Below are my reviews of jazz/creative-improvised recordings and a few interviews in the same vein. These reviews/pieces are from a mix of online publications and some print sources: AllAboutJazz.com, BlurtOnline.com, JazzReview.com, Signal To Noise print magazine, and The Daily Gazette newspaper in Schenectady, NY. I'm sure some of my stuff has slipped through the cracks, but I've tried to collate as many things as I could remember/find into this page. The stuff that will be written for this blog will be separate from here and on the main blog page. If you have any comments, questions, corrections or requests please feel free to contact me...
Pillars & Tongues: Protection (2008)
After listening through Pillars And Tongues' Protection, the
listener may be left with the feeling of having attended a new style,
post-religion Mass with liturgical forms composed by Tom Waits, John Fahey and
Arvo Part. Old rituals are transformed and making art replaces the act of
prayer. In fact, Protection was performed at South Union Arts
(Gethsemane Baptist)—an old church in Chicago converted into an art space. It's
a beautiful recording and an original approach to collective improvisation.
Read full review here: Protection @ AllAboutJazz.com
Frank Rosaly: Little Hell Volume 1 – Apathy Of A Cow
Rosaly's Apathy was not initially intended as a programmatic
work. But once suggested it's easy to hear as representative of urban violence,
political corruption, and the endlessly cruel and complex conflicts that spiral
out of poverty. It emits a visceral sense of hierarchical strata with different
levels becoming dominant; then others being subsumed—or as Rosaly puts it, "This piece is full of destruction, resurrection, destruction. It's all in
there."
Read full review here: Little Hell @ AllAboutJazz.com
Rebecca Martin: The Growing Season (2008)
Rebecca Martin: The Growing Season (2008)
This hook will catch anything that moves. Martin's warm and easygoing
delivery, the relaxed harmonic rhythm, loose bossa-ish feel, soft background
vocal harmonies, and Rosenwinkel's mellow Rhodes piano riding the rhythm
section, combine to make this tune an equivalent to comfort food: Comfort
Music. It creates a space you want to fall into and revel in long past closing
time.
Read full review here: The Growing Season @ AllAboutJazz.com
Pillars
and Tongues: Lay of Pilgrim Park
(Published
in Signal To Noise print magazine, issue #58, summer 2010)
The
richness of Remis’s and Hydzik’s strings and the long-toned fluidity of their
voices suggest a pool stirred by faint sonic ripples. On “Root/Joy” and
“Resolve” the singing conjures up a shadowy interstellar buzz: one thinks of
wind whistling through an airshaft, a ghostly vibrating string, or Tuvan throat
singing. Surprisingly, it’s not until track 3 that Trecka’s understated
percussion makes its main entrance with a slow-motion clatter. Side B offers
two longer pieces: “Park Saint” is an extended, minimalist post-pop meditation,
while “Made Sheen” has the album’s most danceable and sustained groove; an
avant-krishna, major-chord mantra. By pairing death-haunted lyrics with lively
rhythms, the track shows Pillars and Tongues’ affinity for both darkness and
the light.
(See
print magazine for full review)
Brad Mehldau Trio: Day Is Done (2005)
Of all the things he does so well, the most relevant is the art of the
cover song. He is our most intriguing, creative, and genuine interpreter of the
modern pop songbook. Never content to simply plug in a swing feel for the
backbeat and add some solos, Mehldau has a deep connection to the aesthetics
of great pop music: Most notably, the lyric content. Day is Done has
music from The Beatles, Radiohead, Nick Drake, and Paul Simon. He's got a sixth
sense when it comes to choosing the right material for himself and the trio in
this vein, like an intuitive casting director seeing qualities in actors nobody
else sees.
Read full review here: Day Is Done @ AllAboutJazz.com
Rebecca Martin Interview: Paradox Of Continuity (2006)
Rebecca Martin Interview: Paradox Of Continuity (2006)
Speaking with Martin at a restaurant/café in her hometown one gets an
interesting mix of intensity and calm. Her energy is strong but in no way intimidating.
And her ideas, while often thoroughly thought-out and well lived-in, are still
open. We spoke about all of her projects to date, her writing process, and much
more.
