It cannot be said that Javier Santiago plays the keys without a sense of lyricism and tension. It cannot be said that Santiago doesn't compose songs with powerful arcs that don't let go. In his Ropeadope debut last year, Phoenix, Javier Santiago did this all over, and he did it as a jazz fusion masterpiece, but that may have been due to the tools used for the job, leaning more … [Read more...]
Stream Saxophonist Chase Baird’s Lead Single “Ripcord” Off ‘A Life Between’ (Premiere)
Saxophonist Chase Baird’s career has been flourishing rapidly as of late. Drafted in drummer Antonio Sanchez’s Migration group which released the critically-acclaimed Lines In The Sand last year on CAM Jazz, the young Juilliard graduate also co-leads the band Venture, alongside drummer Mike Clark, vibraphonist Mark Sherman and electric bassist Felix Pastorius, with their 2018 de … [Read more...]
Watch the Video for “Pheonix”, the Title Track off Javier Santiago’s New Album
I have extremely glowing praise for keyboardist Javier Santiago's album, Phoenix (which I'm feeling confident that it's one of my favorite albums of the year). So it brings me joy to continue to hype this modern fusion fantasy with Santiago's video of the live recording for the title track at Berkeley's Fantasy Studios. It's a total dream of a song that goes for miles. Check it … [Read more...]
Javier Santiago – ‘Phoenix’
The ease with which one can cling to keyboardist Javier Santiago is very reminiscent, oddly enough, of the better corners of smooth jazz. Santiago as a leader melds the best elements of jazz, R&B, and soul in very contemporary senses while maintaining an accessibility that can please many. This is an album that celebrates nature, so why would a human connection to tones not be … [Read more...]
Taylor Haskins – ‘Gnosis’
Gnosis sounds like the future. Of course, this will sound like an odd statement when time passes and fashions change -- when synthesizers phase back out of style, only to cycle back in again as styles tend to do -- but while it's hard to describe a period in a period, it's plain to see that Gnosis, the latest album from trumpeter/multi-instrumentalist Taylor Haskins, is not of … [Read more...]