Dave Sumner, Bandcamp There are some stunning moments on this set from the NPO Trio of violinist Meg Okura, saxophonist Sam Newsome, and pianist Jean-Michel Pilc. Their music is a balancing act between cohesion and chaos, allowing the music to fall into one of those states while still grasping tight to its counterpart. This sense … Read More
DanMichael Reyes, Revive Music Audio: Jonathan Barber Reworks Eldar Djangirov’s “Airport” You’ll want to remember the name Jonathan Barber. The young drummer was voted as the Best Up & Coming drummer in the Modern Drummer Reader’s Poll. It comes to no surprise as Barber has shared the stage and studio with numerous artists ranging from Erkyah Badu, … Read More
Nate Chinen, WBGO Evolve is an apt title for the new album by saxophonist and flutist Sharel Cassity. A sleek expression of a modern language, it’s the clear by product of her recent experience on the bandstand, both out front and in the ranks (notably with the Revive Big Band). The writing on the album is … Read More
Scott Yanow, Jazz Artistry Now During the past decade, Sharel Cassity has built up a strong reputation as an excellent alto and soprano-saxophonist who plays forward-looking modern jazz. Evolve is a bit of a change for her. Born in Iowa City, Sharel Cassity grew up in Yukon, Oklahoma. She moved to New York in 2000 (relocating to Chicago in 2017) and … Read More
C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz Multireedist Sharel Cassity and her Elektra project step away from her previous standards and straight jazz projects ( Just for You (DW Records, 2009); Relentless (DW Records, 2012); Manhattan Romance(Venus Records, 2014)) in the same way that Nora Germain did with her recently released Nora(Self Produced, 2017). She steps away in a big way taking several of her contemporaries … Read More