Rebecca Martin: “So I want to thank
you for doing [this interview] on me. I really appreciate it. And it's good to
talk about Paul's thing [Motian's Paradox
Of Continuity] because it didn't really get much promotion. I kind of
understand. It's difficult to do a real concentrated thing in America. It's so
big. Also, the market for jazz is so small. But it would've been nice to have
it available on iTunes. So I'm really appreciative of people talking about it.
Plus it's an
unusual record, I think, for people. It was a blast to make. One day, all first
or second takes. I was eight months pregnant while I was singing. It's just an
incredible opportunity to work in that context because always leading groups is
limiting to a certain degree. You can learn so much by being led. Especially by
someone like Paul.”
Read full interview here: Rebecca Martin Interview @ AllAboutJazz.com
Billy Childs Interview: Lyric (2005)
[S]omewhat under the public's marketing radar, for the last six years or
so Childs has been spending much of his energy on larger scale composition,
arranging, and orchestrations. While still a great pianist, his writing and
conception of style/genre is possibly in the forefront of his modus operandi, and
has seemingly come to a head with this most recent CD.
Billy Childs: “So in order to stay on that level you have to keep practicing. But then
in order to stay on another level composing you have to keep composing. So it's
kind of hard. One suffers when the other one prospers. At a certain level they
can both kind of augment each other. But then when you get really specialized,
or being known really as a composer or a pianist, to maintain that is hard. It
takes a lot of time.”
Read full interview here: Billy Childs Interview @ AllAboutJazz.com
David Hazeltine Interview: Modern Standards (2005)
Opinion/Editorial: The Trouble With Gary: An Open Letter to the Jazz Community (2005)
Peacock's public disrespect and shunning of Costello could be seen as a reflection of the jazz community's attitude in general and this is why we must react. There is no doubt in my mind that a large majority of the jazz community (artists and fans) does NOT share Peacock's elitist disrespect toward Costello and the best pop/rock has to offer as a style/art-form, which is well represented by Costello himself. Jazz music is universally regarded as the most malleable, inclusive and open-minded of styles. What a shame it would be to forfeit that reputation through a lack of respect for the very styles that contribute to its existence. How many people unfamiliar with jazz heard about this event and were turned off to the music? If it's one, that's one too many.
Read full article here: The Trouble With Gary @ AllAboutJazz.com
Never Enough Hope: The Gift Economy (2008)
Read full review here: Never Enough Hope @ AllAboutJazz.com
The Present: The Way We Are (2009)
The Present is Rusty Santos, Mina, and Jesse Lee. Those names are essentially the only information given on the The Way We Are disc. That intentional crypticness could also be seen as minimalism, and cryptic minimalism could be a way to describe their music. But to leave out the music's occasional crushing sonic aggression and bluntness would be a disservice. There's a flipside of maximalism here: a kind of piling on of sound creating a disorienting blur and sensory overload. If played too loud, The Way We Are could make your neighbors think there's highway construction going on inside your apartment...
Read the full review here: The Way We Are @ BlurtOnline
John Scofield: That’s What I Say (2005)
If you come to John Scofield’s latest tribute release That’s What I Say wanting mainly open ended, jazz-blowing versions of famous Ray Charles tunes, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, with the likes of John Mayer, Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, Dr. John and Warren Haynes being heavily marketed with the record, it’s unlikely anyone would be expecting a ‘pure’ jazz record. Nor would it necessarily have been a better artistic choice.
Read the full review here: That's What I Say @ JazzReview.com
Kurt Rosenwinkel: Deep Song (2005)
[T]he ending sections of this opening track exemplify what’s so intriguing about many of these compositions. Listening to this tune is like opening a set of Chinese boxes in reverse. Where many writers would be satisfied w/ the large amount of material already covered in this piece, Rosenwinkel keeps writing because it was there to be discovered.
Read full review here: Deep Song @ JazzReview.com
Saratoga Jazz Festival @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center (concert review from June 30, 2008, for The Daily Gazette newspaper)
The first 30 minutes of [Terence Blanchard’s] set was a continuous deluge of shifting landscapes: waves of collective volume over rumbling bass tones, crying trumpet solos against shifting meters, music in and out of time, blues-touched melodies rising out of the chaos. All the members of the group are great players but, in the end, Blanchard is so strong it’s his playing that stays with you.
