Dave Sumner, Bird is the Worm There’s a wearied soul presence to this compelling duet recording from saxophonist Nick Mazzarella and cellist Tomeka Reid. Perhaps it’s a tone set by the spiritual resonance of “Blues for Julius and Abdul,” but there’s no denying it’s a tonal quality that makes itself felt even within the swirling velocities of “Interstices” … Read More
Bill Meyer, Downbeat
Troy Dostert, All About Jazz 2017 is proving to be something of a breakout year for alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella. He recently released Signaling, a superb freely-improvised duo recording with cellist Tomeka Reid, and now he’s followed it up with this excellent outing from the Meridian Trio, where he is joined by his colleagues Matt … Read More
Phil Freeman, Stereogum Tomeka Reid pops up again on this duo album, recorded with alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella. They’re both Chicago-based, and this is a tribute to the Midwestern avant-garde of the 1970s, specifically taking inspiration from the creative relationship between Julius Hemphill and Abdul Wadud. Wadud’s cello, used in place of a bass, made … 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
Derek Taylor, Dusted Nick Mazzarella and Tomeka Reid acknowledge and embrace the obvious right away on Signaling with an arresting opening number “Blues for Julius and Abdul” that honors two pioneers of the duo format they favor. Hemphill and Wadud put alto and cello tandems on the musical map with their various concerts and recordings … Read More
