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Johnathan Blake: The Eleventh Hour
by Troy Collins
Some debut recordings encapsulate all of an aspiring artist's diverse interests; others are less ambitious, and merely document a particular ensemble or performance. The Eleventh Hour, an expansive tour de force by rising drummer Johnathan Blake, is a prime example of the former. Blake's successful merger of styles should come as no surprise; in addition to ...
Vijay Iyer Trio: Accelerando
by Troy Collins
On the surface, Accelerando follows the same basic format as Historicity (ACT Music, 2009), the debut of pianist Vijay Iyer's working trio with bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Marcus Gilmore. Though once again divided between Iyer's complex originals and some surprising covers, this eclectic sophomore session attains an even greater sense of cohesion than its predecessor, ...
Ivo Perelman / Joe Morris / Gerald Cleaver: Family Ties
by Troy Collins
Family Ties is São Paulo-born saxophonist Ivo Perelman's sixteenth release for Leo Records and the sixth named after one of Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector's intense psychological works of fiction. Each of the record's six pieces is similarly titled after a short story from the aforementioned collection, yet the album's designation offers a broader, more salient interpretation ...
Matthew Shipp Trio: Elastic Aspects
by Troy Collins
From the sublime introspection of Bill Evans' legendary trio to the unfettered expressionism of Cecil Taylor's various units, the acoustic piano trio has proven to be one of the jazz tradition's most versatile and enduring configurations. Underscored by percussion, the pairing of two chord-based instruments facilitates a wide range of melodic, harmonic and rhythmic freedom, enabling ...
Drummer Matt Wilson Interviewed at All About Jazz...And More!
Drummer Matt Wilson must surely be in the running for the title of hardest-working man in jazz. Wilson is a composer, bandleader, producer and teacher. As a leader, his projects include the Matt Wilson Quartet, Arts & Crafts, Christmas Tree-O and the Carl Sandburg Project. He has been in bands with luminaries such as Joe Lovano, ...
Trio M: The Guest House
by Troy Collins
Historically, the most revered jazz piano trios tend to erase the distinction between leader and accompanist; empathetic listening skills and quicksilver responsiveness enable adroit performers to spontaneously shape the melodic, harmonic and rhythmic contours of the music in democratic fashion. The esteemed Trio M, whose personnel boasts pianist Myra Melford, bassist Mark Dresser and drummer Matt ...
Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet: Frog Leg Logic
by Troy Collins
The premier of Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet, Things Have Got To Change (Clean Feed, 2009), featured the venerable multi-instrumentalist's engaging originals bolstered by a handful of previously unrecorded pieces by his mentor, the late Julius Hemphill (1938-1995). Drawing on Hemphill's seminal work in the St Louis-based Black Artists' Group (BAG), and his innovative writing for the ...
Troy Collins' Best Releases of 2011
by Troy Collins
Compiling end of the year lists is never easy. Considering the quantity of recordings issued during a year, attempting to mention every noteworthy session would result in a list of epic proportions. These few albums are a cross-section of some of the best modern jazz released in 2011, highlighting sophisticated new developments in composition and improvisation--from ...
Allen Lowe: Blues and the Empirical Truth
by Troy Collins
Operating on the fringes of the jazz establishment since the early 1990s, under-sung saxophonist Allen Lowe has earned meritorious praise for his distinctive efforts. It is his academic writings documenting the history of American folk music that have garnered him the most widespread critical acclaim however. Lowe's first foray into roots music, his 1994 album Dark ...
Mary Halvorson & Jessica Pavone: Departure of Reason
by Troy Collins
Departure of Reason is guitarist Mary Halvorson and violist Jessica Pavone's fourth duo recording, following Thin Air (Thirsty Ear, 2009), On and Off (Skirl, 2007) and Prairies (Lucky Kitchen, 2005). As leading lights of the fertile Brooklyn scene, their unique musical vocabulary encompasses a wealth of seemingly unrelated genres, from flamenco and folk to madrigal and ...
