James Nadal, All About Jazz In a direct shout out to the famous Harlem nightclub, and evoking the golden age of jazz orchestras, Meet Me At Minton’s by the JC Hopkins Biggish Band is a polished throwback to the era when premier vocalists fronted illustrious big bands, while dancers flooded the floor. With a rotating … Read More
Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz In life we tend to make hard distinctions between the value of conversation and the worth of action, crystalizing such a dividing line with statements like “talk is cheap” and “actions speak louder than words.” Jazz, however, has a way of relating the two. When musicians get together to play, … Read More
Troy Dostert, All About Jazz On this captivating, fully-improvised duo recording by alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella and cellist Tomeka Reid, we find a superlative example of two leading-edge musicians who continue to draw vital inspiration from their forbears. Reid, a contributing member of the hugely influential Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), has … Read More
by Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz Life cycles mark and determine how we develop, where we travel, and why we arrive and thrive in different places, figuratively and literally, at any given time. That’s the point that guitarist Alex Wintz’s music makes here, as this project takes its cues from the larger natural theme while … Read More
Troy Dostert, All About Jazz Since his first album as a leader in 1990, guitarist Mark Whitfield has been simultaneously pulled in two directions. Early on, many dubbed him the heir-apparent to George Benson, and on his first several records he offered plenty of evidence to support this assessment with his smooth, laid-back sound and … Read More
Matthew Acquiline, All About Jazz New York City-based trumpeter and composer Matt Holman cut his teeth performing and recording with distinguished musicians such as Fred Hersch, John Hollenbeck, and Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society before displaying his personal aesthetic of atmospheric chamber jazz with his debut album When Flooded in 2013. More recently, Holman found … Read More
by Tyran Grillo, All About Jazz Fans of ECM’s trio recordings of the past decade: take note. Alfa is a worthy contender for your collection. Brazilian pianist and composer Leandro Cabral‘s second leader date is as multilayered and expansive as anything put out by Benedikt Jahnel, Colin Vallon, or Marcin Wasilewski, and has been captured … Read More
By James Nadal, All About Jazz It is appropriate that the opening track on King Of Xhosa, is a hand drum invocation and an introduction in the Xhosa language of South Africa, as that is exactly where the origins and influences of this music came from. Drummer Jeff “Siege” Siegel and his quartet are augmented … Read More
by James Nadal, All About Jazz The music of Colombia is as unique as the geographical layout of the country itself. Having two distinct coastal expanses divided by the Isthmus of Panama, the Caribbean or eastern Atlantic region, and the western Pacific region; each offering a diverse blend of musical styles and rhythms, representing the … Read More
by James Nadal, All About Jazz The African proverb, “The spirit will not descend without song,” is intrinsically intertwined within the African- American religious experience, and is a revered aphorism encompassing the music of Black America, in its many forms and variations. Jean (vocalist) and Marcus (drummer) Baylor, known collectively as The Baylor Project, have … Read More
