For those who love low woodwinds, Brian Landrus has become a steadfast champion. Few musicians this side of Harry Carney have specialized in bass clarinet … Read More “Brian Landrus: Red List (Palmetto/BlueLand)”
Adam Larson is a young saxophone virtuoso brimming with justified confidence. He self-produced his first record while still in high school, graduated with two degrees … Read More “Adam Larson: With Love, From Chicago (Outside In)”
It’s become a treat to discover what new three-piece rhythm section guitarist Matt Stevens and saxophonist Walter Smith III have assembled for their latest quintet … Read More “In Common: In Common III (Whirlwind)”
There is no sophomore slump from Ben LaMar Gay. The notion that the composer, conceptualist, and multi-instrumentalist might have blown his wad on his 2018 … Read More “Ben LaMar Gay: Open Arms to Open Us (International Anthem)”
Vocalist Sarah King has been a ukulele busker in the subways of New York, a ringleader of the street brass ensemble Hungry March Band, and … Read More “Sarah King: Tulip or Turnip (Birdwatcher)”
For those interested in going to school on Eric Dolphy, Out Here, an album by vocalist Mary LaRose featuring arrangements by her longtime partner Jeff … Read More “Mary LaRose Recasts the Work of Eric Dolphy”
One of the reasons pianist Matthew Shipp moved to New York’s East Village in 1983 was to play with bassist William Parker, then best known … Read More “Whit Dickey/William Parker/Matthew Shipp: Village Mothership (Tao Forms) / Francisco Mela with William Parker and Matthew Shipp: Music Frees Our Souls Vol. 1 (577)”
Almost exactly a quarter-century ago, Jon Gordon won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, as judged by the unimpeachable quintet of Wayne Shorter, … Read More “Jon Gordon: Stranger Than Fiction (ArtistShare)”
Vocalist Mankwe Ndosi brings a brand-new dictionary to music. Her sonic language is a string of spontaneous combustions that nod toward Jeanne Lee and Meredith … Read More “Mankwe Ndosi & Body MemOri: Felt/Not Said (Auspice NOW)”
Though Sheila Jordan’s reputation has never flagged—at 92, she’s long been venerated as a singer’s singer—the general consensus is that her best record is her … Read More “Sheila Jordan: Comes Love: Lost Session 1960 (Capri)”
Tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover has been primed for this premiere showcase for a while now. From her self-released First Record in 2015 through last year’s … Read More “Nicole Glover: Strange Lands (Savant)”
In the years after her husband John’s 1967 death, Alice Coltrane, newly widowed with four children as she entered her thirties, suffered through a harrowing … Read More “Alice Coltrane: Kirtan: Turiya Sings (Impulse!)”
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)”
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)”
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 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)”
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 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)”
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)”
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)”
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”
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)”
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)”
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)”
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)”
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)”
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)”
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, 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)”
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)”
