Articles by Dave Wayne
Peter Erskine New Trio: In Praise of Shadows
by Dave Wayne
Expecting the delicately brooding pastel hues of his piano trio recordings for ECM Records, my socks were pleasantly knocked off from the git-go by Peter Erskine's New Trio. In Praise of Shadows opens with a slyly sweet, reggae-infused rendition of “Sukiyaki," a Japanese folk tune that became a surprise novelty hit for Kyu Sakamoto back in 1963. Erskine's version, featuring guest Judd Miller on electronic whistling, hints at the deeper meaning of the song, whose title--literally translated--means “I Look Up ...
read moreJKA Quintet: From the Nocturnal Chironian
by Dave Wayne
A long-lost poem written as a teenager, a series of evocative dreams, and the interpenetration of astrology, Greek mythology and Jungian archetypal psychology form the conceptual framework for From the Nocturnal Chironian by Danish bassist and composer Jens Kristian Andersen. The music on From the Nocturnal Chironian is only one aspect of its physical manifestation. The CD booklet (and, I imagine, the gatefold sleeve of the LP version) features the artwork of Rithva Landler, a painter whose aim was to--as ...
read moreTohpati Ethnomission: Mata Hati
by Dave Wayne
Indonesian guitarist and composer Tohpati, like his countrymen Dewa Budjana and Dwiki Dharmawan, is a busy studio musician who somehow manages to keep several of his own distinct musical projects moving in parallel. The most well-known of these is probably simakDialog, best described as an Indonesian jam band whose copious recorded output has been cut short by the recent tragic death of keyboardist Riza Arshad. In addition to his work with simakDialog, Tohpati has documented a few of his own ...
read moreAlessandro Fadini: A Dark and Stormy Day
by Dave Wayne
Amongst the firehose-like blast of CDs and downloads aimed at me last summer was A Dark and Stormy Day, the debut album by Italian-born pianist and composer Alessandro Fadini. A new name to me, Fadini was educated to be a mathematician and is apparently self-taught on piano. Don't let that fool you, though. A protégé of Marc Copland, Fadini's chops as a player and composer are formidable. Fierce, even. As a soloist, he has an impulsive nature and his improvisations ...
read moreMarbin: Goat Man & The House of the Dead
by Dave Wayne
It's truly been fun to watch Marbin grow and develop over the past few years. Their eponymous, self- released debut album, from way back in 2009, was a duet affair with the two principals--saxophonist Danny Markovitch and guitarist Dani Rabin--plying their talents on a clutch of brief and very intricate instrumentals. Sounding at times like an ECM release gone rogue, the duo's obvious virtuosity and poorly-suppressed manic energy made their subsequent forays into heavy instrumental rock no great surprise. Yet, ...
read moreJon Armstrong: Burnt Hibiscus
by Dave Wayne
Now firmly ensconced as the Director of Jazz Studies at Idaho State University, Jon Armstrong may just be a little homesick. Well, more than a little. After all, Pocatello is a far cry from the multi-cultural hustle and bustle of his hometown of Los Angeles. It's not surprising that Armstrong's new album, Burnt Hibiscus is a quirky and ambitious paean to the City of Angels. In Armstrong's own words, Burnt Hibiscus is an ..."unsentimental love letter to Los Angeles, highlighting ...
read moreModus Factor: The Picasso Zone
by Dave Wayne
Versatiity is the key to the musical success of The Picasso Zone by the multi-national, polystylistic electric jazz trio Modus Factor. Based in Toronto, Modus Factor is comprised of Canadian drummer (and putative bandleader) Chris Lesso, trumpeter Brownman Ali--originally from Trinidad--and Uganada- born bassist Ian De Souza. Clearly, these guys' diverse origins contributed to their abiding interest in a broad swath of musical genres which, in turn, truly enriches the music on The Picasso Zone. Though hip- hop, funk, electronica, ...
read moreSnaggle: The Long Slog
by Dave Wayne
In the art world, labeling oneself as “the next (fill in the blank)" or “(name of country)'s answer to (fill in the blank)" is a risky ploy that may reap short-term benefits in terms of quickly generating a fan base, but may actually be detrimental in terms of creative sustainability. The jny:: Toronto-based jazz-funk- rock sextet Snaggle is a case in point. Their press materials are riddled with phrases such as “Canada's answer to Snarky Puppy" and “the next Snarky ...
read moreDwiki Dharmawan: Pasar Klewer
by Dave Wayne
Another day, another two- disc set. Or so it seems. Fortunately, one does not have to wade through Dwiki Dharmawan's Pasar Klewer. Despite some odd choices in track sequence one may even wonder ..."is that all?" after the second disc has finished its spin. Dharmawan is an Indonesian jazz pianist who, like so many of his countrymen, has found a rich vein of inspiration in the folk and ethnic musics of his native land. It's worth noting that Dharmawan is ...
read moreAnna Webber's Simple Trio with Matt Mitchell & John Hollenbeck: Binary
by Dave Wayne
One of a growing number of genre-crushing young artists working at the fringes of modern jazz and so-called “new music," Canadian-born saxophonist and composer Anna Webber has staked out some truly distinctive musical terrain with her all-star Simple Trio. If you're not familiar with Ms. Webber (who's worked with Dan Weiss, Jen Shyu, Ohad Talmor and classical composer John Luther Adams to name a few), you will certainly recognize her Simple Trio-mates: John Hollenbeck and Matt Mitchell. Kindred spirits in ...
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