Dan Bilawsky has been involved in jazz journalism for 15 years. His work has appeared in JazzTimes, JAZZed, and All About Jazz, among other outlets. In addition, he’s penned liner notes for artists on Red, Capri, HighNote/Savant, Ropeadope, and other respected imprints. A band director with 20 years of teaching experience, he holds degrees in music from Indiana University, the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, and Five Towns College.
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By frontloading his debut with some potent funk-fusion workouts, electric bassist Teymur Phell positions the record—and himself—as a chops shop. But as he moves deeper … Read More “Teymur Phell: Master Volume (Self-Produced”
“Jazz has no frontiers. You can be very free.” That’s the message that was imparted to vocalist Youn Sun Nah by her teachers when she … Read More “Youn Sun Nah: Off the Clock”
Avram Fefer cuts a raffish figure on this quality quartet date for the left-tilting Clean Feed imprint. Galvanized by a rhythm section well-practiced in the … Read More “Avram Fefer Quartet: Testament (Clean Feed)”
While there is solid justification for the genre police to tag this music as free jazz or pure improvisation, that act of classification would ultimately … Read More “Karl Berger/Jason Kao Hwang: Conjure (True Sound)”
The music on drummer Matt Slocum’s recent album Sanctuary (Sunnyside) draws inspiration from without—referencing Sufjan Stevens, Irving Berlin, Frédéric Chopin, and Ernest Hemingway—but the project … Read More “Matt Slocum: No Place Like Home”
Saxophonist Caroline Davis and keyboardist Rob Clearfield’s Persona, much like the 1966 Ingmar Bergman film inspiring the group’s name, is bent on exploring themes of … Read More “Caroline Davis and Rob Clearfield’s Persona: Anthems (Sunnyside)”
“Hi! I’m Fleurine, and I’m from Holland, and I wrote lyrics to a Monk song.” That’s how an upbeat Dutch conservatory student introduced herself to … Read More “Overdue Ovation: Singer Fleurine, Monk Lyricist & International Star”
Fraternal bonds and a Blakey-ish bearing offer an earthy makeover to math music’s image on this release. Pianist Zaccai Curtis and bassist Luques Curtis team … Read More “The Curtis Brothers: Algorithm (Truth Revolution)”
Talk about your lively and lovely pairings. Despite their extremely different backgrounds—pianist Kevin Hays hails from suburban Connecticut, guitarist Lionel Loueke from Benin—these two notables … Read More “Kevin Hays & Lionel Loueke: Hope (Edition)”
When drummer Josh Feldstein joined forces with tenor saxophonist Jon Blanck to form the Verve Jazz Ensemble back in 2006, the band was a quartet. … Read More “The Verve Jazz Ensemble: Night Mode (LightGroove)”
If ever there were a bassist worthy of the “unsung hero” tag, it’s David Finck. His lyrical lines and firm sense of harmonic underpinning have … Read More “David Finck: BASSically Jazz (Burton Avenue)”
This meeting of players and pens fronted by trombonist John Yao, trumpeter Jimmy Smith, and saxophonist James Hughes is more than a simple sextet date. … Read More “Yao/Smith/Hughes Sextet: The Gates (Shifting Paradigm)”
Toying with the timeline of her own output, harpist Brandee Younger delivers a collection of music whose completion predates the realization and release of her … Read More “Brandee Younger: Soul Awakening (Self-released)”
Matt Mitchell’s vision is a model of wonky brilliance. The magnitude of his personal and artistic ambition has been stated clearly enough on previous Pi productions … Read More “Matt Mitchell: Phalanx Ambassadors (Pi)”
You really have to hand it to saxophonist/vocalist Grace Kelly. Not only is she a fine musician on multiple fronts, she’s also a polished entertainer, … Read More “Grace Kelly: GO TiME: Live in LA (PAZZ Productions)”
This is six of one, half a dozen full of colors. Leading an augmented sextet stacked with familiars, pianist David Berkman focuses on expanding the … Read More “David Berkman Sextet: Six of One (Palmetto)”
The sixth album from pianist Kait Dunton speaks to mentorship, a merging of spheres, and the artistic alignment that develops through those actions. Paying tribute … Read More “Kait Dunton: Planet D’earth (Real & Imagined)”
When 21-year-old Pedro Martins took top honors in the 2015 Socar Montreux Jazz Electric Guitar Competition, the payoff came with multiple prizes, including a monetary … Read More “Pedro Martins Goes from Victory to Vox“
Dave Young’s Lotus Blossom can be considered something of a byproduct, but these performances never betray that fact. Recorded at the same 2016 session that … Read More “Dave Young: Lotus Blossom (Modica)”
As a longtime musical director for Cirque du Soleil productions, pianist Charlie Dennard has become well-versed in playing to texture, nuance, and emotion in varied … Read More “Charlie Dennard: Deep Blue (self-released)”
The “fashionably old-fashioned” label fits Ehud Asherie like a bespoke suit. A knowledgeable purveyor of everything from early Crescent City swing to Harlem stride and … Read More “Ehud Asherie Trio: Wild Man Blues (Capri)”
Tenor saxophonist Jessica Jones has always maintained a holistic approach to her art, neither adhering to a single school of thought nor limiting the role … Read More “Jessica Jones Quartet: Continuum (Reva)”
Yelena Eckemoff is no synesthete, yet she’s long conjured the sound of colors through the piano’s keys. In this duo encounter with style-spanning drumming Manu … Read More “Yelena Eckemoff: Colors (L&H)”
While several of these songs’ arcs have a triumphant spirit, in keeping with the nature of apotheosis, guitarist Gene Ess isn’t obsessed with peaks and … Read More “Gene Ess: Apotheosis (SIMP)”
Long ago, Friedrich Nietzsche laid out the evolution of the human spirit with a useful metaphor: the concept of three metamorphoses, in which the camel, … Read More “Johnny Griffith Quintet: The Lion, Camel & Child (GB)”
We don’t necessarily need a reminder about pianist Steve Kuhn’s eminence in the trio domain; his work in that realm has been well-documented and greatly … Read More “Steve Kuhn Trio: To and From the Heart (Sunnyside)”
The 20th album from tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson presents a series of dedicatory designs suffused with a sense of appreciation. It’s a collection that’s both … Read More “Javon Jackson: For You (Solid Jackson)”
Pianist Frank Kimbrough never really considered covering Thelonious Monk’s entire compositional oeuvre until a friend planted and watered the seed. Upon hearing Kimbrough perform a … Read More “Frank Kimbrough: Monk’s Dreams: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Sphere Monk (Sunnyside)”
Having come under the tutelage of Art Blakey (a.k.a. Buhaina, or “Bu” for short), drummer Ralph Peterson knows a thing or two about the value … Read More “Ralph Peterson’s GenNext Big Band: I Remember Bu: Alive Vol. 4 @ Scullers Featuring Donald Harrison (Onyx) “
The bracing RareNoise debut from trumpeter Cuong Vu’s 4Tet—2017’s Ballet: The Music of Michael Gibbs—played up a blended dynamism leavened by respect for its honoree. … Read More “Cuong Vu 4Tet: Change in the Air (RareNoise)”
