Kneebody, the innovative jazz group made up of trumpeter Shane Endsley, saxophonist Ben Wendel, keyboardist Adam Benjamin and the extraordinary Nate Wood taking the simultaneous roles of drummer and bassist, is back with their seventh album, Chapters, coming October 18th to Edition Records.“The title references the episodic nature of life and the way our personal stories b … [Read more...]
Brian Kiwanuka’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017
It may seem a bit odd that a year-end list on a jazz publication only includes seven albums. As always, there has been a good amount of quality jazz releases this year. However, some of these records captivated me so much that I ended up devoting an obscene amount of time to them. Highlights include how Gerald Clayton returned and somehow matched the high quality of his last … [Read more...]
Nextbop’s Favorite Jazz Albums of 2017
We have a small, volunteer staff here at Nextbop. Folks who read us here contribute work, adding to the collective of voices that we so cherish here and giving additional perspective that Sebastien and I lack at times. It's why, when it comes to end-of-year lists, our collective of voices is so important. It's nice to see the overlaps in taste and to gain insights into albums … [Read more...]
Gerald Clayton – ‘Tributary Tales’
After a four year wait, fans will be pleased to hear that Tributary Tales, while surely taking a page out of the same book as its preceding album, A Life Forum, is another fantastic - and different - addition to the Clayton discography. On Tributary Tales the lineup of Clayton's previous record is almost intact featuring all of the previous musicians and vocalists with the … [Read more...]
Ben Wendel – ‘What We Bring’
If there's something to Ben Wendel's signature sound on the tenor saxophone, it has to be one of a circuitous nature. His style of play always seems to loop back in on itself. There's an extra bit of energy in his runs that never seems to worry about taking a few more steps on the scenic route to get to where his ideas ultimately need to go. He'll make loops to move a mere full … [Read more...]