Phil Freeman, Burning Ambulnace In the latest Burning Ambulance podcast, bassist Melvin Gibbs and I discuss a wide variety of subjects related to his 40-year career in New York and around the world. One of the things we talk about is the late ’70s/early ’80s movement in jazz that encompassed harmolodics, “free funk,” No Wave, and related sounds. … Read More
by Filipe Freitas, Jazz Trail Label: Greenleaf Music, 2019 Personnel – Greg Ward: alto saxophone; Matt Gold: guitar; Dave Miller: guitar; Matt Ulery: bass; Quin Kirchner: drums. Saxophonist Greg Ward has been a ubiquitous presence in the Chicago jazz scene for some years now. He is a terrific bandleader, composer, and arranger and his sophomore … Read More
Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs “Lady Bird” opens this recorded concert, with arrangements by Frank Foster. Vanessa Rubin’s voice swings and swoops like a happy dove. The horns are complimentary and lush. She sings along with them, becoming a sweet vocal horn. The music of Tadd Dameron is a project long overdue. Known as one … Read More
Chicago’s Greg Ward leads a brilliant Rogue Parade art Green Mill; a farewell to Joseph Jarman by Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune Chicago saxophonist Greg Ward says he got the name for his newest band – Rogue Parade – from a podcast he heard. Whatever the source, the title seemed just right Friday night at the Green … Read More
Ian Ward, UK Vibe Greg Ward’s Rogue Parade is frothing with the smart and the impressive of Chicago’s scene – bassist (and wonderful composer in his own right) Matt Ulery, drummer Quin Kirchner, the dual guitars (always a good thing) of Matt Gold and Dave Miller and, the leader, my distant relative, saxophonist/composer Greg Ward. … Read More
Ron Schepper, Textura The baritone saxophone would seem to be less a wieldy horn than the soprano, alto, and tenor, but on Night the Buenos Aires-born, Israel-raised, and New York-residing Eden Bareket plays with a remarkable degree of agility. With the saxist joined by his brother Or on bass and Felix Lecaros on drums, the nine-track set, … Read More
Mark Wartenberg, The Prickle Emma Frank’s third album, Ocean Av, is a brilliant reflection on selfhood and life. Her performance at Berlin’s ZigZag Jazz Club was a prime example of how authentic music can gradually disarm and win over new audiences. Her songs are inner meditations made delicately public, which lose nothing of the inner swirl … Read More
Dee Dee McNeil, Musical Memoirs Gil Defay’s original music is well -arranged and full of pleasant surprises. He has composed everything on this production and has enlisted a large ensemble of talented musicians to interpret his work. From the first track, “D. Bros Groove” the curtains part and the horns take stage center. It sounds … Read More
Ron Schepper, Textura Appropriately for a recording so titled, Weighting presents music of such raw, elemental force it often feels like it’s welled up from the earth like a geophysical event. Drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill, and saxophonist Eric Trudel perform pianist Gabriel Zucker’s compositions with an at times volcanic intensity, though they also play with … Read More
George Harris, Jazz Weekly Leader Gene Ess plays guitar and synth as he brings together the pastoral team of Thana Alexa/voc, Sebastien Ammann/p, Yosushi Nakamura/b and Clarence Penn/dr to interpret his own rich compositions. Alexa sounds wonderful as she uses her wordless voice away from hubby Antonio Sanchez to give lovely textures to the soft … Read More
