There's something about the natural build of Sam Harris' songs on his new album, Harmony. The pianist who has work with Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, Logan Richardson, and others has recently released a trio album of five humble songs, numbered rather than named, that seemingly unfurl rather than play out. Simple quiet ideas, unshowy phrases, build from ostinatos into … [Read more...]
Jonathan Finlayson – ‘3 Times Round’ (Album Review)
Trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson as a composer and arranger knows quite a bit about interlocking rhythms. Finlayson's work has always had a driving momentum to it, forging ahead and exploring almost unceasingly, as a sideman with groups of the same musical philosophies and as a leader applying the lessons learned from his considerable resume working with modern masters like Henry … [Read more...]
Henry Threadgill 14 or 15 Kestra: Agg – ‘Dirt… And More Dirt’
At this point in Henry Threadgill's career, we already know the dynamic. Everything else is a refinement of those shifting polyrhythms, those floating melodies that skirt about the tonal and the atonal like hummingbirds at springtime, and that ever-present feeling that all this art just wouldn't work if you just couldn't help but keep tapping your foot. It's all there with … [Read more...]
Martin Nevin – “Sculpting in Time” (Video)
Bassist and composer Martin Nevin has shared the stage with the likes of Albert “Tootie” Heath, Greg Osby, Ethan Iverson, and Ambrose Akinmusire, but Tenderness is Silent, to be released June 29th, marks his debut as a leader. Hard to categorize, drawing inspiration as much from jazz as from chamber music, Nevin’s compositions are introspective, deeply contemplative and … [Read more...]
Maria Grand – ‘TetraWind’
Tenor saxophonist/vocalist María Grand is on Steve Coleman's next album (Morphogenesis with Coleman's group, Natal Eclipse, is out June 23rd on Pi Recordings). Based on her four-song EP, TetraWind, based on each of the four directions, it's understandable why. Her style of composition has that same circular feel to it that is propelled by a steady beat. Her sound feels … [Read more...]