By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Between an evocative compositional voice and some expressive wordless singing to enrich the tonal palette, this is a short but richly sweet meditation which says a lot more than it first seems. Read more here.
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz “The Havana-born pianist played quite a few of his own early-career performances alongside Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette after first settling in Florida in the 1990s, and the romping Skyline is a celebration of his heroes-turned-colleagues as much as a showcase for Rubalcaba’s own key-pounding. The leader has enough skill and fluid versatility at … Read More
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz At the other end of the density scale, while Kirk Lightsey‘s ivory-tickling also packs in a lot more than it seems, this whole recital still feels lighter than air. The program is comfortably familiar as a warm blanket (almost all ’60s bop staples, all frequent mainstays through his career), … Read More
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Where it might be natural enough for a jazz combo to glide or swing through a session, the Philippe Lemm Trio prefers to dance. It’s apparently in Lemm’s blood: the leader was a dancer before taking up the drums, and First Steps figuratively jumps and stomps all over the … Read More
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Nicole Zuraitis has a heart full of soul and a voice full of sunshine. She’s got a mix of things on her mind with her fourth album, everyday themes and weighty matters alike, and yet they ultimately come out sounding exuberant in her hands. The fundamental optimism is one … Read More
By Gene Thackara, All About Jazz Whatever may be going wrong in the world, there are always some figures (especially artists) out there reminding us of the importance of community and celebration. Without making a direct statement on the strange circumstances of 2020, this batch of recordings nonetheless offers just the kind of vibrant affirmation … Read More
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz His wheelhouse has roots primarily in a funky kind of jazz-rock fusion, though he’s always interested in blending. Read the full review here.
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Though Andy Milne actually hasn’t recorded in the classic trio format before, you’d never know it just from The Re:Mission. He’s been no slouch in many other settings, from supporting Cassandra Wilson or Steve Coleman to the genre-mashingly ambitious Dapp Theory quintet. Having always had a dream of trying … Read More
By Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Thana Alexa‘s voice contains a world of sound, and that is without even mentioning the globe-spanning musical trappings which surround it. Hearing her is like watching a thunderstorm or maybe a wild hawk in flight. She doesn’t just sing but uses her voice as an expressive precision instrument, in … Read More
By: Geno Thackara, All About Jazz Nick Hetko/Rich Syracuse/Jeff “Siege” Siegel When You Were Here ARC -Artists Recording Collective 2019 When she was here, the late “First Lady of Jazz” Lee Shaw left a mark on the lives of many others from the bandstand and (perhaps) even more others in the classroom. Her influence makes a central … Read More
