by Will Layman, PopMatters “Andy Milne is a pianist who has often been in the thick of experimentation with form and with jazz collision with hip-hop in certain forms. It’s cool, then, to encounter The Remission, on which he leads a piano trio (with John Hebert on bass and drummer Clarence Penn) assaying two jazz standards … Read More
By Will Layman, PopMatters This is the second recording from the Croatian-American singer, and it sits in a dazzling space—not-really-jazz but unclassifiable music that uses jazz players and gorgeous jazz harmonies and melodic style to communicate something beyond boundaries. The band includes the fabulous keyboardist Carmen Staaf, Matt Brewer on bass, Alexa’s husband the expert … Read More
By Will Layman, POPMATTERS There is so much wonderful creative music these days that even an apartment-bound critic misses too much of it. Here is jazz from the last 18 months that shouldn’t be missed. Read this full article here.
By Will Layman, PopMatters Matthew Stevens is state-of-the-art jazz guitar in 2020, someone who is at home with a huge range of the best musicians of the moment—recently recording with Dave Douglas, Terri Lyne Carrington, Esperanza Spalding, and so many more. His approach and influences span the scene, reflecting the obvious (he may often remind … Read More
By Will Layman, Pop Matters Here is another record that probably shouldn’t be thought of as “jazz” but that is shot through with the kind of harmonic and melodic light that comes from this music. Emma Frank is a hush-voiced singer and writer of subtly brilliant songs, and this is her second recording with pianist … Read More
Emma Frank and Aaron Parks Create a Plainspoken Kind of Magic on ‘Come Back’ by Will Layman, PopMatters 8/10 Emma Frank‘s 2018 recording, Ocean Av, was her first after moving from Montreal to New York, where she met and started collaborating with jazz pianist Aaron Parks. The partnership yielded a delicate kind of magic, weaving together jazz … Read More
Will Layman, Pop Matters Emma Frank’s Jazz Negotiates Dark and Light I believe love wants to make us choose If we want to grow tall, got to lay our roots And follow the water deep underground Cherry blossoms reach out for such a short time Before wind blows them into summer Making way for new … Read More
Will Layman, Pop Matters 2017 marks a half-century since we lost the brilliant musician John Coltrane. And while the notion of another Coltrane tribute recording strikes me as excess, the truth is that there will—and should—be Coltrane tributes forever. His legacy was a big (and can withstand as many reinterpretations) as any in American music. But more … Read More
