Stephan Micus: Winter’s End (ECM)
Stephan Micus has invented what might be the best job ever. He listens to music from around the world, identifies rare sounds that strike his … Read More “Stephan Micus: Winter’s End (ECM)”
Britt Robson
Greg Abate: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound)
The success of Magic Dance is fueled by the capable execution of three brainstorms from Rhode Island hard-bop stalwart Greg Abate. The first was deciding … Read More “Greg Abate: Magic Dance: The Music of Kenny Barron (Whaling City Sound)”
Leni Stern: Dance (LSR)
Composer, guitarist, and vocalist Leni Stern grew up in Germany on Bach and Mozart. Her early albums, recorded in the late ’80s after she came … Read More “Leni Stern: Dance (LSR)”
JD Allen: Queen City (Savant)
JD Allen has spent a career honing no-frills artistic expression, fashioning a catalog that emphasizes relatively brief, thematically cohesive original compositions. So it made sense … Read More “JD Allen: Queen City (Savant)”
Dan Wilson: Vessels of Wood and Earth (Brother Mister/Mack Avenue)
Guitarist Dan Wilson has chops to burn, and he lights the fuse on the opener here, “The Rhythm Section,” which does feature his quartet mates … Read More “Dan Wilson: Vessels of Wood and Earth (Brother Mister/Mack Avenue)”
Satoko Fujii: Hazuki (Libra)
Satoko Fujii creates quickly and perpetually. The 62-year-old pianist has released dozens of albums—in the 21st century alone—under her own name and as part of … Read More “Satoko Fujii: Hazuki (Libra)”
Omar Sosa: An East African Journey (Otá)
In 2009, Cuban pianist Omar Sosa collaborated with eight East African musicians, making field recordings in seven countries during a tour of the continent with … Read More “Omar Sosa: An East African Journey (Otá)”
Ronnie Cuber/Gary Smulyan: Tough Baritones (SteepleChase)
The thematic approach to Tough Baritones is about as subtle as a two-by-four upside the head, and listeners are better off for it. For decades, … Read More “Ronnie Cuber/Gary Smulyan: Tough Baritones (SteepleChase)”
Harold López-Nussa and the Lure of the Street
The lead video for Cuban pianist Harold López-Nussa’s latest album, Te Lo Dije, is an out-of-character dazzler. As López-Nussa works through a tune in the … Read More “Harold López-Nussa and the Lure of the Street”
Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra: Bluu Afroo (SteepleChase)
After four decades of explorations with his New Jungle Orchestra, Danish bandleader/guitarist Pierre Dørge hasn’t forsaken the art of playfulness. The NJO’s planned 40th-anniversary celebration … Read More “Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra: Bluu Afroo (SteepleChase)”
Lionel Loueke: HH (Edition)
If you’re going to make a tribute album that’s more meaningful than just reminding the listener to go play the original, it helps to highlight … Read More “Lionel Loueke: HH (Edition)”
Lafayette Gilchrist: Now (Lafayette Music)
A longtime renegade who refused to move from his native Baltimore to New York in order to avoid the groupthink of a jazz scene, self-taught … Read More “Lafayette Gilchrist: Now (Lafayette Music)”
Christopher Parker & Kelley Hurt: No Tears Suite (Mahakala)
The No Tears Suite is a sweeping tribute to the Little Rock Nine, young heroes of the civil rights movement, who integrated Little Rock Central … Read More “Christopher Parker & Kelley Hurt: No Tears Suite (Mahakala)”
Manuel Valera/New Cuban Express Big Band: José Martí en Nueva York (Greenleaf)
Sometimes big lives require big bands. That’s what Cuban composer/pianist Manuel Valera discovered after he’d completed his 2013 Chamber Music Jazz Works commission for the … Read More “Manuel Valera/New Cuban Express Big Band: José Martí en Nueva York (Greenleaf)”
Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982 (Strut)
Let the record show that Oneness of Juju founder James “Plunky” Branch fostered charismatic musical ambitions. With varying degrees of success, Branch attempted to reflect … Read More “Oneness of Juju: African Rhythms 1970-1982 (Strut)”
Miles Okazaki: Trickster’s Dream (Pi)
Guitarist Miles Okazaki is in a sweet-spot phase of his career. It began in 2017 with a new quartet and its eponymous album, Trickster (2017), … Read More “Miles Okazaki: Trickster’s Dream (Pi)”
Ray Mantilla: Rebirth (Savant)
Ray Mantilla, who died in March of lymphoma at 85, knew Rebirth would be his final album. Yet there was no need for the master … Read More “Ray Mantilla: Rebirth (Savant)”
