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Entries from June 2012

Samuel Hallkvist: Variety of Loud

Copenhagen-based Sweish guitarist Samuel HA llkvist, winner of the prestigious 2010 Jazz In Sweden award, demonstrated his eclectic tastes on his 2010 debut as a leader, Samuel HA llkvist Center (Caprice), albeit still rooted in the jazz legacy. On Variety of Loud he even goes further, blurring genre boundaries between improvised jazz and his primary love for the turbulent energies of m: John Zorn , progressive rock, metal and electronic, while impressively juggling muscular, punchy delivery and sophisticated improvisations. HA llkvist calls his new hybrid style “asymmetrical dance music…

Date: Jun 30th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Carol Robbins: Moraga

The harp is probably one of the least recognized and utilized instruments in jazz yet, the jazz harp is as much a part of the genre as the saxophone, with only a handful of musicians making it their instrument of choice. The late m: Dorothy Ashby and m: Alice Coltrane , along with m: Lori Andrews , Columbian m: Edmar Castaneda and Frenchman Jakez Francois are a few of the exponents of the harp within the jazz realm. There is another prominent member of this list and that happens to be two-time Grammy–nominated harpist Carol Robbins, from Los Angeles. The light-hearted and mellow Moraga, her fourth album as leader, showcases Robbins’ unique talents as a jazz harpist…

Date: Jun 30th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Bob Mintzer Big Band: For The Moment

Musicians can consider themselves lucky if they find success in one particular area, but there are a select few that seem to flourish in every music-related environment that they encounter. Bob Mintzer is part of this elite list; his versatility is his greatest virtue but, while he’s a world class saxophonist and educator, his legacy will likely be connected to his work as a composer and arranger in the world of big bands. He learned from the best, sitting in the saxophone section of bands led by m: Thad Jones and m: Mel Lewis , m: Gil Evans , and several other notable figures, and he’s been putting his hard-earned knowledge to good use in this area ever since he assembled his first big band to play at the m: Brecker Brothers ‘ Seventh Avenue South club, in the early ’80s…

Date: Jun 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

David Linx, Maria Joao and the Brussels Jazz Orchestra: A Different Porgy and Another Bess

The French classical label Naive has made a successful foray into jazz with recordings like m: Mina Agossi ‘s Red Eyes (2012); and m: Tania Maria ‘s Tempo (2012). A Different Porgy and Another Bess is the first thematic big-band offering from the label. Drawing from the m: George Gershwin /DuBose Heyward opera, Porgy and Bess (1935), A Different Porgy highlights eleven vocal pieces from the book

Date: Jun 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Fly: Year of the Snake

While there are numerous jazz trios, few leave a lasting impression. This is not the case for Fly, consisting of younger but fully established jazz artists– saxophonist extraordinaire m: Mark Turner and his equally talented cohorts, bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer m: Jeff Ballard …

Date: Jun 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Eivind Aarset and The Sonic Codex Orchestra: Live Extracts

For his fifth album as a leader, Norwegian guitar phenom Eivind Aarset captures the improvisational power and prowess of his expanded Sonic Codex Orchestra. Live Extracts, culled from six different venues over the course of the past year.

Date: Jun 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews

Beverley Beirne and Her Quartet: Seasons Of Love

What gives a song the status of “standard”? One thing might be its popularity with musicians and fans. Most of the dozen songs on Seasons Of Love are standards that range from the popular to the extremely popular. Another characteristic may be a song’s malleability: its capacity for almost infinite re-imaginings; a something that often gets forgotten, as singers rarely move outside the comfort zone of familiarity nearly enough.

Date: Jun 28th, 2012 · No Comments · Categories: Jazz CD Reviews