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...]
Lionel Loueke – ‘Gaia’
Lionel Loueke's newest trio album Gaia has the guitarist rocking hard, indulging in trippy effects on his instrument and in odd, but very natural-sounding, time signatures. It's also one of the most compelling listens you'll come across in 2015. You want this one. Loueke's trio of 15 years consists of Ferenc Nemeth on drums and Massimo Biolcati on bass, along with Loueke … [Read more...]