Lloyd Sachs

Lloyd’s Contributions

01/19/13 Undertones

Snakelust (To Kenji Nakagami)
Hairy Bones

Sounding like it was lifted from the middle of the 2011 Lisbon concert this album documents, Snakelust (to Kenji Nakagami) begins so unceremoniously you almost have to laugh. If you woke up saxophonist Peter Brötzmann in the middle of the night and pushed...

01/11/13 Undertones

Tiresian Symmetry
Jason Robinson

Following up his strong 2010 album The Two Faces of Janus , saxophonist Jason Robinson basically doubles the exceptional band featured on it, resulting in a sound of unusual depth and density featuring (at times) dual clarinets (Marty Ehrlich and JD Parran...

12/27/12 Undertones

40Twenty
40Twenty

On the heels of his amazing one-man gospel album, The Heavens , trombonist Jacob Garchik returns to exploring group settings in 40Twenty, a new Brooklyn quartet including that other notable young Jacob, pianist Sacks. Named after the classic jazz club practice...

12/25/12 Albums

Play the Music of Steve Lacy
The Whammies

A communal spirit warms this exuberant tribute to Steve Lacy, which brings together a great cast of players with varied mutual experiences and overlapping ties to Boston (alto saxophonist Jorrit Dijkstra and pianist Pandelis Karayorgis), Chicago (trombonist...

12/24/12 Albums

Batagraf
Jon Balke

With its cool, intoxicating blend of West African drumming, acoustic jazz, electronic pop and sung and spoken poetry, Batagraf is one of ECM’s more idiosyncratic groups. Where else are you going to hear a Norwegian poet declaiming (in Norwegian) over sabar...

12/23/12 Undertones

Journeyman
Brandon Wright

Tenor saxophonist Brandon Wright came out of the gate locked and loaded with a big, hard-hitting, classic sound on his debut, Boiling Point , and he’s got plenty of ammo left for Journeyman . Joined by three of his associates from the Mingus Big Band—veteran...

12/18/12 Albums

Continuous Beat
Rez Abbasi Trio

Flush with the attention he got for his role in furthering the “Indo-Pak” agenda in jazz alongside Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa, the Pakistani-born, L.A.-raised Rez Abbasi expressed the hope he and his cohorts wouldn’t be pigeonholed as ethnic outliers...

12/10/12 Albums

Ode
Brad Mehldau Trio

As good as Brad Mehldau’s ’90s trio albums were, the “Art of the Trio” tag his old record label slapped on them was premature. But based on the pair of brilliant albums his current group has released this year—the first, Ode , a collection of originals...

12/09/12 Albums

Stellar Pulsations
Rob Mazurek Pulsar Quartet

More than most artists, cornetist Rob Mazurek operates on a continuum. The deeper you get into his electro-acoustic music, the greater sense you have of it developing not progressively but by circling around and expanding its initial impulses. Whether you...

12/06/12 Undertones

Sounds of the City
Marquis Hill

On his second album, 25-year-old Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill is still looking for a sound and sensibility to call his own. But with his confidence and youthful charm, he makes the search itself yield ample rewards. Leading his fine working band, including...

12/05/12 Albums

Enfants Terribles: Live At The Blue Note
Lee Konitz/Bill Frisell/Gary Peacock/Joey Baron

Even by the high standards alto great Lee Konitz has set for spontaneously remaking songs we’ve heard a million times, this beautifully recorded live performance is brimming with invention and surprise. Much of that owes to the interplay between Konitz and...

12/04/12 Albums

Reunion: Live in New York
Sam Rivers/Dave Holland/Barry Altschul

It wouldn’t have been fair to expect Sam Rivers, Dave Holland and Barry Altschul to recapture their old magic when they reunited in 2007 for the special Columbia University concert documented on this two-disc set. They hadn’t performed together in more than...

11/19/12 Albums

Sleeper
Keith Jarrett/Jan Garbarek/Palle Danielsson/Jon Christensen

Keith Jarrett has amassed such an imposing body of work, it will be fascinating to see how his legacy shakes out. It’s safe to say a large bloc of his jazz followers will rate his live solo piano recordings, with their remarkable extended improvisations...

10/22/12 Albums

Woody Plays Woody
Woody Shaw

When all but the most celebrated jazz artists depart, their surviving producers, family and friends are frequently left with the task of keeping their memories alive. That’s been a challenge for supporters of Woody Shaw, a certifiably great trumpeter and...

09/24/12 Albums

Dirigo Rataplan
Dirigo Rataplan

Derived from separate Latin and French words, the playful name of drummer Devin Gray’s group translates as “leading from the beat.” That he does on his impressive debut album, backed by a stellar lineup including tenor saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, trumpeter...

09/22/12 Albums

Hot House
Chick Corea & Gary Burton

Forty years after their landmark recording, Crystal Silence , it’s a return to home base—one of their home bases, that is—for Chick Corea, the hardest-working man in the jazz business, and the resurgent Gary Burton, whose recent quartet recording, Common...