With all due respect to Makaya McCraven, G. Calvin Weston is the original beat scientist. As a fledgling teenage drummer in Prime Time, Weston helped … Read More “G. Calvin Weston and the Phoenix Orchestra: Dust and Ash (577)”
You could almost see it coming. Boom Tic Boom’s four previous records were like bread crumbs leading longtime listeners to this new jewel. On its … Read More “Allison Miller’s Boom Tic Boom: Glitter Wolf (Royal Potato Family)”
On paper, Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop looks like nothing so much as Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers—a drummer-led sextet fronted by three horns. But where Blakey’s leadership … Read More “Ernesto Cervini’s Turboprop: Abundance (Anzic)”
For 13 years Jeff Ballard has been a member of a preeminent jazz ensemble, the Brad Mehldau Trio. When you hear him live, with Mehldau … Read More “Jeff Ballard: Fairgrounds (Edition)”
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 … Read More “Andrew Cyrille: Lebroba (ECM)”
For his 11th release, drummer/composer Bill Stewart joins tenor saxophonist Walter Smith III and bassist Larry Grenadier on the ironically titled Band Menu. The literal … Read More “Bill Stewart: Band Menu (self-released)”
Drummer Bobby Sanabria was born in the South Bronx in 1957, the same year West Side Story opened on Broadway. As a native New Yorker … Read More “Bobby Sanabria Multiverse Big Band: West Side Story Reimagined (Jazzheads)”
Antonio Sánchez calls his large Yamaha drum set “The Purple Monster.” Isn’t it fitting that a beast of a musician plays a monster of an … Read More “Antonio Sánchez: Channels of Energy (CamJazz)”
Samba jazz and bossa nova are two parallel streams of Brazilian music. Both emerged around 1960. Samba jazz hits harder. The Brazilian musicians who invented … Read More “Duduka da Fonseca Trio: Plays Dom Salvador (Sunnyside)”
Who says creative improvisation is for grownups only? Devin Gray’s Dirigo Rataplan I was party improvisation suitable for 4H Clubs, county fairs, and dancing toddlers. Dirigo Rataplan … Read More “Devin Gray: Dirigo Rataplan II (Rataplan)”
