By Chris Ingalls, PopMatters Dustin Laurenzi is a busy man with a list of musical projects that would make the average artist cower in intimidation. But unlike many overachievers who tend to spread their musical talents too thin, virtually everything the Chicago-based tenor saxophonist takes on is a thrilling journey. Read this review here.
By Jim Hynes, Making A Scene! Trumpeter and composer Chad McCulloughreleases Forward, his eighth as a leader. McCullough leads a quartet made up of three of Chicago’s best: pianist Rob Clearfield, bassist Matt Ulery, and drummer Jon Deitemyer. Renowned producer Ryan Cohan augments the affair by contributing additional programming and part-writing to Forward; creating ambient layers for McCullough’s lyrical compositions and augmenting the … Read More
By Jim Hynes, Making A Scene Trumpeter Alonzo Demetrius and his working band The Ego deliver, as you would guess from the title, a socially conscious album, recorded live this past May from Boston’s Berklee School of Music. Read this review here.
By Preston Frazier, Something Else! Guitarist, composer and educator Alex Wintz’s Live to Tape, set to arrive on Nov. 6, 2020, is is his first on Outside Music. It’s a compelling display of Wintz’s chops, taste and improvisational powers. Working with bassist Dave Baron and drummer Jimmy Macbride. Read this review here.
With Lucia Cadotsch, Makar Novikov Quintet, Sasha Mashin Quartet, KID BE KID, Alina Engibaryan Trio, Andrew Krasilnikov Quartet The contemporary jazz music festival led by two forefront European jazz labels Rainy Days & XJAZZ Berlin is happening online on October 30-31 in Saint-Petersburg and Berlin, supported by Goethe-Institut, and in the framework of the … Read More
By George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly It’s fitting that Teodross Avery should do a tribute to Bop Icon Thelonious Monk, as his rich and thick tone is reminiscent of perennial Monk sideman Charlie Rouse. He delivers Spherical tunes with two different teams, with Band 1 consisting of Anthony Wonsey/p, Corcoran Holt/b, Willie Jones III/dr ang … Read More
By JazzTimes Multireedist and Lateef protégé Oran Etkin pays his respects with a video in which he teams up with Zimbabwean musicians. Read this article here.
By Tom Schnabel, KCRW Classically-trained Taiwan-born, New York-based vibraphonist Chien Chien Lu performs an original arrangement of a traditional Taiwanese song called “Blossom in a Stormy Night.” Read more here.
Textura “I grew up listening to my aunt; one pivotal record she sings on is ‘Arara’ by Sergio Mendes. I knew I always wanted to be like her, sound like her. Since I studied piano and bass intently as a child, singing came later. I remember I also loved to write short stories as a … Read More
Textura A more perfect title for Brandi Disterheft’s fifth album than Surfboard would be hard to imagine when the associated activity evokes feelings of freedom, joy, and abandon. Consistent with that are tunes of equally breezy character and effervescent performances the bassist, pianist Klaus Mueller, drummer Portinho, and guest saxophonist George Coleman bring to the fourteen … Read More
