by Mike Greenblatt, the Aquarian Weekly There is a scene in the 2015 movie Brooklyn wherein an immigrant named Ellis Lacey (played by Saoirse Ronan) steps off the boat from Ireland in her new world of New York City. Her eyes are filled with wonder and her right hand tightly grips her one piece of luggage. When … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, The Aquarian Weekly As the last of the 2018 CDs dribble forth from my speakers, I would be remiss for letting mere deadlines prevent me from mentioning more of last year’s gems. Weighting (ESP-Disk)—the fourth studio CD by pianist/composer Gabriel Zucker — has drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Eric Trudel. It’s a mighty effort … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly London Live (Artists Recording Collective) by the Jeff “Siege” Siegel Quartet — with drummer/producer/composer Siegel leading Erica Lindsay (tenor sax), Francesca Tanksley (piano) and Uli Langthaler (bass) on an eight-track show at the Pizza Express Jazz Club in England — is certainly worthy of repeated listening. It’s the type of set that the more … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly Chord-less jazz bands walk a high wire with no net. Without the glue of either guitar or piano chording, the musicians have to weave their notes in and around each other creating a cohesive whole. On the mystifying, circuitous, complex, satisfying and wholly entertaining Night (Fresh Sounds Records), Brazilian/Israeli New Yorker Eden Bareket plays a dazzling … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly As the fourth installment of his esteemed “Istanbul Sessions,” Solar Plexus (Nublu Music) by Ilhan Ersahin, is one of the most adventurous, satisfying, eclectic, cinematic, far-out CDs of 2018. A fascinating individual — saxophonist, keyboardist, composer, arranger and the head of New York City’s hip room on Avenue C called Nublu — this guy’s … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly Alex Clough – Near Far Beyond Touched By A Spaceman Pianist/Composer/Producer/Arranger Alex Clough’s self-released near, far, beyond is a delightful and captivating romp with sax/trumpet/bass/drums. Half is piano trio. Half is quintet. It’s been over a decade as a sideman for Clough. Graduating from the State University of New York, and … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly I must admit to having given up on the standard piano trio within jazz years ago. I mean, how much more could possibly be extrapolated from a format that reached its peak in the 1980s? It all started to sound like a rehash. I need horns! Enter Detroit drummer/composer Henry Conerway … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly Drummer/Composer/Producer/Vocalist Jonathan Barber has self-released and splash-landed Vision Ahead, the kind of genre-splicing debut that stands out immaculately on its own. Inspired by the 2016 tragic death of his brother, Barber got it together in his grief to look forward. His septet spirals upward in an escalating roller coaster of post-bop, funk and soul … Read More
Mike Greenblatt, Aquarian Weekly Inside Turnabout by the Lupa Santiago & Anders Vestergard Quartet on Drum Voice Records is a nine-track, two-country symposium. Brazilian guitarist Lupa and Swedish drummer Anders have each brought a friend from their home country: sax man Rodrigo Ursaia (Brazil) and bassist Mattia Hjorth (Sweden, where this was recorded). The result … Read More
