Jim Macnie is a music writer who contributes to DownBeat and blogs at Lament For a Straight Line. He’s been working in digital media since since 2000, initially as VH1.com’s Managing Editor and, currently, as a Senior Producer and Editor at Vevo. He enjoys Little Jimmie Dickens, Big Joe Turner and Medium Medium.
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The promo text that accompanies the fifth album by Michael Moore’s Fragile Quartet states that the reed player’s music for this outfit is an array … Read More “Michael Moore Fragile Quartet: Cretan Dialogues (Ramboy)”
The sound of Eric Revis’ bass is one of modern jazz’s most fetching. His thumps and strums are full of feels, and with Ron St. … Read More “Eric Revis: Slipknots Through a Looking Glass (Pyroclastic)”
It was obvious by the third piece. Wayne Horvitz and Sara Schoenbeck’s onstage rapport at January’s Winter Jazzfest hushed the audience and commanded all eyes … Read More “Sara Schoenbeck/Wayne Horvitz: Cell Walk (Songlines)”
In the latter half of the ’60s, Miles Davis was in the studio on the reg, recalibrating previous moves to render the parade of new … Read More “Bitches Brew: 10 Musicians’ Perspectives”
Focus wasn’t Frank Zappa’s strong suit. When the early records by the Mothers of Invention hit in the mid-’60s, they deployed a parade of whimsically … Read More “Frank Zappa: The Hot Rats Sessions (Zappa)”
The endless staircases of M.C. Escher’s castles don’t demand a soundtrack to be appreciated, but if you bask in Carla Bley’s “Copycat” while absorbing a … Read More “Carla Bley/Andy Sheppard/Steve Swallow: Life Goes On (ECM)”
If you were lucky enough to have caught drummer Gerald Cleaver’s Violet Hour ensemble at one of its gigs 15 or so years ago, you … Read More “Gerald Cleaver & Violet Hour: Live at Firehouse 12 (Sunnyside)”
Nick Dunston didn’t have a particular ensemble sound in his head when he built his new quintet last year. He just hoped a handful of … Read More “Nick Dunston: Atlantic Extraction (Out of Your Head)”
Mario Pavone places the airiest ballad next to the feistiest rocker on his new Dialect Trio album, and the shifting temperament between “Circles” and “The … Read More “Mario Pavone’s Dialect Trio: Philosophy (Clean Feed)”
Few musical ploys are as riveting as intricacy, especially when the ensemble at hand is sizable. But without a wealth of eloquence in play, elaboration … Read More “Anat Cohen Tentet: Triple Helix (Anzic)”
Summer is all business for jazz musicians. Airports, hotels, club stints, camp gigs —the road delivers the perks of building new audiences and visiting far-flung … Read More “Newport Jazz Festival 2019: 10 Artists Make Their Picks”
Listening to Bloom reminds me of my first encounters with Ralph Peterson’s Triangular. Both records are drummer-led trio affairs, with an upcoming pianist busting moves that … Read More “Jeff Williams: Bloom (Whirlwind)”
Memories: While listening to Brad Mehldau’s early discs, I fully recall being knocked out by Larry Grenadier’s blend of poetry and pragmatism. The bassist’s solos … Read More “Larry Grenadier: The Gleaners (ECM)”
You could almost see it coming. Boom Tic Boom’s four previous records were like bread crumbs leading longtime listeners to this new jewel. On its … Read More “Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom: Glitter Wolf (Royal Potato Family)”
Russ Lossing’s career is centered on writing and playing his own music, but he’s intermittently addressed our ever-growing jazz canon with the kind of insight that … Read More “Russ Lossing: Changes (SteepleChase)”
Valuable chunks of the jazz canon go undistinguished—no doubt about that. But while the process of honoring the classics may be forever heroic, there’s no … Read More “Ben Allison: Quiet Revolution (Sonic Camera)”
All music has a presence, but there’s a certain level of respect saved for pieces that prove their value by surrounding, engulfing, and perhaps even … Read More “Harriet Tubman: The Terror End of Beauty (Sunnyside)”
It starts with a few irreverent tickles. Just three minutes into Bird’s “Au Privave,” Brad Mehldau gives his muse the green light, messes around with … Read More “Charlie Haden & Brad Mehldau: Long Ago and Far Away (Impulse!)”
Chipping away at musty genres and sculpting the scraps to suit a recombinant vision has been a jazz strategy for decades now, but occasionally, a … Read More “Chris Lightcap: Superette (Royal Potato Family)”
Wandering the grounds of Fort Adams during the Newport Jazz Festival is like cruising through a mixtape that a perceptive pal made for you. The … Read More “Top 10 Moments of the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival”
