Following the release of his 2015 Blue Note debut, We Are the Drum, drummer Kendrick Scott found himself in a rut. The music he now composed and played just never felt quite good enough. His inspiration faltered and self-doubt settled in. But, as Scott now points out, “Wayne Shorter says there’s always something unfolding on the other side of the negative.” Scott reached out to … [Read more...]
Drummer Rudy Royston Releases Single “Soul Trane” from New Album ‘Flatbed Buggy’ (Premiere)
Rudy Royston is one of the premier drummers of his generation helming the kit for such notable jazz figures as Bill Frisell, JD Allen, and Dave Douglas, but Royston also shines as a bandleader as evidenced by his latest opus, Flatbed Buggy, his third album on the Greenleaf label, to be released October 26th. The album, in true maverick fashion, features quite a unique … [Read more...]
Anne Mette-Iversen – ‘Round Trip’
Bassist Anne Mette-Iversen's new quintet album, Round Trip, is described as a set of tunes designed "to return to the starting point via a different road", and the tunes on the album succeed at doing just that. Each song on the album has a feeling of movement and fluidity. At times, that makes for an almost cinematic listening experience.The quintet on Round Trip is … [Read more...]
Smells Like Teen Spirit: A Critical Analysis of Covers
Bringing outside influences into jazz and bringing jazz to other genres has been going on probably since there was a concept of jazz as a genre. Witness hip-hop and electronic producers sampling from jazz records and Robert Glasper playing J Dilla tunes. Witness David Bowie backed by a group of incredible jazz musicians, DJ Logic joining Medeski, Martin, and Wood, Miles Davis … [Read more...]
Kendrick Scott Oracle – “We Are The Drum” (Stream)
Drummer Kendrick Scott is a modern marvel as a performer and as a composer. Every one of his releases with his band, Oracle, have been extremely impressive, and his latest, We Are The Drum continues in that same trend. The album featuring the always impressive saxophonist John Ellis, keyboardist Taylor Eigsti, guitarist Mike Moreno, and bassist Joe Sanders keeps the same … [Read more...]