Two recent albums by pianist/composer Michael Jefry Stevens shows the range of not only himself, but of the art of jazz. A 2018 concert at Middle Tennessee State University has tenor saxist Don Aliquo joined with Michael Jefry Stevens for…
Month: February 2020
Jeff Pifher: Socrates’ Trial-Anthem
Tenor saxist, composer and authority on Greek history Jeff Pifher tells another story of the heyday of Hellenism with Colin Cook/g, Misha Bigos/p-key, Eric England/b, Corey Coverstone/dr, Ian Wurl/perc and guest Rene’ G. Boscio synth on this dramatic musical journey.…
The Doggy Cats: Daikon Pizza
The team of Christopher Palmer/tb, Aaron Bahr/tp, Zac Zinger/sax, Michael Bates/b, Rob Garcia/dr and pianist Tetsuro Hoshiii mix post bop modal themes with classic and traditional grooves on this wide ranging and accessible album. Snappy drums a la New Orleans…
Sonar with David Torn: Tranceportation (Volume 1)
Dave Torn’s electric guitar and live loopings mx with the tritone guitars of Stephan Thelon and Bernhard Wagner and Christian Kuntner’s tritone bass with Manuel Pasquinelli’s drums and percussion for four thick sounding mixes of metal and murkiness. Fuzzy feedback,…
Yasser Tejeda & Palotre’: Kijombo
Relentless and exciting music from the Dominican Republic and beyond is delivered by singer/guitarist Yasser Tejeda and his team of Jonathan Troncoso/perc, Victor Otoniel/dr, Kyle Miles/b and a collection of guests on this thrilling mix of originals and traditional pieces.…
COUNTRY MUSIC FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY…Paul Kelly’s: Greatest Hits-Songs From The South 1985-2019, Robert Vincent: In This Town You’re Owned
Best known in his local habitat of Australia, Paul Kelly is a Down Under version of thoughtful rockers like Bruce Springsteen, Steve Goodman and Elvis Costello. This two disc set brings together an anthological introduction with him singing, playing guitar…
Karolina Almbren Project: Live I Umea,
Improvisations are rich with Karolina Almgren in concert playing sax with Svante Henryson/cel, Martina Almgren/dr, Malin Almgren/dr and Isa Savbrant during a concert from November 2018. Her solo outing on alto is lyrical on “Uti Var Hage” while her soprano…
Eric St-Laurent: Bliss Station
Guitarist and keyboardist Eric St-Laurent leads a subtle quartet with percussionist Michel DeQuevedo, bassist Jordan O’Connor and Sebastian Studnitzky on trumpet and piano. The moods are mostly relaxed with sublime guitar and piano pretty on “Forsaken Cowboy” and melancholy during…
Jonathan Ng: The Sphynx
Small group Depresson-Era swing is the thing with violinist Jonathan Ng as he leads a toe tapping team of Albert Alva/ts, Luca Pino/g, Chris Dawson/p, Seth Ford-Young/b and Josh Collazo/dr. The material brims with material that predates bebop, with Ng…
IDENTITY JAZZ..Reclamation: Jonah Franceses’ Thinkin’ Big: Reclamation, Thana Alexa: ONA, Kate Amrine: This Is My Letter To The World
It seems that every generation has its issues to address. Today it seems like claiming one’s “Identity” and feeling like you are part of some larger group. These two albums address the social-political implications with the fervency of a cable…