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Tony Monaco Trio and Mark Egan-Shawn Pelton-Shane Theriot: Three Is Not A Crowd
by Doug Collette
Say what we might about quartets, quintets, sextets and beyond, it might be fair to say the trio is the most potent instrumental lineup of them all. Three-piece ensembles hold a special place in the annals of improvisational music (and not just in the jazz milieu: the term 'power trio' was coined in the rock realm to describe Cream and the Jimi Hendrix Experience), if for no other reason than groups led by piano and organ have created some of ...
read moreTomeka Reid Quartet: 3+3
by Chris May
Jazz cello has come a long way since Fred Katz's pioneering work with Chico Hamilton in the 1950s. Back then, the instrument was looked on as a novelty turn. In 2024, while still relatively avant-garde, its presence in a lineup is less exceptional. A pivotal point was American cellist Adbul Wadud's By Myself (Bishara, 1977), an album Tomeka Reid has acknowledged as an inspiration, and which may have played a part in her transition from classical music to jazz around ...
read moreOliver Schwerdt: Fucking Ballads
by Glenn Astarita
Pianist Oliver Schwerdt's Fucking Ballads is not just an album title; it is a declaration of sonic defiance, a rallying cry for those who dare to challenge the status quo. The juxtaposition of the genteel term “ballads" with the bold expletive “fucking" sets the stage for a musical escapade that is as cheeky as it is profound. From the opening notes of the album, Schwerdt and his ensemble are on a mission to disrupt the conventions of jazz. ...
read moreDiggin' Me Diggin' You - Celebrating Blossom Dearie's Centennial, Ella Fitzgerald, Ma Rainey & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast concludes Jazz Appreciation Month with new releases from Jacqui Naylor, Amina Figarova, Irina Zubareva and Gabrielle Stravelli, with birthday shoutouts to Ella Fitzgerald, Ma Rainey, Blossom Dearie (100!), Kendra Shank and Lara Downes, among others. Happy listening and please support the artists you hear by seeing them live and online. Purchase their music so they can continue to distract, comfort, provoke and inspire. Playlist Lynne Arriale Trio “Soul" from Being Human (Challenge) 00:00 Ella Fitzgerald & ...
read moreThe Core: Roots
by Mark Corroto
It has been over a decade since a release from the Norwegian jazz band The Core. Founded in 2001, the quartet released half a dozen albums before mostly going their separate ways. Saxophonist Kjetil Møster worked with Gard Nilssen, Mats Gustafsson, and Per Zanussi, pianist Erlend Slettevoll with Hedvig Mollestad and Petter Wettre, bassist Steinar Raknes with Tord Gustavsen, and drummer Espen Aalberg in the Basement Sessions with Jonas Kullhammar and Torbjörn Zetterberg. Roots, the ensemble's ninth recording, ...
read moreNoah Haidu: Standards II
by Pierre Giroux
On Standards II, pianist Noah Haidu embarks on a captivating journey through the jazz tradition, accompanied by bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Hart. The seven tracks were recorded at the Van Gelder studio. The album starts with “Somewhere Over the Rainbow." This track, famously sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 film “Wizard of Oz," became her signature song. The opening, delivered with finesse by Hart, sets the stage for Haidu to build the number from the ground up, ...
read moreInspired by Water
by Geno Thackara
Here we have a timeless theme that has been providing inspiration for artists as long as people have made art. It's easy to see why water is a perennial subject, and for something so endlessly changeable, it's no surprise that these works could hardly be more different. Fergus McCreadie Trio Stream Edition Records 2024 If the historical lineage of jazz is a series of classy figures dressed sharply for a night at the ...
read moreDave Douglas: Gifts
by Mark Corroto
When does one become an elder statesman in jazz? Is it a function of age? Awards? Discography? While that question is up for debate, it is beyond doubt that Dave Douglas is an éminence grise, except one who definitely does not work behind the scenes. When did he achieve this status? Was it when he was awarded a Guggenheim? Or the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award? Maybe it was when he started the label Greenleaf Music. A better case can ...
read moreRyosuke Kojima, Nicholas Folmer, L'Clair and Flying Machines
by Len Davis
Japanese bassist and composer Ryosuke Kojima, Flying Machines, Nicholas Folmer, and drummerAntoine Pierre. French band L'eclair, The Hypersonic Factor, Steve Hunt, Morten Schantz, Diamond Dust and John McLaughlin. Playlist Ryosuke Kojima “Fractal" from Updraft (Goon Trax) 00:00 Flying Machines “Fall In" from New Life (Ubuntu) 07:08 Nicholas Folmer “Around Pinnochio" from So Miles (Cristal Records) 14:16 Antoine Pierre-Urbex Electric “You Nod But You A'int" from Suspended (Outnote) 21:24 L'eclair “Still Steve" from Sauropoda (Stone Pixels)28:32 The Hypersonic Factor ...
read moreAlina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi: Altera Vita
by Chris May
Harpist Alina Bzhezhinska and saxophonist Tony Kofi's musical partnership began in 2015 and two years later made the main stage of the London Jazz Festival, opening the bill of A Concert For Alice And John at the Barbican concert hall. Also appearing, saxophonist Denys Baptiste's quartet and, top of the bill, Pharoah Sanders' quartet. It was a magical night. It would be an exaggeration to say that the relatively unknown Bzhezhinska stole the show (Sanders did that with the standard ...
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