Kidd Jordan/Joel Futterman/William Parker/Hamid Drake: A Tribute to Alvin Fielder, Live at Vision Festival XXIV (Mahakala)
This phenomenal 41:24 piece of spontaneous improvisation is rooted in the bonding of outcats in the ’70s Deep South. Drummer Alvin Fielder, a founder of … Read More “Kidd Jordan/Joel Futterman/William Parker/Hamid Drake: A Tribute to Alvin Fielder, Live at Vision Festival XXIV (Mahakala)”
Micah Thomas: Tide (Self-released)
Pianist Micah Thomas has been able to play what he’s heard since the age of two, but his debut, Tide, demonstrates that this is a … Read More “Micah Thomas: Tide (Self-released)”
Dave Douglas: Dizzy Atmosphere (Greenleaf)
Trumpeter Dave Douglas doesn’t perform tributes so much as he fences with the music of jazz artists who are criminally underrated (Booker Little), towering in … Read More “Dave Douglas: Dizzy Atmosphere (Greenleaf)”
Sophie Tassignon: Mysteries Unfold (RareNoise)
Belgian-born, German-based vocalist Sophie Tassignon has issued more than a half-dozen records since 2006 as a member of various ensembles and duos, as well as … Read More “Sophie Tassignon: Mysteries Unfold (RareNoise)”
Art Hirahara: Balance Point (Posi-Tone)
Throughout his now five-album catalog for Posi-Tone, pianist Art Hirahara has often filtered his music through the emotional touchstones of his life, creating what amounts … Read More “Art Hirahara: Balance Point (Posi-Tone)”
Falkner Evans: Marbles (Consolidated Artists Productions)
“This from That” sounds like a flashback of Wayne Shorter writing for Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers in the mid-’60s. An initially knotty opening passage straightens … Read More “Falkner Evans: Marbles (Consolidated Artists Productions)”
Dayna Stephens: Liberty (Contagious)
The narrative seems as clear-cut as an elevator pitch: Rising, still-young saxophonist felled by an illness that required extensive dialysis is now blowing with a … Read More “Dayna Stephens: Liberty (Contagious)”
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown (Nonesuch/International Anthem)
Best known for his membership in the pioneering jazz-rock ensemble Tortoise—and now the elder statesman among a crew of 21st-century Chicago renegades bringing a fresh … Read More “Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown (Nonesuch/International Anthem)”
Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria/Ultimo Trem (Far Out)
The serenity of Brazilian vocalist/composer Milton Nascimento is one of the most reliable virtues in all music. These two soundtracks for ballets—originally recorded early in … Read More “Milton Nascimento: Maria Maria/Ultimo Trem (Far Out)”
Eric Alexander: Eric Alexander With Strings (HighNote)
When you peruse the song list of Eric Alexander With Strings and notice “Lonely Woman” and “The Thrill Is Gone,” you naturally think of Ornette … Read More “Eric Alexander: Eric Alexander With Strings (HighNote)”
Michele Rosewoman’s New Yor-Uba: Hallowed (Advance Dance Disques)
The evolution of New Yor-Uba, pianist Michele Rosewoman’s painstaking synthesis of modern jazz and ancient Afro-Cuban folkloric traditions, has been a journey of slow-motion magnificence. … Read More “Michele Rosewoman’s New Yor-Uba: Hallowed (Advance Dance Disques)”
Louis Sclavis: Characters on a Wall (ECM)
French clarinetist Louis Sclavis has composed a lot of music inspired by visual art, including soundtracks for modern and silent movies and a 2003 ECM release, Napoli’s Walls, which chronicles his response to the street frescoes in Naples created by the French artist Ernest Pignon-Ernest. With Characters on a Wall, Sclavis extends and alters his … Read More “Louis Sclavis: Characters on a Wall (ECM)”
To access this content, you must purchase JazzTimes Membership.
Jane Bunnett & Maqueque: On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme (Linus)
On the final track of Maqueque’s self-titled debut five years ago, Jane Bunnett spiked the punch with her longtime collaborator Hilario Durán and a few other heavyweights. For the band’s third album, Tierra Firme, the most prominent guest stars are Maqueque alumni Daymé Arocena and Melvis Santa on vocals, plus sacred steel guitarist Nicole “Nikki” … Read More “Jane Bunnett & Maqueque: On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme (Linus)”
To access this content, you must purchase JazzTimes Membership.