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.
Mike Shanley on social media
The word “funky” does not get applied to a solo horn album very often. Yet a low-down groove runs through “The Jack Rabbit,” the opening … Read More “Joe Fiedler: Solo: The Howland Sessions (Multiphonics)”
In the history of New York jazz clubs, Pookie’s Pub barely lands on the radar. The Hudson Street space was miles away from the Village … Read More “Elvin Jones: Revival: Live at Pookie’s Pub (Blue Note)”
Violinist Sarah Bernstein has worked in musical situations ranging from synth-pop and electronica to more straightforward jazz and free improvisation, sometimes incorporating spoken word along … Read More “Sarah Bernstein: Veer Quartet (New Focus)”
Rising Sun marks the recording debut of Jon Irabagon’s new quartet. The tenor saxophonist is joined by three established leaders in their own right: Matt … Read More “Jon Irabagon: Rising Sun (Irabbagast)”
For years, the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival (PIJF) took place on the street. Over one weekend in June, Downtown thoroughfares Penn Avenue or Liberty Avenue … Read More “12th Annual Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival”
Between December 2021 and October 2022, Josh Sinton will have released four albums on his Form Is Possibility imprint. Two feature him alone on baritone … Read More “Josh Sinton’s Rise in Productivity”
Pianist Matthew Shipp’s ever-expanding discography as leader, soloist, and collaborator can be a challenge to anyone hoping to keep up. In some ways it’s better … Read More “Matthew Shipp Trio: World Construct (ESP-Disk’)”
Milton “Brew” Moore once opined that “Anyone who doesn’t play like Pres is wrong,” but he later realized the limitations of such a position and … Read More “Brew Moore: Special Brew (SteepleChase)”
From their name to their album title and the dedications of the compositions within, WeFreeStrings takes inspiration from fearless activists. The album’s title track is … Read More “WeFreeStrings: Love in the Form of Sacred Outrage (ESP-Disk’)”
For the Love of Fire and Water takes its name and inspiration from a series of works by artist Cy Twombly. Pianist Myra Melford doesn’t … Read More “Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet: For the Love of Fire and Water (RogueArt)”
When Mats Gustafsson puts the reed to his lips in a group like the Thing, his saxophone unleashes searing post-Ayler wails that rival any electric … Read More “Jim O’Rourke & Mats Gustafsson: Xylophonen Virtuosen (Trost)”
Field of Action/contraposition might seem like an album split between two different acts, and in some ways it is. On the other hand, pianist Eric … Read More “Eric Wubbels/Charmaine Lee/Weston Olencki: Field of Action/contraposition (Out of Your Head)”
Mostly Other People Do the Killing started life in 2003 as a quartet with two horns/bass/drums, then enlarged to a septet for a few projects, … Read More “Mostly Other People Do The Killing: Disasters Vol. 1 (Hot Cup)”
Allen Lowe never skimps on details. As a music historian, his output includes 1998’s American Pop – From Minstrel to Mojo: On Record 1893-1956, a … Read More “Overdue Ovation: Despite Setbacks, Allen Lowe Fights On”
Nate Wooley’s vast discography makes the case that the trumpeter might be one of the most diverse artists in modern jazz—even if that label doesn’t … Read More “Michael Pisaro-Liu: stem flower root (Tisser Tissu Editions)”
When COVID-19 quarantines put the kibosh on live performances, Tony Malaby took to the streets. To be more specific, the tenor saxophonist started hosting weekly … Read More “Tony Malaby’s Sabino: The Cave of Winds (Pyroclastic)”
Alto saxophonist Darius Jones didn’t compose any of the five compositions on Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation). But whether he’s interpreting Sun Ra, Ornette … Read More “Darius Jones: Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation) (Northern Spy)”
The title of Kazemde George’s debut as a leader tips the hat to Max Roach’s heady We Insist! Freedom Now Suite. But even though the … Read More “Kazemde George: I Insist (Greenleaf)”
Isolated from friends and family, with nary a gig in sight, many musicians could have spent most of 2020 in dark solitude, sequestered in their … Read More “Jason Nazary Combines the Synthetic and the Real”
Perhaps it’s a stretch to make this comparison, but the rich textures created by Amir ElSaffar’s 17-piece Rivers of Sound Orchestra recall the expansive sound … Read More “Amir ElSaffar / Rivers of Sounds: The Other Shore (Outnote)”
Caroline Davis’ previous Sunnyside album, Heart Tonic (2018), was inspired by research the alto saxophonist conducted upon discovering that her father had a heart arrhythmia. … Read More “Caroline Davis: Portals, Volume 1: Mourning (Sunnyside)”
On May 15, 2021, Mario Pavone passed away following a 17-year battle with cancer. To say that the bassist went out swinging might sound cloying, … Read More “Mario Pavone Dialect Trio +1: Blue Vertical (Out of Your Head) / Mario Pavone Tampa Quartet: Isabella (Clean Feed)”
The music on The Art Spirit takes inspiration from Robert Henri, the early 20th-century American artist who spearheaded a movement known as the Ashcan School. … Read More “Michael Bisio/ Kirk Knuffke/ Fred Lonberg-Holm: The Art Spirit (ESP-Disk’)”
Ben Goldberg has amassed a discography that varies greatly in scope and sound with each project. From duo sessions to larger concepts inspired by literature … Read More “Ben Goldberg: Everything Happens to Be (BAG)”
Hafez Modirzadeh was surprised when he translated a Russian review of Facets, his newest album, which features a piano meticulously retuned so it can play … Read More “Hafez Modirzadeh Expands Jazz’s Harmonic Foundations on New Album”
The phrase “force of nature” has been used to describe numerous jazz musicians, owing to a strong personality, an intense body of work, or perhaps … Read More “Cisco Bradley: Universal Tonality: The Life and Music of William Parker (Duke University Press)”
Before the pandemic, Lina Allemano spent as much time in Berlin as in her homebase of Toronto. Both locales have been productive for the trumpeter, … Read More “Lina Allemano Four: Vegetables (Lumo) / BLOOP: Proof (Lumo)”
Harold Land might be best known as the tenor saxophonist who preceded Sonny Rollins in the Clifford Brown/Max Roach Quintet of the mid-’50s, although his … Read More “Harold Land: Westward Bound! (Reel to Real)”
Our Highway, the new album by New York-based quintet Cowboys & Frenchmen, invites listeners to recall busier days. The 43-minute suite harks back a couple … Read More “Cowboys & Frenchmen Reflect on Touring Days in New Video Album”
In the wake of the tumult that was 2020, this album’s title could likely raise a suspicious eyebrow from anyone who hasn’t seen the film … Read More “Stephanie Nilles: I Pledge Allegiance to the Flag – the White Flag (Sunnyside)”
