Album Review
Lizz Wright: Shadow
by Chris May
The singer Lizz Wright made a brief stopover in London in March 2024, on a tour previewing Shadow. She appeared for one night only at Cadogan Hall, a 900-seat auditorium big enough when full to feel buzzy but small enough still to remain close to intimate. It was a perfect setting for Wright and her characteristically à la carte programme of jazz, gospel, blues and folk music from multiple traditions. Shadow is an exquisitely crafted, low-key production ...
read moreKirke Karja / Étienne Renard / Ludwig Wandinger: Caught In My Own Trap
by John Sharpe
Estonian composer Arvo Pärt developed a style he termed tintinnabulation, because of its resemblance to pealing bells. While pianist Kirke Karja doesn't use the same technique as her esteemed countryman, the sustained resonances of her playing on “Caught In My Own Trap “often suggests trouble in the belfry. That is certainly the case on “Take My Tender Heart," the first number on the wonderful album by the cosmopolitan trio of Karja, French bassist Étienne Renard and German drummer Ludwig Wandinger. ...
read moreJim Baker / Steve Hunt / Jakob Heinemann: Horizon Scanners
by Glenn Astarita
In jazz and improvisational music, the Chicago scene has long been a fertile ground for innovative soundscapes and daring musical ventures. Horizon Scanners, the latest offering from the captivating Chicagoan piano trio of Jim Baker, Steve Hunt and Jakob Heinemann, stands as a testament to this rich musical tradition. It invites listeners on an enthralling journey through sound, emotion and exploration. As the album evolves, it delves into angular, deeply exploratory soundscapes. Thus, Baker's dexterous harmonic variations blend seamlessly with ...
read moreAlice Coltrane: The Carnegie Hall Concert
by Mike Jurkovic
The most perfect of time machines, with no errant destinations and no abrupt landings, The Carnegie Hall Concert transports one to a time when artists took their art seriously, when it was sacrosanct. Alice Coltrane's harp comes on like the siren lure of angels, like a missionary, calling all to stop their labor. It seems to say, “Come to listen, come to wonder, come to rest, don't be afraid." And Coltrane wasn't, not ever. Here she was with ...
read moreBrother Jack McDuff: Ain't No Sunshine
by Pierre Giroux
At The Gallery, Seattle Washington 1972, Brother Jack McDuff, master of the Hammond B-3 organ, showcased his unparalleled talent, backed by a tight-knit ensemble of seasoned musicians. The result is a never-before-released live recording in a deluxe limited-edition hand-numbered 180-gram 2-LP set, produced by record executive and tenor saxophonist Cory Weeds. The amazing sounding group that complemented McDuff's playing was comprised of Leo Johnson, tenor saxophone, flute and clarinet, Dave Young, tenor and soprano saxophones, Vinnie ...
read moreCurtis Taylor: Taylor Made
by Nicholas F. Mondello
Taylor Made, from trumpeter, Curtis Taylor, presents seven tracks of fine post hard bop jazz. The music here is intelligent, inviting, and, lathered with superb solos. Taylor composed and arranged all seven tracks. “Kham's Dilemma" opens with a lyrical, yet exotic statement with Taylor's trumpet and Marcus Elliot's sax in unison over an energized rhythm bed before it breaks out swinging hard and meaning business. Fine solos follow from Taylor, Marcus Elliot and pianist Theron Brown. “After ...
read moreJohn Butcher / Pat Thomas / Dominic Lash / Steve Noble: Fathom
by John Sharpe
Finely judged sounds studded in space. Bursts of incipient rhythm. Wafts of fire music energy. Those are just some of the fruitful products of the British foursome of saxophonist John Butcher, pianist Pat Thomas, bassist Dominic Lash and drummer Steve Noble. A spider's web of alliances connects them, notably tangled given their time on the promiscuous UK free scene, so it is all the more surprising that Fathom documents their first meeting as a group, in north London's Cafe Oto ...
read moreJustin Salisbury: Evergreen
by Neil Duggan
Where do you start if you want to play at Carnegie Hall? Growing up in the small town of Clatskanie, Oregon, is probably not the obvious choice. Pianist Justin Salisbury has certainly put in the miles, playing in France, Egypt, China, Cambodia, Italy and North America as well as Carnegie Hall. He was aided in that journey by a move to Boston to study at Berklee College and by learning from other pianists on the Boston scene, including Ray Santisi, ...
read moreMercer Hassy Orchestra: Duke's Place
by Jack Bowers
If much of the music on Duke's Place seems only vaguely familiar, that is probably because composer-arranger Mercer Hassy has taken more than a dozen songs written and/or made popular by Duke Ellington and his orchestra and turned them, for better or worse, inside out and upside down, playing with melody, harmony and rhythm but always with a clear purpose in mind, and presenting for the most part Ellington as you no doubt have never heard him before.
read moreLouie Belogenis: Outer, Inner, Secret
by Mark Corroto
Let's not call the music by the trio Terton dangerous. Because, although no one could be injured while creating it or listening to Outer, Inner, Secret, the path is precarious and unpredictable. Well, that is, if one is not a true believer. Let me explain. Terton in Buddhism refers to a person, in this case, persons, who discover and reveal ancient teachings at a spiritually efficacious time. For our purposes, the ideas or principles are passed on through sound via ...
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