Spaza is a South African collective with neither permanent members nor prewritten songs. Yet the seven improvised tracks on their eponymous album, recorded in 2015, … Read More “Spaza: Spaza (Mushroom Hour Half Hour)”
Guitarist Will Sellenraad has known drummer Eric McPherson since they were teens, more than 30 years ago in New York City. Back then, bassist Rene … Read More “Will Sellenraad/Eric McPherson/Rene Hart: Greene Street Vol. 1 (Deko)”
Chilean tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana invokes the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo as the inspiration for Visions, which was originally commissioned as a suite, with its … Read More “Melissa Aldana: Visions (Motéma)”
In physics, flux is the movement and flow of radiant energy across a given area. In the mind of saxophonist Quinsin Nachoff, it’s a band … Read More “Quinsin Nachoff’s Flux: Path of Totality (Whirlwind)”
Trion is frequently torrential, and aggressively virtuosic. A significant chunk of this magnanimous offering—nearly two hours of music, recorded live at the Jazz Gallery in … Read More “Johnathan Blake: Trion (Giant Step Arts)”
Through 11 records as a leader on the Criss Cross label between 2001 and 2017, the Russian trumpeter Alex Sipiagin steadily tweaked his no-compromise template … Read More “Alex Sipiagin: NoFo Skies (Blue Room)”
Pianist Marc Copland treats the compositions of bassist Gary Peacock with a respectful intimacy on this stark solo album. The two artists, who first met … Read More “Marc Copland: Gary (Illusion)”
It isn’t a coincidence that the three albums Miho Hazama has recorded with her 13-piece “m_unit,” most recently Dancer in Nowhere, convey a sense of … Read More “Miho Hazama: Dancer in Nowhere (Sunnyside)”
When Satoko Fujii was four, she was so shy that she begged to quit kindergarten. In response, her parents sent her to piano lessons. It … Read More “Satoko Fujii: Full Calendar”
It’s not a stretch to declare Atlantis Quartet the best small jazz ensemble based in Minnesota’s Twin Cities. The four members have been together since … Read More “Atlantis Quartet: Hello Human (Shifting Paradigm)”
Igbó Alákọrin feels at once like the most conservative and most daring album of David Virelles’ career. The pianist’s Afro-Cuban lineage has been an important influence … Read More “David Virelles: Igbó Alákọrin (The Singer’s Grove) Vol. I & II (Pi)”
It is profoundly satisfying to hear drummer Andrew Cyrille—who helped shepherd the tornado of Cecil Taylor through Unit Structures, among many others, more than 50 … Read More “Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)”
The late altoist Frank Morgan performed together frequently with pianist George Cables; evidence of that includes studio recordings of duets in 1986 (Double Image) and … Read More “Frank Morgan/George Cables: Montreal Memories (HighNote)”
Trombonist/composer Michael Dease is a porkpie-hat kind of guy. On his new album, Bonafide, he strives to make fragrant both the swing and bop roots … Read More “Michael Dease: Bonafide (Posi-Tone)”
The phrase “age before beauty” does not apply to the duet partnership of tenor saxophonist Houston Person and acoustic bassist Ron Carter. Sure, Remember Love … Read More “Houston Person & Ron Carter: Remember Love (HighNote)”
Alice Coltrane departed from her corporeal form in 2007, 40 years after the passing of her more famous husband and musical partner, John Coltrane. And … Read More “Alice Coltrane: Spiritual Eternal: The Complete Warner Bros. Studio Recordings (Real Gone)”
Keyboardist Jason Lindner first gained notice leading a big band at the New York nightclub Smalls. He has a solid résumé backing singers, playing Latin … Read More “Now vs. Now: The Buffering Cocoon (Jazzland)”
The evolution of Miguel Zenón has been unpredictable and intriguing. Along with being the lone remaining charter member in the SFJazz Collective octet and the … Read More “Miguel Zenón Featuring Spektral Quartet: Yo Soy La Tradición (Miel)”
In 1876, Tchaikovsky wrote a piano piece for each month of the year and called the collection The Seasons. In homage, saxophonist/composer Ben Wendel unfurled … Read More “Ben Wendel: The Seasons (Motéma)”
Ted Nash is justly renowned for his sweeping, set-piece orchestrations. He came out of L.A., the son and nephew of musicians who played in big … Read More “Ted Nash Quintet: Live at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Plastic Sax)”
What’s in a name? The Black Art Jazz Collective welcomes the question. The bristling hard-bop swagger of this all-black sextet of bandleaders and first-call sidemen … Read More “Black Art Jazz Collective: Armor of Pride (HighNote)”
Pianist Harold López-Nussa continues to hone his unique version of folk-jazz, intimately drawn from the conservatories and barrios of his native Cuba, where he still … Read More “Harold López-Nussa: Un Día Cualquiera (Mack Avenue)”
Sometimes opposites really do attract. Sonar is an eight-year-old Swiss “post-minimalist” quartet that combines austere, oddly interlocking rhythms with a distinctive tritone bass and guitar … Read More “Sonar with David Torn: Vortex (RareNoise)”
The appeal of Bliss is simple: Lauren Sevian plays the deep, full-bodied baritone sax with the spry agility of an alto saxophonist. And while there … Read More “Lauren Sevian: Bliss (Posi-Tone)”
Bassist Martin Wind’s 11th album as a leader is more than the sum of its disparate parts, not because of any clever concepts, but because … Read More “Martin Wind: Light Blue (Laika)”
It has been a banner time for high-profile jazz-poetry collaborations. Last year saw the release of Matt Wilson’s long-planned tribute to Carl Sandburg, Nicole Mitchell’s … Read More “Benjamin Boone/Philip Levine: The Poetry of Jazz (Origin)”
You can always count on Bobby Previte to give you something innovative, something that sews new seams between musical genres. Rhapsody was commissioned by the … Read More “Bobby Previte: Rhapsody (RareNoise)”
Azar Lawrence is rightfully regarded as a John Coltrane disciple. After all, he’s a versatile postbop traditionalist who can play with a rugged or rich … Read More “Azar Lawrence: Elementals (HighNote)”
Saxophonist Tim Armacost is a classic musician’s musician—a player who is unjustly obscure relative to the quality of his work and the caliber of his … Read More “Tim Armacost: Time Being (Whirlwind)”
Guitarist Dave “Fuze” Fiuczynski has been knocking down the walls between jazz and microtonal music for over a decade now. But on Mikrojazz, the former … Read More “Philipp Gerschlauer/David Fiuczynski: Mikrojazz! Neue Expressionistische Musik (RareNoise)”
