Released, purely coincidentally but quite serendipitously, during a crazy and fearful moment in modern history,…
Reviews
Carla Bley, Andy Sheppard, Steve Swallow – Life Goes On (ECM)
There’s a deceptively casual musical intimacy afoot in Life Goes On that belies the deep…
Omer Avital Qantar – New York Paradox (Zamzama)
Bassist Omer Avital wrote the title track to his latest release, New York Paradox, upon…
Audition Soundbites: Summer 2020
Kat Edmonson, Dreamers Do (Spinnerette) With her fey, girlish voice, Edmonson imbues a series of…
Joel Harrison + 18: ‘America at War’ (Sunnyside)
At the helm of an 18-piece band, guitarist and composer Joel Harrison crafts a personal…
Art Hirahara: ‘Balance Point’ (Posi-Tone)
The pianist’s myriad influences are evident throughout a set that’s at once deeply introspective and quietly extroverted.
Wayne Escoffery: ‘The Humble Warrior’ (Smoke Sessions)
Among the many influences on saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, singing in the church choir from age…
Dan Costa and Ivan Lins: “Love Dance”
London-born pianist and composer Dan Costa has long had an affinity for Brazilian music, even winning a merit grant to study at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas in São Paulo.
Lynne Arriale: ‘Chimes of Freedom’
Bob Dylan penned his impressionistic anthem “Chimes of Freedom” in early 1964, at the height…
Mel Tormé – Comin’ Home Baby! (Atlantic)
Not exactly a youngster at age 37, Mel Tormé had long established himself as a…
Artemis Shines Bright at Carnegie Hall
By the time Artemis, an all-star ensemble, dug deep into the blues while trading solos…
Kengchakaj – Lak Lan (Next Level)
“Sneha,” a haunting ballad first recorded in Thailand in the mid-1960s, has become an iconic…
The DIVA Jazz Orchestra – DIVA + The Boys (MCG Jazz)
Although the DIVA Jazz Orchestra only began recording for the MCG Jazz label in 2014,…
Dopolarians – Garden Party (Mahakala Music)
In an age of strictly defined stylistic directions in jazz, Dopolarians ventures into decidedly “inside-outside”…
Joe McCarthy and the New York Afro Bop Alliance Big Band – Upwards (Zoho)
Dizzy Gillespie’s keen interest in melding 1940s bebop with Afro-Cuban music was spurred by his…
Jonathan Kreisberg – Capturing Spirits — JKQ Live! (New for Now)
New York City-born guitarist Jonathan Kreisberg wowed South Florida audiences while attending the University of…
Valery Ponomarev Big Band Live — Our Father Who Art Blakey: The Centennial (Summit)
The 2019 centennial birthday of master drummer Art Blakey has inspired a number of tributes,…
Sunny Jain – Wild Wild East (Smithsonian Folkways)
With Wild Wild East, drummer Sunny Jain — who grew up the son of Indian…
Johnny Griffin-Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Quintet – Ow! Live at the Penthouse (Reel to Real)
For pure hipness, the Johnny Griffin-Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis Quintet stands among the jazz elite. They…
Pat Metheny – From This Place (Nonesuch)
Pat Metheny’s music has always contained a certain spaciousness, perhaps hinting at his Midwestern origins.…
