In case your Dutch is rusty, the name of the band is “Die Glorreichen Sieben” which means “The Magnificent Seven.” Any Yul Brenner/ Steve McQueen fans out there? Anyway, the group is going to FURTHER play with your mind because…
Month: December 2014
Rafael Rosa: Portrait
Guitarist Rafael Rosa mixes and matches with a surfeit of talent here, which includes Kenny Werner/p, Jen-Michel Pilc, John Benitez/b and Michael Rodriguez/tp. Most of the material here, as on “ Bomba Oscura,” is intricate, sophisticated and tricky. Benetiz’s bass…
Ananda Gari: T-Duality
Here is a collective of some of the strongest left of center artists with Tim Berne/as, Rez Abbasi/g, Michael Formanek/b and Ananda Gari/dr teaming together for a mix of melody and improve. The material here is quite edgy and angular,…
NEW MAN IN TOWN…Anthony Jefferson: But Beautiful
My 25 year old daughter is a jazz vocal snob. Her first gig was seeing Mark Murphy at 11 years old, and she’s never turned back. So, I put this one on, and she says, “Is this Nat? No, wait,…
THE LATEST FROM ECM…Michael Mantler: The Jazz Composer’s Orchestra Update, Robin Williamson: Trusting in the Rising Light, Lumen Drones: Lumen Drones
Is it jazz? Is it folk? Is it ambient? It’s ECM! Three different points on the triangle of music. Trumpeter Michael Mantler brings together some far sighted players from a big band conducted by Christoph Cech and the Vienna String…
Hafez Modirzadeh: In Convergence Liberation
Multi-reedist Hafez Modirzadeh creates a mix of folk, jazz and even modern classical here in a collection of suites that have musicians coming in and out of the scene like an English mystery novel. A collection of strings includes Ralph…
Danish Radio Big Band: A Good Time Was Had By All
Yeah, I know…you think of a big band from Denmark and say to yourself, “sterile, unswinging and stiff.” Let me tell ya-Denmark is SVINGING! They are one of the top three readers of this website, right along Israel and the…
TWO TYPES OF 70s FUSION…Arthur Lee & Love: Black Beauty, Gene Clark: Two Sides to Every Story
Back in the 1970s, musical boundaries were quite porous, with genres crossing over for pollination to create some wonderful new sounds. Jazz mixed with rock, rock mixed with country, and soul mixed with everything. High Moon Records has issued two…
Delfeayo Marsalis: The Last Southern Gentleman
A mixture of generations takes place here, as trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis teams up with his father and pianist Ellis Marsalis and the adroit John Clayton/b with Marvin “Smitty” Smith/dr for a collection of lyrical and personal readings of standards. Marsalis…
Peter Hand Big Band: Out of Hand
Guitarist Peter Hand puts together a swinging and tasty big band that hits it right on all strides through a collection of originals and standards. The rhythm team of James Weidman/p, haravie S/b and Steve Johns/dr create a perfect pulse…