By Philip. Booth, JazzTimes There’s nothing like a regular residency to hone the playing of a big band and give such an ensemble—always a challenge just to keep gigging—a chance to routinely introduce, air out, and tweak arrangements. Steven Feifke’s group benefited from just such an opportunity during nearly two years’ worth of monthly performances … Read More
By Philip Booth, JazzTimes A review of latest collection of original compositions and creative arrangements of others’ tunes from the guitarist. Read more here.
By Philip Booth, JAZZIZ Space is the place many of us probably would have liked to have gone to escape the fresh hell of everything wrought by 2020. But the outer regions — in concept, at least — can also be a place to free our inner spirits, as saxophonist Aaron Burnett demonstrates on Jupiter … Read More
by Philip Booth, JazzTimes “It’s probably no coincidence that Brandi Disterheft’s prowess as a bassist, on her fifth album as a leader, shines particularly bright on “The Pendulum at Falcon’s Lair” and “Del Sasser,” as both were penned by bass players: the former, with its tricky, sprinting bebop line, by Oscar Pettiford and the latter, … Read More
By Philip Booth, JazzTimes rising star on the New York scene, pianist Chris McCarthy has made his name playing and/or recording with trumpeter Jason Palmer, saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi, bassist Ben Allison, vibraphonist Sasha Berliner, and singer Clotilde Rullaud, among others. His scintillating solo debut is a provocative collection of smartly arranged, acoustic postbop-and-beyond originals built … Read More
By Philip Booth, Jazz Times Five musicians, 40 instruments, 19 interrelated compositions, five consecutive days in a Queens home studio, 66 minutes of music: By the numbers alone, Gerry Gibbs’ latest batch of original tunes is quite a feat. The sprawling disc, something of a followup to the drummer/composer’s 2017 salute to Weather Report, has … Read More
Philip Booth, Jazziz “I didn’t think much of it,” David Liebman said about On the Corner, the funk-driven 1972 Miles Davis album on which the saxophonist appeared. Initially dismissed as one of the trumpeter’s lesser works, the Teo Macero-produced release’s reputation has steadily been rehabbed, a process that accelerated with 2007’s six-CD box set documenting the … Read More
Philip Booth, Jazz Lands Bassist Joris Teepe and tenor saxophonist Don Braden, musical collaborators for nearly a quarter century, demonstrate their synchronicity on this collection of mostly trio pieces, with drummers Gene Jackson and Matt Wilson joining on various tracks. It takes sustained creativity and ingenuity to keep things interesting and musically provocative in a … Read More
