There’s a classic saying by St. Francis of Assisi, which is “preach the gospel at all times; use words when necessary”. That attitude is held by composer Linda Dusman, who uses her pen to create a wide range of works…
Author: George W. Harris
Arthur Kell Speculation Quartet: Live At Lunatico
Bassist Arthur Kell puts together a two guitar front line of Nate Radley and Brad Shepik along with drummer Allan Mednard for a pair of gigs recorded at Bar LunAtico in Brooklyn in 2022. The set is bookended with contemplative…
Philip Blackburn: Ordo
Using music to create environments, composer Philip Blackburn “holds an acoustic mirror up to nature” in order to form various soundscapes in various instrumental milieu. The ambitious two disc set has pieces ranging from duets to fairy large ensembles with…
THIS IS BEBOP PIANO…Hank Jones: Solo & With His Own Bands 1947-59
Along with Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk, Hank Jones was one of the defining pianists to come out of the bebop era. Of the three, his style was the most elegant and lyrical, aging like a fine wine over the…
Peter Rosendal: Vejviser
Sounds of nature and man’s creation are melded together by Peter Rosendal , playing and improvising on a pair of pianos, teamed with Palle Mikkelborg/tp, Cecilie Strange/ts, Craig Earle/b and Nancy Harms/voc. The nine pieces are reminiscent of the “New…
Gregory Lewis: Organ Monk Going Home
Continuing his organic interpretations of Thelonious Monk, Gregory Lewis teams up with Kevin McNeal/g and Nasheet Waits/dr for some spherical pleasures. This is not an album of imitation, but inspiration, with Lewis swirling and swaying to the intense “who Knows”…
Peter Xifaras: Fusion
Playing guitar and keyboards, Peter Xifaras brings together a team of Shunzo Ohno/tp, Xander Nichting/vi, Max Geri/b and Scott Jackson/dr with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra to mix jazz, funk and soul. There’s a push on the groove here, with…
Miho Hazama’s m_unit: Beyond Orbits
Composer Miho Hazama conducts a 16 member jazz orchestra, along with some thrilling guests on this ambitious collection of material. The centerpiece is a three part “Exoplanet Suite”, with guest bassist Christian McBride working around the string section and Monkish…
DRUMMING WITH COSGROVE…Jeff Cosgrove: Welcome Home, Confusing Motion For Progress, Live In Carrboro
Drummer Jeff Cosgrove is making up for lost time from the COVID lockdown and has been hitting the clubs with a variety of bands, all three caught in the act on recently released sessions. Cosgrove teams up at the Town…
Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band @ Catalina’s 11.10.23
One of the few artists to keep together a viable big band for almost a quarter century, Gordon Goodwin showed that he’s still going strong, having recently recorded a clever album of material by Raymond Scott and recently getting nominated…