined It for Everyone
by Ludovico Granvassu
Nestled somewhere on the whimsical spectrum between the infectious grooves of Tom Tom Club and the nostalgic pulse of video game soundtracks, “Greed Ruined It for Everyone" stands out as a delightful highlight from Resilience. This captivating album, the latest from Swedish pianist Mathias Landæus, showcases his trio with Johnny Åman on bass and Cornelia Nilsson ...
