The Montreal International Jazz Festival kicks off its 40th edition this week, starting June 26th, with a line-up sure to delight the most diverse of musical tastes. Often jazz festivals can be criticized for not showcasing enough jazz per se, but this year’s Montreal edition is particularly fruitful and ripe with a great selection of actual jazz artists. We’ve highlighted a few … [Read more...]
Brad Mehldau – “The Garden” (Video)
The last time Brad Mehldau played electric as a leader was 2014's Mehliana: Taming the Dragon alongside drummer Mark Guiliana. That album was dope, weird, with a full, rich sound for such a simple affair. Now, five years later, Mehldau is back with Guiliana again and this time with a heck of a lot more folks in tow for a new electric endeavor, Finding Gabriel, out May 17th on … [Read more...]
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire Unveils 22-minute Album Trailer for ‘Origami Harvest’
Ambrose Akinmusire’s fourth studio album, Origami Harvest, drops tomorrow once again on the famed Blue Note label. We’ve already written about the project, which features New York’s Mivos Quartet on strings, Das Racist’ Kool A.D. on the mic, and Walter Smith III on tenor, with the core band comprised of pianist Sam Harris and drummer Marcus Gilmore, in greater details. However, … [Read more...]
Ambrose Akinmusire Drops First Single Off New Album ‘Origami Harvest’
Trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire has always pushed the envelope, bringing about unabashed avant-gardism and exultant individualism to the music he so lovingly creates. His latest project is no different. Stemming from a challenge given to him by curators Judd Greenstein of Manhattan’s Ecstatic Music Festival and Kate Nordstrum of St. Paul's Liquid Music Series, Akinmusire was a … [Read more...]
Mary Halvorson – ‘Code Girl’
If there is one word that cannot be used to describe Mary Halvorson, it's stagnant. In the past decade, the unconventional guitarist has been consistently expanding the range of her creativity, appearing on a staggering amount of recordings while developing a strikingly singular compositional approach. Code Girl, the name of Halvorson's latest record and band, stands adjacent … [Read more...]