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
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)”
In retrospect, the temptation exists to view Live at the 55 Bar as some kind of prediction of what was about to unfold across the … Read More “Monder/Malaby/Rainey: Live at the 55 Bar (Sunnyside)”
Growing up in Chicago and later moving to Detroit, drummer Tani Tabbal has worked with Sun Ra, Roscoe Mitchell, Geri Allen, and James Carter, to … Read More “Tani Tabbal Trio: Now Then (Tao Forms)”
Anthony Pirog’s name received a boost when he teamed up with half of the iconic punk band Fugazi to form the instrumental power trio the … Read More “Anthony Pirog: Pocket Poem (Cuneiform)”
As a freshman at the University of Montana in Missoula, drummer Whit Dickey had an instructor who seemed like a mystic and offered him a … Read More “Whit Dickey on the Path to Wisdom”
The songs on the second album by Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl feature improvisation, but as compositions they feel a great deal closer to art songs … Read More “Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl: Artlessly Falling (Firehouse 12)”
Billie Holiday’s Lady in Satin can provoke fierce debate. Some feel that Ray Ellis’ lush arrangements overdressed Holiday, whose voice was battered after years of … Read More “Ran Blake/Christine Correa: When Soft Rains Fall / Ran Blake/Frank Carlberg: Gray Moon (Red Piano)”
Alan Braufman settled into the New York loft scene when he moved to the city in 1973 with friends from the Berklee College of Music, … Read More “Alan Braufman: The Fire Still Burns (Valley of Search)”
In homage to Anthony Braxton, the collective of five New England Conservatory graduates called Tropos titled their debut release on Biophilia Records Axioms // 75ab. Besides … Read More “Tropos Explores the Limits of Composition”
Albums by Albert Ayler (Spiritual Unity, Spirits Rejoice) and Patty Waters (Sings, College Tour) are oft-referenced gatekeepers of the ESP-Disk’ aesthetic—you can read more about … Read More “Free Five: A Choice Quintet of ESP-Disk’ Releases”
The offices of ESP-Disk’ have moved many times over the years. A quick scan of the label’s 1960s album covers reveals the various addresses where … Read More “The History of ESP-Disk’”
Steve Cardenas’ spacious guitar sound was a key element in bands led by Paul Motian and Charlie Haden, in addition to his own albums as … Read More “Steve Cardenas: Blue Has a Range (Sunnyside)”
The Daily Biological is attributed to the Chad Taylor Trio, but the cover lists tenor saxophonist Brian Settles and pianist Neil Podgurski just beneath the … Read More “Chad Taylor Trio: The Daily Biological (Cuneiform)”
Matthew Shipp turns 60 in December, and albums—as a solo performer, leader, and sideman (with the late David S. Ware’s quartet, most notably)—have documented his … Read More “Matthew Shipp: The Piano Equation (Tao Forms)”
One summer morning when Anne Mette Iversen was out for a morning jog, she wound up in a race with a butterfly that was alternately … Read More “Anne Mette Iversen Quartet +1: Racing a Butterfly (Brooklyn Jazz Underground)”
As hard as it may be to realize that Harold Mabern is no longer walking—and playing—among us, there’s a good chance that the late pianist … Read More “Harold Mabern: Mabern Plays Mabern (Smoke Sessions)”
The strong rapport between pianist Kenny Barron and bassist Dave Holland can be felt all the way through Without Deception. Much like their previous collaboration, … Read More “Kenny Barron/Dave Holland Trio featuring Johnathan Blake: Without Deception (Dare2)”
To hear Dave Brubeck explain it, Columbia Records wasn’t too keen on releasing Time Out, his 1959 album. After several albums for the label, the … Read More “Philip Clark: Dave Brubeck: A Life in Time (Da Capo)”
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)”
