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Live Review: ECM 50 in New York

To say that there is a single ECM Records sound is to oversimplify a catalog that now encompasses more than 1,600 albums. One suspects that if the late Jan Erik Kongshaug, who engineered hundreds of those albums, were still with us, he’d coolly dispute such a statement with a nuts-and-bolts response, pointing out the many … Read More

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Bill Frisell: Harmony (Blue Note)

Getting your hands on a new Bill Frisell CD is a bit like unboxing a gift from a good friend with great taste. So what do we have here? Something intriguing, as it turns out, yet again. Suffice to say, Harmony is bound to delight many fans who’ve followed the guitarist’s singular and increasingly curious … Read More

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Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan: Epistrophy (ECM)

Can devotees of guitarist Bill Frisell listen to Epistrophy without connecting a lot of dots? Not likely. Recorded live at Manhattan’s Village Vanguard and prominently featuring bassist Thomas Morgan, these intuitive duets resonate with the signature elements of Frisell’s uncommon discography: the borderless repertoire, the sparse yet inimitable arrangements, the deliberate consideration given to tone, … Read More

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Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)

It is profoundly satisfying to hear drummer Andrew Cyrille—who helped shepherd the tornado of Cecil Taylor through Unit Structures, among many others, more than 50 years ago—now in regal equipoise with a pair of esteemed elder peers, trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith and guitarist Bill Frisell. Lebroba relaxes you like a landscape painting, allowing your senses to … Read More

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Cuong Vu 4Tet: Change in the Air (RareNoise)

The bracing RareNoise debut from trumpeter Cuong Vu’s 4Tet—2017’s Ballet: The Music of Michael Gibbs—played up a blended dynamism leavened by respect for its honoree. This followup, built around original contributions from within the ranks, has more to do with self-sufficiency fostering the oneness of four. By inviting the project’s musical stakeholders to essentially act … Read More

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Live Review: 2018 JazzMi Jazz Festival

The Art Ensemble of Chicago in full cry, especially on a 50th-anniversary tour, is a powerful way to kick off a jazz festival. That said, if you have just flown in to Milan from the west coast of the United States and have not slept for 27 hours, the AEC can sound a little harsh. … Read More

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Live Review: Bill Frisell Guitar Invitational in New York

“These are all my teachers up here,” Bill Frisell said on Thursday night (June 21) at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. He was referring to four of his fellow guitarists—Brandon Ross, Matt Munisteri, Julian Lage, and Marvin Sewell—who share his reverent yet open-ended attitude toward the jazz-guitar tradition, and who’d joined him for … Read More

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Bill Frisell/Thomas Morgan: Small Town (ECM)

Although he’s collaborated with dozens of diverse artists throughout his career, guitarist Bill Frisell is still somewhat picky about whom he chooses to work with. He requires a rapport that is both simpatico and challenging—no sense playing with someone unless they’re going to take him someplace new. He’s one of the most adaptable, open-minded musicians … Read More

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Bill Frisell: When You Wish Upon a Star

Had it been released a few months ago, this CD would have made a perfect holiday gift for the Frisell fan who can’t get enough TMC. Yet another example of the prolific guitarist’s imagination and wanderlust, When You Wish Upon a Star is proof that going Hollywood (and, actually, well beyond) isn’t necessarily a bad … Read More

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Bill Frisell: Guitar in the Space Age!

Guitar in the Space Age! marks giant steps backward and forward in time for guitarist Bill Frisell. On one hand, it’s a celebration of the improbable rise of the electric guitar-particularly the models made by Fender-during the ’50s and ’60s. But more important, it represents a terrific leap of imagination, offering fresh takes on signature … Read More

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