Frank Kimbrough: Ancestors (Sunnyside)
The pain of Frank Kimbrough’s sudden death on December 30, 2020 still feels fresh. His posthumous album Ancestors, recorded in June of 2017, is both … Read More “Frank Kimbrough: Ancestors (Sunnyside)”
Thomas Conrad
Thomas Conrad has a BA from the University of Utah and an MA from the University of Iowa (where he attended the Writers Workshop). He taught English at Central State University in Ohio, then left the academic world for the private sector. His affiliation with publications such as JazzTimes, Stereophile, The New York City Jazz Record and DownBeat has enabled him to sustain active involvement in two of his passions: music and writing.
Thomas Conrad on social media
The Mark Masters Ensemble: Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster (Capri)
Nowadays global jazz culture is obsessed with original composition. Mark Masters bucks this trend. He’s a skilled arranger but also a curator, always searching out … Read More “The Mark Masters Ensemble: Masters & Baron Meet Blanton & Webster (Capri)”
Roy Brooks: Understanding (Reel to Real)
This two-CD set comes from the archives of the Left Bank Jazz Society. From the mid-1960s into the 1980s, this organization presented Sunday concerts at … Read More “Roy Brooks: Understanding (Reel to Real)”
Dahveed Behroozi: Echos (Sunnyside)
Europe has many pianists who were classical players before they were jazz musicians. In their music, two sensibilities often coexist. One serves received ideas. One … Read More “Dahveed Behroozi: Echos (Sunnyside)”
Marius Neset: A New Dawn (ACT)
Saxophonist Marius Neset is yet another jazz musician who is widely respected in Europe but barely on the radar in the United States. At 36, … Read More “Marius Neset: A New Dawn (ACT)”
Yaniv Taubenhouse: Roads (Moments in Trio Volume Three) (Fresh Sound New Talent)
Like so many musicians from Israel who have emigrated to the United States in recent years, Yaniv Taubenhouse sounds schooled. He is sophisticated in his … Read More “Yaniv Taubenhouse: Roads (Moments in Trio Volume Three) (Fresh Sound New Talent)”
Benito Gonzalez: Sing to the World (Rainy Days)
The case of Benito Gonzalez raises interesting questions about the distinction between influence and imitation in jazz. Gonzalez (now of Brooklyn, originally of Venezuela) has … Read More “Benito Gonzalez: Sing to the World (Rainy Days)”
Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen: Live Recordings 2019-2020 (We Jazz)
The jazz scene of Finland has its own character (edgy yet friendly) and energy (intense). The We Jazz label is one of its nerve centers. … Read More “Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen: Live Recordings 2019-2020 (We Jazz)”
Pierrick Pédron: Fifty-Fifty: New York Sessions (Gazebo)
Pierrick Pédron is not well known outside France but his cred is firm on that country’s jazz scene. The title here refers to his 50th … Read More “Pierrick Pédron: Fifty-Fifty: New York Sessions (Gazebo)”
Benoît Delbecq: The Weight of Light (Pyroclastic)
In the vast history of jazz piano, there have been very few pianists who sound like no one else. One is Benoît Delbecq. For some … Read More “Benoît Delbecq: The Weight of Light (Pyroclastic)”
Gui Duvignau: 3, 5, 8 (Sunnyside)
Globally, in our current troubled moment, jazz is challenged as commerce but thriving as art. An unprecedented number of people you don’t know, who come … Read More “Gui Duvignau: 3, 5, 8 (Sunnyside)”
Cyrus Nabipoor: Live at the Marigny Opera House (Nabipoor)
Jazz people and baseball fans have something in common. Both love a hot rookie who blows into town and lights up the league. Enter Cyrus … Read More “Cyrus Nabipoor: Live at the Marigny Opera House (Nabipoor)”
Anja Lechner/François Couturier: Lontano (ECM)
Sixty years ago, “third stream” music was supposed to be the next big thing in jazz. At the time, Gunther Schuller defined it as “a … Read More “Anja Lechner/François Couturier: Lontano (ECM)”
Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project: Kites and Strings (One Trick Dog)
Sometimes the vitality of an art form is demonstrated not by “big” records from major figures, but by unassuming projects from people you don’t know—yet. … Read More “Ben Rosenblum Nebula Project: Kites and Strings (One Trick Dog)”