The blues, bebop, luminous tone, modern angular phrasings – it all comes out of Blanchard’s horn. And while some of his music of late is somber in tone, the man definitely has a sense of humor. While introducing the band, there was a big cheer for a member from Philly. [Then], introducing the drummer as being from Texas – no cheering. Blanchard’s reply: “Yeah, I don’t cheer for Texas anymore either.”
Read full online version of print publication concert review here: Saratoga Jazz Festival, 2008
Dominic Lalli: A Blind Man’s Blue (2008)
His energy during solos often comes from a comfortable pocket between laidback and aggressive. He can (and does) do both separately, but the vibe is occasionally a subtle composite… The style and conception of the recording falls into what could be called 'modern traditionalist.' Lalli's music (6 originals and 3 standards for quartet/quintet) is a mix of 1960s post-bop, modern ballads, and more contemporary mixed meters, ostinatos, and vamps. There are moments here and there that hint at a penchant for more lawlessness in terms of form but for the moment the band is adhering to the rules.
Read full review here: A Blind Man's Blue @ AllAboutJazz.com
Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival (concert review for The Daily Gazette)
Read online version of print publication concert review here: Albany Riverfront
Jeremy Pelt: Identity (2005)
Read review here: Identity @ AllAboutJazz.com
Brian Patneaude: Riverview (2009)
Read review here: Riverview @ AllAboutJazz.com
Samo Salamon & Aljosa Jeric Quartet: Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner (2009)
Read review here: Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner @ AllAboutJazz.com
Jesse Lewis: Atticus (2008)
Read review here: Atticus @ AllAboutJazz.com
Scott Henderson: Interview
In the past, he's worked with Chick Corea in his Elektric Band, Joe Zawinul in Weather Report (4 years), and co-leads another long-standing group called Tribal Tech with bassist Gary Willis. He's currently working on new music in keyboardist extraordinaire Scott Kinsey's group out in Los Angeles. Scott Henderson was able to speak with us about his current projects and his thoughts on some other musical issues.
Read full interview here: Scott Henderson Interview @ JazzReview.com
Brad Shepik: Interview
Brad Shepik’s latest trio record Places You Go features the guitarist/composer continuing his upward trajectory. Having worked with artists like Dave Douglas and Paul Motian through the years, his sensibilities and abilities have become both refined and open. His playing and writing get deeper with each recording and this one may be a bigger leap forward than any in his recent past.
Read full interview here: Brad Shepik @ JazzReview.com
Maria Schneider interview for jazzreview appears pulled down or lost on the site. Author still has recording of phoner…
Reference to interview can be read here: Maria Schneider interview @ JazzReview.com
Read Frank Vignola & Joe Ascione interview here: Frank Vignola & Joe Ascione @ AllAboutJazz.com
Satoko Fujii Trio: Illusion Suite (2004)
Read review here: Satoko Fujii @ JazzReview.com
Rob Levit Trio: Uncertain Path (2004)
Read review here: Uncertain Path @ JazzReview.com
Julien Wilson, Stephen Magnusson, & Will Guthrie: Assumptions 2 (2003)
Read review here: Assumptions 2 @ JazzReview.com
Tyler Summers Trio: Trinity (2001)
Read review here: Tyler Summers Trio @ JazzReview.com
Amina Figarova interview here: Amina Figarova @ JazzReview.com
Blowout: The Supporting Theory (2004)
Read review here: Supporting Theory @ JazzReview.com
Dave Kain Group: Citizen Kain (2004)
Read review here: Citizen Kain @ JazzReview.com
Fred Scott: Cool Mood Trio (2004)
Read review here: Fred Scott @ JazzReview.com
Michael Ross: Year Of The Dog (2004)
Read review here: Year of the Dog @ JazzReview.com
Rik Wright: Zen Tornado (2004)
Read review here: Zen Tornado @ JazzReview.com
Tom Collier: Mallet Jazz (2004)
Read review here: Tom Colliers @ JazzReview.com
Scott DuBois Quintet: Monsoon (2004)
Read review here: Monsoon @ JazzReview.com
Gary Windo: Anglo American (2004)
Read review here: Anglo American @ JazzReview.com
Brian Charette: Digital Honesty (2004)
Read review here: Digital Honesty @ JazzReview.com
David Hazeltine Interview: Modern Standards (2005)
Read full interview here: David Hazeltine Interview @ AllAboutJazz.com
Opinion/Editorial: The Trouble With Gary: An Open Letter to the Jazz Community (2005)
Peacock's public disrespect and shunning of Costello could be seen as a reflection of the jazz community's attitude in general and this is why we must react. There is no doubt in my mind that a large majority of the jazz community (artists and fans) does NOT share Peacock's elitist disrespect toward Costello and the best pop/rock has to offer as a style/art-form, which is well represented by Costello himself. Jazz music is universally regarded as the most malleable, inclusive and open-minded of styles. What a shame it would be to forfeit that reputation through a lack of respect for the very styles that contribute to its existence. How many people unfamiliar with jazz heard about this event and were turned off to the music? If it's one, that's one too many.
