Pianist Esbjorn Svensson delivers eight original solo composition on this impressionistic album. He’s got a gentle and lyrical approach, soft on “Alpha” and using silence as a sound on ”Beta”. The Greek alphabet takes ou to an agitated and complex…
Month: January 2023
Josh Sinton’s Predicate Quartet: Four Freedoms
Playing bari sax, bass clarinet and alto flute Josh Sinton has his textured compositions interpreted by his intuitive team of Jonathan Finlayson/tp, Christopher Hoffman/cello and Tom Rainey/dr. The baritone sax gets fuzzy and into subtonal territory on the moaning “Step”…
Garth Alper: Spider’s Web
Educator and pianist Garth Alper brings together a classic sounding team of Lucas Munce/ts, Bob Nash/b, Chris Munson/dr and Jeff George/g for fingerpopping originals. The team shows its tightly knit connections on the aptly titled “Stop-Start Stomp” with Munce digging…
Shuteen Erdenbaatar Quartet: Rising Sun
Pianist Shuteen Erdenebaatar teams up with Nils Kugelmann/b, Valentin Renner/dr and Anton Mangold/ss-ss-fl on a collection of post bop originals. The team is fluid with Mangold’s soprano on “In a Time Warp” and assertive as Renner drives hard on “Ups…
SO RETRO THAT IT’S AVANT GARDE…Kenny Davern & Bob Wilbur: Soprano Summit
To put this band into proper perspective… Back in the mid 1970s EVERYONE was going electric or atonal. Fusion was ruling the world with bands like Return to Forever, Headhunters and Weather Report, or the acoustic guys were looked down…
Darmon Meader: Losing My Mind
Darmon Meader sings in the vein of Mark Murphy and occasionally plays the sax on this mix and match album of post bop moods. The selection of material is quite wide, ranging from a warm take of Tom Paxton’s “The…
3D Jazz Trio: 9 to 5
Usually the rhythm section for the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, Jackie Warren/p, Amy Shook/b and Sherrie Maricle/dr strip down to the essentials on this clever and well varied collection of interpretations. They show their post bop chops right from the get…
GOOD DAY AT BLACK ROCK…More Boss Black Rockers: Guitar Pickin’ Fool
Like most of us, when we think of black popular music in the 50s and early 60s, the first thing that comes to mind is either R&B like Fats Domino, or velvety soul like Doo Wop. Well, this series from…
Evgueni Galperine: Theory of Becoming
Evgueni Galperine uses electronics and sampling, joining with the voice of Maria Yasyukova, trumpeter Sergein Nakariakov and violin/cellist Sebastien Hurtaud for a collection of static mixes of ambient soundscapes. There is whistling past the graves on ”La Lettre D’un Disapru”…
IN A SEMI-SILENT WAY…Nicholas Payton: The Couch Sessions
Stretching his horizons, yet looking both backwards and forwards, Nicholas Payton forms a unique trio with all stars Buster Williams/b and Lenny White/dr in that the trumpeter continues his expansion into other instruments and brings in both piano and keyboards.…