There's a fullness in ten years. A lot of work, if rather relentlessly done, can really make a discernible impact. Ten years ago, folks were making all the talk as rather cyclically that jazz was dead. It was such an exhausting conversation. Folks were around making this music, obviously. It couldn't be that dead. The problem was in the awareness and the tweaking of the … [Read more...]
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2015
I'm not quite sure what more I could say here about jazz in 2015. There may not have been some overarching narrative that guided how art was made and released. Some folks who have worked together for years finally released an album that said so. Some folks released large ensemble albums that made huge splashes, as sprawling debuts, par for the course, or as the muscular … [Read more...]
Anthony Dean-Harris’ Favorite Jazz Albums of 2015
I've been thinking more and more about rotation lately, about the boundary that music must get through in order to find its way into my phone where I listen to everything primarily, the phone an extension of myself like these devices are for us all for better and for worse. I eschew the predatory Spotify and rather connect myself to the artist savvy enough to digitize himself … [Read more...]
Rotem Sivan – ‘A New Dance’
Rotem Sivan always surprises on the guitar. Oh, sure, his songs start off unassuming. One would think they're simple little low-energy guitar songs. They can be somber and chill, but they're sneaky. They take sudden musical turns that one wouldn't anticipate. They're playful like puppies that don't have expectations. They unfold in such a way that the ends of them completely … [Read more...]
Daniel Fortin – ‘Brinks’
It's difficult not to pay immediate attention to Michael Davidson's vibraphone's on the new album from bassist Daniel Fortin, Brinks. The tone is so clear, so complimentary, so constructive. It's a tone that fits perfectly alongside David French's tenor saxophone and Fabio Ragnelli's drums. It's a tone that fits well because Fortin's compositions throughout the album are sharp, … [Read more...]