Utica Box unfolds. It requires patience. There's a mood to build to and reward that building of tension. Dan Weiss is shooting for a lot of this with his latest release drumming alongside pianist Jacob Sacks and bassists Thomas Morgan and Eivind Opsvik. This group can fit these moods in standard length compositions like the compact shuffle,"Jamerson", or its follow up, the … [Read more...]
Miles Davis’ ‘Rubberband’ Album Reviewed
Mostly recorded in 1985, at the height of Miles Davis’ most critically maligned era, Rubberband is unlikely to be appreciated by one who generally disfavors the artist’s 1980s oeuvre. However, for a listener open to Davis’ music from that period, there is much to enjoy.Full appreciation partly requires an understanding of the album’s history. At the time of recording, Miles … [Read more...]
Yes! Trio’s New Album ‘Groove du Jour’ Reviewed
I was introduced to Aaron Goldberg through his Worlds album; I heard him play at the Newport Jazz Festival in 2008 and got really hung up on his version of “Lambada de Serpente”. It’s a playful composition, with sensitive musical interaction between his key work, Eric Harland’s drumming, and Reuben Roger’s bass bowing. The whole record was solid, but that one track with a … [Read more...]
Javier Santiago’s New Ropeadope Album ‘B-Sides: The Phoenix Sessions’ Reviewed
It cannot be said that Javier Santiago plays the keys without a sense of lyricism and tension. It cannot be said that Santiago doesn't compose songs with powerful arcs that don't let go. In his Ropeadope debut last year, Phoenix, Javier Santiago did this all over, and he did it as a jazz fusion masterpiece, but that may have been due to the tools used for the job, leaning more … [Read more...]
Trumpeter Yazz Ahmed’s Ropeadope Debut ‘Polyhymnia’ Reviewed
It's no secret to those that follow jazz that London is one of the places to be right now. The English capital has an exciting young scene. Bahraini-British trumpeter Yazz Ahmed is extremely active within this scene, having released her sophomore record, the much acclaimed La Saboteuse, in 2017. La Saboteuse was composed of many original compositions that featured a potent … [Read more...]