The Montreal International Jazz Festival kicks off its 40th edition this week, starting June 26th, with a line-up sure to delight the most diverse of musical tastes. Often jazz festivals can be criticized for not showcasing enough jazz per se, but this year’s Montreal edition is particularly fruitful and ripe with a great selection of actual jazz artists. We’ve highlighted a few … [Read more...]
Gilad Hekselman – “VBlues” (Stream)
Guitarist Gilad Hekselman has been keeping busy, but very soon, there's about to be a new album to show for it. Out this September on Motéma Records, Hekselman is dropping his new album, Ask for Chaos, featuring his two trios-- ZuperOctave with pianist Aaron Parks and drummer Kush Abadey and the gHex Trio with drummer Jonathan Pinson and bassist Rick Rosato. Considering the … [Read more...]
Emma Frank – “Best Friend” (Video Premiere)
Vocalist Emma Frank brings genuine peacefulness and transparent honesty to everything she touches including her newest opus, Ocean Av, slated for a February 16th release on Brooklyn-based Susan Records. Joining Frank on her third studio album are pianist Aaron Parks, drummer Jim Black, bassist Rick Rosato and guitarist Franky Rousseau with guest appearances by trumpeter Simon … [Read more...]
Jazzahead! 2017
The recent Jazzahead! event in Bremen, Germany, featured performances from a who’s who of current jazz players. Thankfully, many of those performances have been recorded and made available to those of us who weren’t able to make it to Germany. Performances from Camila Meza, Gilad Hekselman, Julian Lage, Leo Genovese, and others are streamable online through the Jazzahead! you … [Read more...]
Ben Van Gelder – ‘Among Verticals’ (EPK)
New York based Dutch saxophonist Ben Van Gelder’s newest album is on its way. Among Verticals features usual cast members vibraphonist Peter Schlamb, bassist Rick Rosato, drummer Craig Weinrib, and pianist Sam Harris augmented by the arrival of tenor saxophonist Kyle Wilson and trumpeter Philip Dizack. Among Verticals is inspired by František Kupka’s painting “Mme Kupka among Ve … [Read more...]