Entries from August 2015
The Global Jazz Orchestra: Global Warming / Globarhythm
One day, about a dozen or so years ago, a slender, unassuming Japanese man stood at a booth at the far end of an exhibit hall at an annual conference of the (now-defunct) International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE). Answering a question posed by a writer looking for big-band CDs to review, he…
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Arshak Sirunyan: Serendipity
Pianist/composer Arshak Sirunyan last offered up a startlingly good multi-media, cross-genre collection with Hoodman’s Blind (Self-produced, 2014). That recording found the Armenian born musician tackling the complexities of translating a medieval contest of strategy to an engaging musical concept… [ read more ]
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London, Meander, Pramuk and Ross: The Royal Bopsters Project
In the beginning, and by “beginning” I mean the February 26, 1926 commitment to shellac of Boyd Atkins’ “Heebie Jeebies” by one m: Louis Armstrong . Legend has it that Armstrong dropped his lyric sheet while recording the song and no words to sing, began to improvise his vocals, creating s… [ read more ]
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Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers Deluxe Edition
In combination with the 2015 ‘Zip Code’ tour, on which the band played the album in its entirety more than once, the reissue of the Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers (Rolling Stones Records, 1971) is a valiant and fully-justified effort to restore the significance of the album, the importance of which… [ read more ]
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Bret Higgins’ Atlas Revolt: Bret Higgins’ Atlas Revolt
The eponymous debut from Toronto-based bassist Bret Higgins’ Atlas Revolt is a tough one to pin down and an easy one to get pleasantly lost in. Higgins regularly walks through different musical worlds, working with the folk-rock outfit Great Lake Swimmers, the Balkan-klezmer band Beyond The Pale, th… [ read more ]
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Harris Eisenstadt: Canada Day IV
Canada Day has been drummer Harris Eisenstadt’s flagship ensemble since its first gig on July 1, 2007–his homeland’s national holiday, hence the band name. In the ensuing years the quintet has developed an identifiably cohesive sound that expertly balances avant-garde explorations and in-the-pocket… [ read more ]
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New Zealand School of Music Big Band: Too Cool
While the latest CD by the splendid New Zealand School of Music Big Band may not be Too Cool, it’s definitely chilly enough to demand that the average listener wear earmuffs while sampling its frigid yet at the same time fiery bill of fare. Blues got you down? A few bars of the orchestra’s sunny cur… [ read more ]
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