Read full article here: The Trouble With Gary @ AllAboutJazz.com
Peter Epstein/Brad Shepik/Matt Kilmer: Lingua Franca (2005)
Peter Epstein, Brad Shepik, and Matt Kilmer trade more in water than
fire. This is not a value judgement, just a shift of intent and perspective.
Though rooted in the jazz aesthetics of improvisation and group
interaction, Lingua Franca is not jazz with a capital "J."
Imagine the Lovano/Frisell/Motian trio playing a mix of jazz/world/folk tunes
instead of standards and avant-garde music.
Read full review here: Lingua Franca @ AllAboutJazz.com
Never Enough Hope: The Gift Economy (2008)
The Gift Economy is a showcase for Summerfield's compositions. His
music has the idiosyncrasy and ambition of Frank Zappa coupled with the disparate
elements and brutality of John Zorn's Naked City. There are hints of
minimalism, free jazz, rock balladry, psychedelic freak-outs, afro-pop, etc.
It's a physically powerful recording. Often disturbingly so. But although
occasionally intriguing, the results are mainly uneven.
Read full review here: Never Enough Hope @ AllAboutJazz.com
The Present: The Way We Are (2009)
The Present is Rusty Santos, Mina, and Jesse Lee. Those names are essentially the only information given on the The Way We Are disc. That intentional crypticness could also be seen as minimalism, and cryptic minimalism could be a way to describe their music. But to leave out the music's occasional crushing sonic aggression and bluntness would be a disservice. There's a flipside of maximalism here: a kind of piling on of sound creating a disorienting blur and sensory overload. If played too loud, The Way We Are could make your neighbors think there's highway construction going on inside your apartment...
Read the full review here: The Way We Are @ BlurtOnline
John Scofield: That’s What I Say (2005)
If you come to John Scofield’s latest tribute release That’s What I Say wanting mainly open ended, jazz-blowing versions of famous Ray Charles tunes, you’ll likely be disappointed. However, with the likes of John Mayer, Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, Dr. John and Warren Haynes being heavily marketed with the record, it’s unlikely anyone would be expecting a ‘pure’ jazz record. Nor would it necessarily have been a better artistic choice.
Read the full review here: That's What I Say @ JazzReview.com
Kurt Rosenwinkel: Deep Song (2005)
[T]he ending sections of this opening track exemplify what’s so intriguing about many of these compositions. Listening to this tune is like opening a set of Chinese boxes in reverse. Where many writers would be satisfied w/ the large amount of material already covered in this piece, Rosenwinkel keeps writing because it was there to be discovered.
Read full review here: Deep Song @ JazzReview.com
Saratoga Jazz Festival @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center (concert review from June 30, 2008, for The Daily Gazette newspaper)
The first 30 minutes of [Terence Blanchard’s] set was a continuous deluge of shifting landscapes: waves of collective volume over rumbling bass tones, crying trumpet solos against shifting meters, music in and out of time, blues-touched melodies rising out of the chaos. All the members of the group are great players but, in the end, Blanchard is so strong it’s his playing that stays with you.
