Vicious World Plays the Music of Rufus Wainwright (Spinaround) The term “composer” seems too highfalutin for most pop musicians, but it fits Rufus Wainwright perfectly. The son of gifted tunesmiths Loudon Wainwright III and the late Kate McGarrigle, he merges a strong understanding of classic songcraft with a bracing sense [...]
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Jeff “Tain” Watts Family
Friday, October 21st, 2011Jeff “Tain” Watts Family (Dark Key) Jeff “Tain” Watts is among the most gifted drummers of his generation, a timekeeper who moderates tremendous technical skills with a rare understanding of when to lay back and when to let loose. And while his efforts as a bandleader and composer aren’t as [...]
Read more >>Ari Hoenig Lines of Oppression
Friday, October 21st, 2011Ari Hoenig Lines of Oppression (Naive) Philadelphia native Ari Hoenig is among the few drummers who display melody despite the absence of exact notes on their rhythmic instrument. It’s a skill he came by naturally. With both parents being classical musicians, Hoenig began studying piano and violin at 6, not [...]
Read more >>Alphonse Mouzon
Friday, October 21st, 2011Alphonse Mouzon Angel Face (Tenacious) A founding father of both fusion and smooth jazz, drummer Alphonse Mouzon has gravitated toward straightahead jazz of late. [i]Angel Face[i] is no mere dalliance. Eleven years in the making, it quashes the outdated notion that drummers can’t write or arrange. Mouzon’s original music evokes [...]
Read more >>James Carter Caribbean Rhapsody: Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra
Friday, October 21st, 2011James Carter Caribbean Rhapsody: Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra (Decca/Emarcy) Adolphe Sax invented the saxophone in the mid-1800s as a woodwind-brass hybrid for use in military bands. By the early 1900s, the instrument had made the transition to the new music of jazz, and was being tested for its place [...]
Read more >>Nicole Mitchell Awakening
Friday, October 21st, 2011Nicole Mitchell Awakening (Delmark) Most of Nicole Mitchell’s recordings focus on her intricate compositions. However, [i]Awakening[i] showcases the formerly Chicago-, now California-based jazz star’s skills as an improviser and flutist in an intimate quartet setting. Certainly, she hasn’t abandoned composing. In fact, Mitchell penned most of the music. But the construct [...]
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