REVIEW: Textura Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” & Russ Johnson’s “Headlands”

November 29, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

Ron Schepper, Textura Russ Johnson: Headlands  Woolgathering Records Matt Ulery: Sifting Stars Woolgathering Records Bassist and composer Matt Ulery’s a proud ambassador for Chicago’s ever-vital jazz scene, yet Sifting Stars, his eighth as a bandleader since his 2008 debut, is hardly a jazz recording in the conventional sense; in fact, a listener coming to his music for the … Read More

REVIEW: Jazz Trail Reviews Gabriel Zucker’s “Weighting”

November 29, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail Weighting, the fourth studio album by pianist Gabriel Zucker consists in an extended composition divided into eight movements. The music, inspired by excerpts of Rachel Kushner’s novel The Flamethrowers, is performed by a bass-less new quartet whose frontline is composed of Eric Trudel on tenor saxophone and Adam O’Farrill on trumpet, … Read More

REVIEWS: Jazz Weekly Reviews Anthony Fung’s “Flashpoint”

November 29, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

George Harris, Jazz Weekly The composition and arranging skills of Anthony Fung are well highlighted on this strong and varied session. There is a core team of Edmar Colon/ts-ss, Joshn Johnson/as, Simon Moullier/vib, Isaac Wilson/p-synth and Mats Sandahl/b along with some guest saxes, percussionists, vocals and a string quartet to boot. The strings meld with … Read More

REVIEW: Step Tempest Reviews Matt Ulery’s “Sifting Stars” and Russ Johnson’s “Headlands”

November 29, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

Richard B. Kamins, Step Tempest Music From the Great Midwest – Chicago (Part One) Over the past 13 years, bassist, composer, and record label owner Matt Ulery has proven himself to be one of the more adventurous souls in contemporary music.  Sit through one of his albums and you’ll hear elements of jazz, “prog-rock”, art music, classical … Read More

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Ralph Peterson’s Messenger Legacy Prepares for New Spring Release with Extensive International Tour

November 28, 2018Event Announcement, Press Releases, Special Announcement

Following the successful double release of I Remember Bu: Alive Vol. 4 from The Gen-Next Big Band and Inward Venture from Aggregate Prime, iconic drummer, bandleader and Berklee professor Ralph Peterson Jr. is now thrilled to continue his restless touring schedule with the Messenger Legacy ensemble. Due to release a new album in May 2019 … Read More

INTERVIEW: Gabriel Zucker Chats to Capital Bop!

November 27, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

Jackson Sinnenberg, Capital Bop Gabriel Zucker does not like resolution. One of his big aims as a composer is to subvert the tidily packaged cadences and compositional finales that have become a hallmark of the Western music tradition. To his ears, those kinds of devices feel divorced from our lived reality — where virtually nothing … Read More

REVIEW: Russ Johnson’s “Headlands” Gets a 4-Star Review from All About Jazz

November 27, 2018Features, Press Reel, Reviews

Troy Dostert, All About Jazz One thing’s certain when you listen to a Russ Johnson record: you’re going to hear music made with care and craft. Johnson is a discerning composer and trumpeter, and he has a special talent for producing thoughtful compositions that possess enough fluidity and creativity to remain fresh even after repeated encounters. He’s … Read More