Sara Serpa: Intimate Strangers (Biophilia)
The vocalist Sara Serpa has a way with words. First of all, when she references a classic, it’s as likely to be John Steinbeck as … Read More “Sara Serpa: Intimate Strangers (Biophilia)”
Martin Johnson
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Hasaan Ibn Ali: Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings (Omnivore)
For years, the only known recordings of the great Philadelphia-based pianist Hasaan Ibn Ali were on a 1964 recording auspiciously titled The Max Roach Trio featuring … Read More “Hasaan Ibn Ali: Retrospect in Retirement of Delay: The Solo Recordings (Omnivore)”
Adam O’Farrill: Visions of Your Other (Biophilia)
During the past decade, trumpeter and composer Adam O’Farrill has established himself as a leading young voice in jazz. Now on its third recording, his quartet … Read More “Adam O’Farrill: Visions of Your Other (Biophilia)”
Ben Allison: Moments Inside (Sonic Camera)
On a casual listen, bassist Ben Allison’s Moments Inside doesn’t differ temperamentally from its predecessor, 2018’s Quiet Revolution; both offer serene music with intricate complexity just … Read More “Ben Allison: Moments Inside (Sonic Camera)”
Leon Parker: The LEO (Embodi Jazz Maker/Ropeadope)
With a minimal drum kit and a maximal groove, Leon Parker carved a niche for himself on the jazz scene of the mid- and late … Read More “Leon Parker: The LEO (Embodi Jazz Maker/Ropeadope)”
Craig Taborn: Shadow Plays (ECM)
In 2011, two decades into a career defined by a wide array of settings and styles, mostly as a sideman and sometimes working on electric … Read More “Craig Taborn: Shadow Plays (ECM)”
Esperanza Spalding: Songwrights Apothecary Lab (Concord Jazz)
Music Is the Healing Force of the Universe was the title of a 1969 Albert Ayler recording, and more than 50 years later, bassist and vocalist … Read More “Esperanza Spalding: Songwrights Apothecary Lab (Concord Jazz)”
The Baylor Project: Generations (Be a Light)
The married duo of vocalist Jean Baylor and drummer Marcus Baylor are a little too young to have hosted jazz parties in the ’60s, but … Read More “The Baylor Project: Generations (Be a Light)”
William Parker: Painters Winter / Mayan Space Station (AUM Fidelity)
Bassist/composer/renaissance man William Parker is having a landmark 2021. Earlier this year, a 10-disc box set, The Migration of Silence Into and Out of the Tone World … Read More “William Parker: Painters Winter / Mayan Space Station (AUM Fidelity)”
Vincent Herring: Not the End of the Line
After months of suffering from the impact of COVID-19 on the jazz economy, things got worse for alto saxophonist Vincent Herring: He contracted the disease … Read More “Vincent Herring: Not the End of the Line”
Nik Bärtsch: Entendre (ECM)
Nik Bärtsch studied piano and percussion from an early age, and it shows in his music. There’s an elegance to his groups like Ronin or … Read More “Nik Bärtsch: Entendre (ECM)”
Lara Solnicki: The One and the Other (Outside In)
On her third recording, composer, poet, and vocalist Lara Solnicki continues to map new intersections for literature and improvised music. The classically trained Toronto native works … Read More “Lara Solnicki: The One and the Other (Outside In)”
Gretchen Parlato: Flor (Edition)
Back in the late ’00s, vocalist and composer Gretchen Parlato seemed poised to be a “next big thing” amid a jazz landscape full of them. Examined … Read More “Gretchen Parlato: Flor (Edition)”
Michael and Peter Formanek: Dyads (Out of Your Head)
Even though he’s only in his mid-twenties, reedman Peter Formanek has had some illustrious highlights in his career. For instance, to celebrate his 18th birthday, he … Read More “Michael and Peter Formanek: Dyads (Out of Your Head)”
Cat Toren: Out of the Fog
Many musicians have been influenced by the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King, but pianist and composer Cat Toren takes the sway of … Read More “Cat Toren: Out of the Fog”
Chicago Soul Jazz Collective: It Takes a Spark to Start a Fire (JMARQ)
