Tag Archives: Jazz music

Frode Haltli’s Avant Folk II

I’ve been enamored of the music of Norwegian accordionist Frode Haltli since he appeared as one third of the Snowflake Trio at Celtic Colours International Festival in 2013. In that group he, Irish flautist and singer Nuala Kennedy, and Norwegian … Continue reading

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Ilkka Heinonen Trio’s Lohtu (Solace)

Finnish musician and composer Ilkka Heinonen plays the jouhikko, a bowed version of the kantele, a box lyre or zither common in Karelian dance music of Finland and Russia. In this album Lohtu (Solace) he has made a recording that … Continue reading

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Franco Ambrosetti Band’s Lost Within You

To mark his 79th birthday in December 2020, the Swiss jazz icon Franco Ambrosetti has made an album of ballads with the all-star ensemble that was with him on his 2019 release Long Waves. The composer and trumpeter — who … Continue reading

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Ethan Iverson Quartet’s Common Practice

I took in a set of avant-garde acoustic jazz by trumpeter Tom Harrell and his piano-less quartet at the Village Vanguard in 2018. It was a mesmerizing but at times puzzlingly opaque (for me) set from Harrell, who was voted … Continue reading

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Gary’s favorite jazz and experimental music of 2020

A lot of my absolute favorite music of 2020 was instrumental: jazz and especially various kinds of experimental music. Some of it I reviewed here at GMR, some I didn’t. Here’s a look at 10 of my favorites in this … Continue reading

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Elina Duni and Rob Luft’s Lost Ships

I was utterly beguiled by Elina Duni the first time I heard her sing, which was on the ECM debut of her longtime quartet, 2012’s Matanë Malit. On that first album and the follow-up Dallëndyshe with Colin Vallon, Patrice Moret … Continue reading

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Michel Benita Quartet’s Looking At Sounds

It starts with Michel Benita’s syncopated three-note upward bass run, which is directly joined by Philippe Garcia’s hand-played drum, the two setting up a hypnotic polyrhythmic base for this opening tune “Dervish Diva.” Jozef Dumoulin’s Fender Rhodes then eases in, … Continue reading

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Brian Scarborough’s Sunflower Song

Brian Scarborough is a trombonist and composer with influences that include two of the great centers of jazz in the Midwest: Kansas City and Chicago. From the Kansas City area where he grew up and currently lives, performs and teaches, … Continue reading

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PRIM’s Garnet Tales

Vienna-based PRIM isn’t the first or only ensemble to challenge the expectations of the piano trio format. But they’re doing it with a lot of wit and intelligence, as we see on their latest release Garnet Tales. I see them … Continue reading

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Jean-Louis Matinier and Kevin Seddiki’s Rivages

This may be too personal a way to start a review, but I was listening to this album when I got word that John Prine had died. In particular, the haunting, elegiac cover of French film composer Philippe Sarde’s “Chanson … Continue reading

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