Not one to shy from politics, Dave Douglas’ Engage tackles a variety of hot button topics ranging from gun control to immigration. To address these issues, the bandleader assembled a collective of those at the forefront of modern avant garde jazz music including guitarist Jeff Parker, cellist Tomeka Reid, saxophonist and flautist Anna Webber, bassist Nick Dunston, and drummer … [Read more...]
Matt Mitchell – ‘A Pouting Grimace’
On A Pouting Grimace (Pi Recordings), Matt Mitchell’s fifth outing as a leader, the pianist has created, along with producer David Torn, an otherworldly musical ecosystem through a uniquely orchestrated large ensemble and seemingly endless rhythmic, melodic, and textural invention.The ensemble consists of Mitchell on piano, synthesizer, & electronics, Kim Cass on double … [Read more...]