Tomorrow, we publish our Best Jazz Albums of 2019 list. But first, we thought it'd be dope to have a look back at this year's top ten most-read blog posts. Let's just say that when Brad Mehldau shares one of your links on social media, shit goes viral... But in all seriousness, 2019 was a pretty outstanding year for jazz music and we're so proud to have been a part of the … [Read more...]
Dan Weiss on ‘Utica Box’, his Career, and Music in General
Drummer and percussionist Dan Weiss released Utica Box last month on Sunnyside Records (read our review here) featuring Jacob Sacks on piano, and Thomas Morgan and Eivind Opsvik on bass. We caught up with Weiss to discuss the album, his career, musicians he admires, and what he's listening to these days. Read the interview below.Can you tell us more about your new album, … [Read more...]
Dan Weiss Trio Plus 1’s New Album ‘Utica Box’ Reviewed
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...]
Nextbop Interviews Rudresh Mahanthappa
Last October, alto saxophonist and composer Rudresh Mahanthappa reunited his trio, the Indo-Pak Coalition which features guitarist Rez Abbasi and tabla player Dan Weiss, for a new LP entitled Agrima, the long-awaited follow-up to 2008’s Apti. For this record, Mahanthappa and the group are seen expanding aesthetic horizons: adding a modified drum set, incorporating effects and e … [Read more...]
Matt Mitchell – ‘A Pouting Grimace’
On A Pouting Grimace (Pi Recordings), Matt Mitchell’s fifth outing as a leader, the pianist has created, along with producer David Torn, an otherworldly musical ecosystem through a uniquely orchestrated large ensemble and seemingly endless rhythmic, melodic, and textural invention.The ensemble consists of Mitchell on piano, synthesizer, & electronics, Kim Cass on double b … [Read more...]