The blues, bebop, luminous tone, modern angular phrasings – it all comes out of Blanchard’s horn. And while some of his music of late is somber in tone, the man definitely has a sense of humor. While introducing the band, there was a big cheer for a member from Philly. [Then], introducing the drummer as being from Texas – no cheering. Blanchard’s reply: “Yeah, I don’t cheer for Texas anymore either.”
Read full online version of print publication concert review here: Saratoga Jazz Festival, 2008
Dominic Lalli: A Blind Man’s Blue (2008)
His energy during solos often comes from a comfortable pocket between laidback and aggressive. He can (and does) do both separately, but the vibe is occasionally a subtle composite… The style and conception of the recording falls into what could be called 'modern traditionalist.' Lalli's music (6 originals and 3 standards for quartet/quintet) is a mix of 1960s post-bop, modern ballads, and more contemporary mixed meters, ostinatos, and vamps. There are moments here and there that hint at a penchant for more lawlessness in terms of form but for the moment the band is adhering to the rules.
Read full review here: A Blind Man's Blue @ AllAboutJazz.com
Albany Riverfront Jazz Festival (concert review for The Daily Gazette)
Read online version of print publication concert review here: Albany Riverfront
Jeremy Pelt: Identity (2005)
Read review here: Identity @ AllAboutJazz.com
Brian Patneaude: Riverview (2009)
Read review here: Riverview @ AllAboutJazz.com
Samo Salamon & Aljosa Jeric Quartet: Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner (2009)
Read review here: Mamasaal feat. Mark Turner @ AllAboutJazz.com
Jesse Lewis: Atticus (2008)
Read review here: Atticus @ AllAboutJazz.com
Scott Henderson: Interview
In the past, he's worked with Chick Corea in his Elektric Band, Joe Zawinul in Weather Report (4 years), and co-leads another long-standing group called Tribal Tech with bassist Gary Willis. He's currently working on new music in keyboardist extraordinaire Scott Kinsey's group out in Los Angeles. Scott Henderson was able to speak with us about his current projects and his thoughts on some other musical issues.
Read full interview here: Scott Henderson Interview @ JazzReview.com
Brad Shepik: Interview
Brad Shepik’s latest trio record Places You Go features the guitarist/composer continuing his upward trajectory. Having worked with artists like Dave Douglas and Paul Motian through the years, his sensibilities and abilities have become both refined and open. His playing and writing get deeper with each recording and this one may be a bigger leap forward than any in his recent past.
Read full interview here: Brad Shepik @ JazzReview.com
Maria Schneider interview for jazzreview appears pulled down or lost on the site. Author still has recording of phoner…
Reference to interview can be read here: Maria Schneider interview @ JazzReview.com
Read Frank Vignola & Joe Ascione interview here: Frank Vignola & Joe Ascione @ AllAboutJazz.com
Satoko Fujii Trio: Illusion Suite (2004)
Read review here: Satoko Fujii @ JazzReview.com
Rob Levit Trio: Uncertain Path (2004)
Read review here: Uncertain Path @ JazzReview.com
Julien Wilson, Stephen Magnusson, & Will Guthrie: Assumptions 2 (2003)
Read review here: Assumptions 2 @ JazzReview.com
Tyler Summers Trio: Trinity (2001)
Read review here: Tyler Summers Trio @ JazzReview.com
Amina Figarova interview here: Amina Figarova @ JazzReview.com
Blowout: The Supporting Theory (2004)
Read review here: Supporting Theory @ JazzReview.com
Dave Kain Group: Citizen Kain (2004)
Read review here: Citizen Kain @ JazzReview.com
Fred Scott: Cool Mood Trio (2004)
Read review here: Fred Scott @ JazzReview.com
Michael Ross: Year Of The Dog (2004)
Read review here: Year of the Dog @ JazzReview.com
Rik Wright: Zen Tornado (2004)
Read review here: Zen Tornado @ JazzReview.com
Tom Collier: Mallet Jazz (2004)
Read review here: Tom Colliers @ JazzReview.com
Scott DuBois Quintet: Monsoon (2004)
Read review here: Monsoon @ JazzReview.com
Gary Windo: Anglo American (2004)
Read review here: Anglo American @ JazzReview.com
Brian Charette: Digital Honesty (2004)
Read review here: Digital Honesty @ JazzReview.com
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