The Chicago Soul Jazz Collective shouldn’t be accused of false advertising; they are exactly what their name suggests. On their second recording, they begin to move … Read More “Chicago Soul Jazz Collective: It Takes a Spark to Start a Fire (JMARQ)”
The Doxas Brothers: The Circle (Justin Time)
The sound of The Circle is modernistically spare, but the Doxas Brothers quartet—led by saxophonist Chet and drummer Jim—came to it the old-fashioned way, by … Read More “The Doxas Brothers: The Circle (Justin Time)”
The Royal Bopsters Keep Their Group Identity Alive
At a quick glance, the Royal Bopsters’ new recording, Party of Four (Motéma), appears to be a straightforward continuation of their 2015 debut, The Royal Bopsters Project. The … Read More “The Royal Bopsters Keep Their Group Identity Alive”
Mike Casey: Law of Attraction (Mike Casey)
On his fourth recording, saxophonist Mike Casey traffics in classic styles to create music that bristles with contemporary topicality. Casey, who plays tenor, helms trios and … Read More “Mike Casey: Law of Attraction (Mike Casey)”
Susan Alcorn Quintet: Pedernal (Relative Pitch)
Pedal steel guitarist Susan Alcorn has expanded her instrument’s domain well beyond the familiar sounds native to Hawaii, Nashville, or Bakersfield. She’s influenced by those traditions, … Read More “Susan Alcorn Quintet: Pedernal (Relative Pitch)”
Angelica Sanchez & Marilyn Crispell: How to Turn the Moon (Pyroclastic)
With their shared passion for austere lyricism and melodic invention, piano masters Angelica Sanchez and Marilyn Crispell are ideal duet partners. Their meeting of like minds … Read More “Angelica Sanchez & Marilyn Crispell: How to Turn the Moon (Pyroclastic)”
Thumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project (Cuneiform)
For a lot of people, the distinctive style of composer and multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton is obscured either by the geometric diagrams that he uses to … Read More “Thumbscrew: The Anthony Braxton Project (Cuneiform)”
Brad Mehldau: Suite: April 2020 (Nonesuch)
When the novel coronavirus pandemic swept Europe, Brad Mehldau and his family sheltered in place at his home in the Netherlands. A month of lockdown later, … Read More “Brad Mehldau: Suite: April 2020 (Nonesuch)”
Archie Shepp/Raw Poetic/Damu the Fudgemunk: Ocean Bridges (Redefinition)
Given the onslaught of jazz recordings that integrate elements of hip-hop and spoken word, it was only a matter of time before Archie Shepp’s name … Read More “Archie Shepp/Raw Poetic/Damu the Fudgemunk: Ocean Bridges (Redefinition)”
Webber/Morris Big Band: Both Are True (Greenleaf)
It’s one of the most surprising jazz trends in the 21st century: the emergence of big bands as something more than an anomaly or a … Read More “Webber/Morris Big Band: Both Are True (Greenleaf)”
Thundercat: It Is What It Is (Brainfeeder)
The title of the new Thundercat recording is less a paean to contemporary proverbs than a bold statement of personal equilibrium. His previous recordings wrestled with … Read More “Thundercat: It Is What It Is (Brainfeeder)”
Chris Dingman: Embrace (Inner Arts)
Bright, lean, and crisp, Embrace, the new recording from vibraphonist Chris Dingman, contrasts strikingly with its predecessors, The Subliminal and the Sublime from 2015 and Waking … Read More “Chris Dingman: Embrace (Inner Arts)”
Jacob Collier: Live from His Room
When I called Jacob Collier one fall morning, it seemed entirely appropriate that he was in his room in his parents’ home in London—the same … Read More “Jacob Collier: Live from His Room”
Tomeka Reid Quartet: Old New (Cuneiform)
Few records embody the spirit of jazz in 2019 as well as the new release from the Tomeka Reid Quartet. A cellist who began her … Read More “Tomeka Reid Quartet: Old New (Cuneiform)”
Dan Weiss Trio Plus 1: Utica Box (Sunnyside)
The unusual instrumentation of the new album from drummer Dan Weiss brings to mind Smokestack, Andrew Hill’s 1966 Blue Note classic, as both recordings employ a … Read More “Dan Weiss Trio Plus 1: Utica Box (Sunnyside)”