Blue Isle Smooth Jazz

By inviting English saxophonist John Butcher to join them in a Lisbon studio, the Portuguese Red Trio executed a stroke of genius. Together they stretch pianist m: Bill Evans ‘ democratic ethos to its logical conclusion: no-one leads, no-one follows, but paradoxically all four move as one, exploring timbre and mood across three collectively improvised cuts. The threesome’s eponymous 2010 Clean Feed debut garnered many critical plaudits and the augmented follow-up looks destined to achieve the same result. Such collaborations are not a one-off: they have previously supplemented the trio’s resources, having co-opted Americans trumpeter m: Nate Wooley and bass clarinetist m: Jason Stein in prior (unrecorded) meetings…

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Red Trio + John Butcher: Empire

The multifaceted Sandy Evans is often described as one of Australia’s finest jazz musicians and composers. True enough, but as When the Sky Cries Rainbows amply demonstrates, this saxophonist surely ranks as one of the best contemporary jazz composers/musicians anywhere.

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Sandy Evans: When the Sky Cries Rainbows

Were we able to quantitate talent density as a function of label catalog size, Sergio Veschi’s Red Records would doubtless be close to the top. His generosity to Italian and foreign musicians alike has resulted in a great jazz label. Albanian activist/pianist/composer Markelian Kapedani adds to this fine catalog with Balkan Bop, a standard piano trio performance of ten original compositions, marking his second recording for the label, after 2008’s solo Balkan Piano…

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Markelian Kapedani Trio: Balkan Bop

Norwegian drummer Erland Dahlen’s solo debut proffers several areas of interest, as he uses a 1940s Rollingbomber Slingerland drum kit (presumably using new heads) and overlays an array of small percussion and string instruments, electronics and other implements to craft a striking electro-organic expedition. However, the program intimates an inside view of a drummer exploiting his toys to remodel paths previously taken…

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Erland Dahlen: Rolling Bomber

Bekkas is a leading Gnawa musician who sings and plays the oud, as well as acoustic guitar and guembri, the three-stringed bass-like instrument that provides the trance-inducing pulse of Gnawa music. The Gnawa, in turn, are spiritual brotherhoods formed in Morocco among slaves brought there from sub-Saharan Africa over the centuries. Bekkas has collaborated with a number of jazz players, including saxophonist m: Archie Shepp , pianist m: Joachim Kuhn and drummer m: Hamid Drake , concentrating on the more adventurous end of the jazz continuum…

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Majid Bekkas: Mabrouk

Don’t call it a comeback. Call it a throwback.

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Jeff Lorber Fusion: Galaxy

One of 2011’s many notable debuts is saxophonist Jake Saslow’s Crosby Street, an ode to the street in New York’s iconic SoHo, where the musician’s formative years recalled the neighborhood’s sights, music, and people. An analogy is formed between the music and the community, one that speaks of a distinct personality carried in Saslow’s full-bodied horn that’s filled with lyricism and communication interpreted by peers and fellow-New Yorkers that include guitarist m: Mike Moreno and pianist m: Fabian Almazan …

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Jake Saslow: Crosby Street