Simon Moullier: Spirit Song (Outside In)
There’s a new wave of vibraphonists making noise these days. Warren Wolf, the virtuoso who came first, has been followed by fresh thinkers like Joel … Read More “Simon Moullier: Spirit Song (Outside In)”
Music Means Human Connection For Matt Moran
Matt Moran says he remembers “like it was yesterday” the moment that changed his life. “It happened when I was in high school in Connecticut. … Read More “Music Means Human Connection For Matt Moran”
Christian McBride Big Band: For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue)
Christian McBride’s first two big-band albums won Grammys. The new one is grounded in specific history. Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery recorded two LPs in … Read More “Christian McBride Big Band: For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver (Mack Avenue)”
Neil Swainson Quintet: 49th Parallel (Real to Reel)
With an archival jazz release, you need the backstory. The Real to Reel label is diligent about backstories. In 1987, Neil Swainson, a first-call bassist … Read More “Neil Swainson Quintet: 49th Parallel (Real to Reel)”
Adam Kolker: Lost (Sunnyside)
Adam Kolker’s albums on the Sunnyside label, now up to four, constitute one of the great stealth saxophone discographies of new-millennium jazz. What makes Kolker … Read More “Adam Kolker: Lost (Sunnyside)”
Immanuel Wilkins: Omega (Blue Note)
As this review is being written, the streets of America are teeming with people of all races protesting the police killings of George Floyd and … Read More “Immanuel Wilkins: Omega (Blue Note)”
Alexa Tarantino: Clarity (Posi-Tone)
I first noticed Alexa Tarantino at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy in 2012. Ryan Truesdell had brought 26 students from the Eastman School … Read More “Alexa Tarantino: Clarity (Posi-Tone)”
Gerald Clayton: Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)
If you have not heard Gerald Clayton live, especially if you have not heard him live with Charles Lloyd, you may wonder what all the … Read More “Gerald Clayton: Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard (Blue Note)”
Marcin Wasilewski Trio/Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff (ECM)
Marcin Wasilewski, Slawomir Kurkiewicz, and Michal Miskiewicz first got noticed in 2002, when they debuted as Tomasz Stanko’s rhythm section on his ECM album Soul … Read More “Marcin Wasilewski Trio/Joe Lovano: Arctic Riff (ECM)”
Francesco Diodati Thinks Beyond His Guitar
Francesco Diodati is not your typical guitar-slinger. That much was clear when the Italian plectrist joined trumpeter Enrico Rava’s high-profile quartet and appeared on Rava’s … Read More “Francesco Diodati Thinks Beyond His Guitar”
Verneri Pohjola: The Dead Don’t Dream (Edition)
Verneri Pohjola of Finland is a well-kept secret in the United States, but he is one of the most creative trumpet players in jazz. At … Read More “Verneri Pohjola: The Dead Don’t Dream (Edition)”
Omer Avital Qantar: New York Paradox (Zamzama/jazz&people)
Omer Avital has been called the “Israeli Mingus,” and it fits. He is a prodigious bassist, a creative composer and a proactive bandleader who has … Read More “Omer Avital Qantar: New York Paradox (Zamzama/jazz&people)”
Amina Figarova Edition 113: Persistence (AmFi)
Amina Figarova’s 14 albums (beginning in 1995) constitute one of the richest bodies of work by any jazz composer in the new millennium. Her career … Read More “Amina Figarova Edition 113: Persistence (AmFi)”
Oded Tzur: Here Be Dragons (ECM)
Manfred Eicher of ECM is known for discovering pianists, but he finds saxophonists too. In 2017 it was Maciej Obara from Poland, with Unloved, followed … Read More “Oded Tzur: Here Be Dragons (ECM)”
Nick Finzer: Cast of Characters (Outside In)
For trombone enthusiasts, the second decade of the new millennium has been a rich period. The list of emerging badasses includes Gianluca Petrella, Michael Dease, … Read More “Nick Finzer: Cast of Characters (Outside In)”
Gordon Grdina: Nomad Trio (Skirl)
One trait of avant-garde jazz is that it often dispenses with niceties and throws you right into a shitstorm. On “Wildfire,” the first track here, … Read More “Gordon Grdina: Nomad Trio (Skirl)”