Multiple Reviews
Tony Monaco Trio and Mark Egan-Shawn Pelton-Shane Theriot: Three Is Not A Crowd
by Doug Collette
Say what we might about quartets, quintets, sextets and beyond, it might be fair to say the trio is the most potent instrumental lineup of them all. Three-piece ensembles hold a special place in the annals of improvisational music (and not just in the jazz milieu: the term 'power trio' was coined in the rock realm to describe Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience), if for no other reason than groups led by piano and organ have created some of ...
read moreInspired by Water
by Geno Thackara
Here we have a timeless theme that has been providing inspiration for artists as long as people have made art. It's easy to see why water is a perennial subject, and for something so endlessly changeable, it's no surprise that these works could hardly be more different. Fergus McCreadie Trio Stream Edition Records 2024 If the historical lineage of jazz is a series of classy figures dressed sharply for a night at the ...
read moreNoah Haidu and Dave Bass: Mirror Images
by Doug Collette
Noah Haidu and Dave Bass may be too much the traditionalists to become true innovators, but such observations hardly dismiss their efforts as exceptional stylists. Both men's recent releases certify them as musicians who can reliably remind us where the most fruitful sources of inspiration lie in terms of both material and musicianship. Bass' Trio Nuevo is, like its trio of predecessors, a mix of excellent originals and covers that complement each other in such a way that their respective ...
read moreAlessandro Bosetti's Music of Language
by Mark Corroto
The Milan-born, Marsailles resident Alessandro Bosetti may have started as a saxophonist and member of the influential free improvisation group Phosphor, but he has morphed into a composer and sound artist. Working solo, or with Kenta Nagai and Tony Buck in Trophies, he concentrated on the musicality of language and individual voices. His investigations drill down into the near-atomic level of speech, quite often utilizing fragments of verbal communication as repetitive building blocks. He also might repeat a word, a ...
read moreJan Garbarek, Keith Jarrett and Azimuth light up ECM Luminessence reissues
by Chris May
The spring 2024 iteration of ECM's audiophile vinyl reissue series, Luminessence, presents another trio of landmark albums: Jan Garbarek Quartet's Afric Pepperbird, from 1971, Keith Jarrett and Garbarek's Luminessence, from 1975, and Azimuth's Azimuth, from 1977. The combined scope of the music on the three discs (which come with new liner notes) is prairie wide, and chronologically proceeds from howling at the moon to walking in healing moonlight. Jan Garbarek Quartet Afric Pepperbird (1971) ...
read moreOJC Bop and Beyond: The Cats and Yusef Lateef
by C. Andrew Hovan
As Craft Recordings continue to mine their vast collection of recordings, their new take on the decades old Original Jazz Classics imprimatur continues to offer up inspired selections worthy of wider recognition. What also sets these reissues apart is superb quality control, with remastering done by Kevin Gray and pristine pressings that in many cases offer the last word in sonic brilliance. Tommy Flanagan The Cats Craft Recordings 1959 Although it was actually ...
read moreIvo Perelman's Two Stimulating Albums from January of 2024: Interaction and Truth Seeker
by Hrayr Attarian
Innovative Brazilian saxophonist and master improviser Ivo Perelman is as prolific as he is imaginative. With close to 100 recordings under his belt Perelman is always pushing the proverbial envelope looking for fresh ways to express himself. Having lived in various cities around the world--and currently splitting his time between Fortaleza Brazil and New York City--Perelman has been exposed to multiple cultures. The influences of these are heard in his various works. A pair of releases from 2024, each with ...
read moreAmerican Composers On Another Timbre
by John Eyles
When the batch of four Another Timbre releases came out in February 2024, one aspect was particularly noticeable; of the four, two albums featured composers who were born in the U.S.A. and still reside there, Nomi Epstein and Paul Paccione. Although the label honored deceased American composers John Cage and Morton Feldman with highly-praised box sets, it has not paid as much attention to living American composers as it has to Canadian or European composers. In 2017-18 the label issued ...
read moreOJC's Big Guns: Art Blakey, Cannonball Adderley, and Ron Carter
by C. Andrew Hovan
Although they were somewhat late to the vinyl renaissance game, Craft Records has made up for lost time by tapping a wide range of music. From the Latin strains of Fania Records to the so-called acid jazz that B3 organ masters churned out for Prestige Records in the late '60s, Craft boasts a huge vault that should serve them well for decades to come. As they continue to keep the titles in the rejuvenated OJC series coming, three more inspired ...
read moreThe Jazz Detective Strikes Again
by Mark Corroto
Producer Zev Feldman, like Joe DiMaggio, has done it again. In May of 1941, DiMaggio began a major league baseball hitting streak. People followed his exploits game after game and hit after hit. DiMaggio's amazing record of 56 consecutive games still stands to this day. Same can be said of Feldman. His detective work, finding rare archival jazz recordings (mostly concert dates) in dusty archives, continues a streak that includes music from Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Albert Ayler, Eric Dolphy, ...
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