Mike Shanley has been a lifelong resident of Pittsburgh and gladly welcomes any visitors to the city, most likely with a cup of coffee in one hand. Over the years, he has written for several alternative weekly papers and played bass guitar in several indie rock bands. He currently writes for the bi-weekly paper Pittsburgh Current and maintains a blog at shanleyonmusic.blogspot.com.
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Peter Brötzmann’s approach to the tenor saxophone and various other reeds doesn’t typically conjure the adjective “lyrical.” Of his many albums, though, 2003’s Never Too … Read More “Peter Brötzmann: I Surrender Dear (Trost)”
Although F4 Fake consists of just three tracks, the album feels like it contains at least twice that number of compositions due to the way … Read More “Made To Break: F4 Fake (Trost)”
Performances that pay homage to entire albums have become more common in recent times. Kind of Blue, A Love Supreme, and Freedom Suite aren’t the … Read More “Peter Lemer Quintet: Son of Local Colour (ESP-Disk’)”
The title track of Keratoconus hits the ground running. Named for a chronic eye disease from which leader/trombonist JC Sanford suffers, the 93-second piece combines … Read More “JC Sanford Quartet: Keratoconus (Shifting Paradigm)”
“We’re really going to be shaking things up,” Nicole Mitchell says. She is referring to the University of Pittsburgh’s Jazz Seminar and Concert, a 49-year … Read More “Change Comes to Pitt with Nicole Mitchell as New Jazz Chair”
Fred Rogers’ warm presence on television helped scores of viewers get hooked on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and learn valuable life lessons. But there were other … Read More “Johnny Costa: Johnny Costa Plays Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood Jazz (Omnivore)”
Taylor Ho Bynum’s 2013 release Navigation consisted of four different versions of the album-length title composition. So it should come as no surprise that The … Read More “Taylor Ho Bynum 9-Tette: The Ambiguity Manifesto (Firehouse 12)”
It seems like a leap for a free improvisation group to call itself “psych-jazz,” especially when it involves Daniel Carter, a multi-instrumentalist known for wild … Read More “Telepathic Band: Electric Telepathy, Vol. 1 (577)”
Joe Fiedler wasn’t sure if he’d make it on Sesame Street. Not that he’s a resident on the kids’ show, practicing his trombone in an … Read More “The Sesame Street Songbook Gets Jazz Makeover on Open Sesame“
A quick perusal of song titles on Roxy Coss’ latest release might give the impression that she has created a concept album, beginning with “Don’t … Read More “Roxy Coss: Quintet (Outside In)”
Free improvisation reaches its apex when performers evoke the feeling of a composition. The music isn’t written in advance, but the players communicate in a … Read More “Brad Barrett/Joe Morris/Tyshawn Sorey: Cowboy Transfiguration (Fundacja Sluchaj)”
André Carvalho named The Garden of Earthly Delights after the Hieronymus Bosch painting of the same title, and the homage doesn’t end there. The intense … Read More “André Carvalho: The Garden of Earthly Delights (Outside In)”
Time Gone Out reveals how a 25-year musical friendship can inspire some involved musical conversations. Pianist Sylvie Courvoisier and violinist Mark Feldman first crossed paths … Read More “Sylvie Courvoisier/Mark Feldman: Time Gone Out (Intakt)”
Though she has a longstanding relationship with the Brooklyn Jazz Underground Ensemble and its imprint, Danish bassist Anne Mette Iversen has resided in Berlin since … Read More “Anne Mette Iversen: Invincible Nimbus (Brooklyn Jazz Underground)”
Steve Haines’ goal with his latest release was to wrap an orchestra around vocalist Becca Stevens and soprano saxophonist Chad Eby “like a warm blanket.” … Read More “Steve Haines and the Third Floor Orchestra: Steve Haines and the Third Floor Orchestra (Justin Time)”
When guitarist Jon Lundbom recalls what has fired his imagination, he frequently talks about music that “blew my mind.” Three specific examples have inspired the … Read More “Bouncy and Free Coexist in Jon Lundbom’s Big Five Chord”
An album devoted to the music of John Coltrane, by nature, comes with high expectations. A simple homage to the tenor saxophonist doesn’t necessarily add … Read More “Teodross Avery: After the Rain: A Night for Coltrane (Tompkins Square)”
Trombonist Nick Grinder has only released one prior album, Ten Minutes (2014), but the Bay Area native has logged plenty of time in Broadway and … Read More “Nick Grinder: Farallon (Outside In)”
Six minutes into “The Comeback Kid,” the third track on Hungry Ghost, the music takes a surprising turn. Typical Sisters, a trio of non-related gents, … Read More “Typical Sisters: Hungry Ghost (Outside In)”
Like many teens who came of age in the 1990s, Adam Hopkins fell under the spell of indie rock bands like Pavement, the Dismemberment Plan, … Read More “Adam Hopkins’ Passage to Indie”
When she envisioned Shamania, Danish percussionist Marilyn Mazur thought of urkraft, a term from her native language that translates roughly as “primeval power” or “primitive … Read More “Marilyn Mazur’s Shamania: Marilyn Mazur’s Shamania (RareNoise)”
Amirtha Kidambi’s name received a bit of a boost last year when she put a voice to Mary Halvorson’s lyrics on Code Girl. It was … Read More “Amirtha Kidambi’s Elder Ones: From Untruth (Northern Spy)”
Cairo native Maurice Louca has seen his country clamp down on live music, but that hasn’t quelled the guitarist’s inquisitive nature. He discovered the music … Read More “Maurice Louca: Elephantine (Northern Spy)”
The musical bond between trumpeter Ralph Alessi and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane is arguably developing into a rapport on par with the highest echelon of trumpet/tenor … Read More “Ralph Alessi: Imaginary Friends (ECM)”
Steve Coleman’s concepts of interlocking melodies and odd time signatures can be enough of a challenge for a musician. Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson has not only … Read More “Jonathan Finlayson: 3 Times Round (Pi)”
In retrospect it’s easy to hear the evolution from Miles Davis’ mid-’60s albums to In a Silent Way, Bitches Brew, and On the Corner. Still, … Read More “Charles Pillow Large Ensemble: Electric Miles (MAMA)”
The keyboard skills of Erik Deutsch have landed him in wide-ranging settings, including but not limited to adventurous jazz (Steven Bernstein, Nels Cline) and jam … Read More “Erik Deutsch: Falling Flowers (LoHi)”
John Coltrane often chose his song titles arbitrarily. It’s likely that the four original tracks on Interstellar Space aren’t meant to evoke Mars, Jupiter, Venus and … Read More “Matt Lavelle & Reggie Sylvester: Retrograde (ESP-Disk’)”
Before a live performance, the Necks never discuss anything about the music they will create spontaneously. In fact, all three of them begin the set … Read More “The Necks: Body (Northern Spy)”
When Jon Irabagon last convened his quartet with Luis Perdomo (piano), Yasushi Nakamura (bass), and Rudy Royston (drums), the music of the excellent Behind the … Read More “Jon Irabagon Quartet with Tim Hagans: Dr. Quixotic’s Traveling Exotics (Irabbagast)”
