ECM Records will be capping its 50 year anniversary celebration tonight with an epic concert live from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. Featuring a who’s who of modern jazz cognoscente including Joe Lovano, Craig Taborn, Vijay Iyer, Ravi Coltrane, Bill Frisell, Mark Turner, Larry Grenadier, Ethan Iverson, Fabian Almazan, Dezron Douglas, Shai Maestro, Ziv Ravitz, Nasheet … [Read more...]
Harpist Brandee Younger’s Latest Album ‘Soul Awakening’ Reviewed
Although Soul Awakening officially carries a 2019 release date, it was finished much earlier. Having been recorded in 2012 and completed in 2013, Harpist Brandee Younger's fourth album as a leader has been sitting in the vaults for some time. With the high quality on display here, the first thing many listeners will be wondering throughout the opening track ("Soulris") is how … [Read more...]
Stream bassist Dezron Douglas’ “Soulris” off his ‘Black Lion’ EP
With a career spanning nearly two decades, you’ve probably heard of bassist and composer Dezron Douglas by now. Douglas was a prominent part of Makaya McCraven’s Universal Beings last year, Nextbop’s favorite album of 2018, and has appeared on other albums by the likes of Glenn Zaleski, Duane Eubanks, J. D. Allen, and Cyrus Chestnut, without mentioning stage appearances … [Read more...]
Makaya McCraven – ‘Universal Beings’ (Album Review)
We've been here before, in awe of the drumming, bandleading, and exploration of Makaya McCraven. His last full-length album, In the Moment was a well-curated collection of sounds that emerged instantaneously from a multitude of configurations at the top of their game and the illustration of a Chicago scene that is building more and more love. Many of McCraven's releases are … [Read more...]