Ron Hart, Billboard “The Beatles arrived in New York right around the time of my birthday, so when I was a kid my dad used to — as a tradition — take me to FAO Schwarz and I got to pick out a toy,” explains Verve Label Group president and CEO Danny Bennett (his father, of course, … Read More
Matt Micucci, Jazziz Pianist, vocalist and composer Kelly Green is at home playing with her long-standing trio consisting of bassist Alex Tremblay and drummer Evan Hyde on her new album, Volume One. The album was recorded “live” in the studio after a month-long tour to capture the most authentic sounds and emotions “in the moment,” and … Read More
Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Matt Ulery: “Sifting Stars” (Woolgathering Records). The mystical quality of Chicago bassist-composer Ulery’s music never fails to cast its spell, regardless of the size or character of the ensemble in question. Here Ulery leads a large group with strings, reeds and horns, plus the other worldly vocals of Grazyna Auguscik and the … Read More
Ron Schepper, Textura Matt Ulery: Sifting Stars (Woolgathering Records) Bassist 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 of the word; in fact, a listener coming to his music for the first time might be … Read More
Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Blog How would music sound if you were writing to entice your soul to stay put inside your body? That is one thought that inspired Gabriel Zucker, a pianist and composer, when he began working on this piece of art. As a multi-instrumentalist and deep thinker, Zucker has become one … Read More
George Harris, Jazz Weekly I had a chance to catch tenor saxist Daniel Rotem’s concert at the Blue Whale when he made this recording, and judging by the music on this two disc set, I’m really sorry I missed it. Rotem has a gorgeous fog of a tone, evoking images of vintage Ben Webster with … Read More
Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Blog The first song on Daniel Rotem’s double-disc-album opens like a sunrise. There is something open, spatial and universal about Rotem’s musical approach. You hear it in his music. He’s passionate and his music resonates the beauty of life and living. Special guest, Jeff Parker takes stage center on this … Read More
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
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
