Tag Archives: Jazz music

Mark Turner Quartet’s Live at the Village Vanguard

Mark Turner is a highly respected saxophonist with countless credits to his name as a leader and player in others’ ensembles. This is his first live release as a leader, and he chose to do it in the most storied … Continue reading

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Mike Jones, Penn Jillette and Jeff Hamilton’s Are You Sure You Three Guys Know What You’re Doing?

I may have known at some point that the world famous illusionist and humorist Penn Jillette was also a double bass player but if so, I’d forgotten that little fact until now. But here he is holding down the low … Continue reading

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Mulgrew Miller’s Solo in Barcelona

I have a fairly short list of pianists I care to listen to as solo artists. I prefer Brubeck with his quartet and even prefer my favorite, Bill Evans, in a trio or quartet setting. My short list for soloists … Continue reading

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Carsten Dahl’s The Solo Songs of Keith Jarrett

I’ve never been able to get into Keith Jarrett’s music, no matter how I tried. I’m one of those who’re put off by his vocalizations. I know it’s my loss, because he’s one of the most successful and highly honored … Continue reading

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Chuck Owen and the WDR Big Band’s Renderings

I don’t particularly follow any big bands but I always enjoy a good one, and Germany’s WDR Big Band is one of the best. Their pairing with American composer Chuck Owen and his arranging prowess makes for one of the … Continue reading

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Morten Georg Gismervik’s Dunes at Night

Here’s an album that’s hard to categorize. The young Norwegian guitarist and composer Morten Georg Gismervik’s Dunes at Night draws on contemporary jazz, classical, progressive, film scoring, and the wintry pallette of atmospheric Nordic jazz to tell a story of … Continue reading

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Yale Strom & Hot Pstromi’s The Wolf and the Lamb

Klezmer music has a long and fascinating history, and it’s continuing to add to that history as a living art form. The violinist, composer and ethnographer Yale Strom has been one of its leading proponents, with his band Hot Pstromi, … Continue reading

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Èlia Lucas Quartet’s Introspecció

Èlia Lucas Quartet’s Introspecció is a delightful album of accessible jazz. This empathetic ensemble conveys a variety of moods in a collection whose overall aspect it uplifting and life-affirming. The young Catalonian pianist and composer has a wealth of music … Continue reading

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Shane Simpson’s More Electric

It seems Canada is fast becoming a Mecca of undiscovered talent – for new artists previously unheard of on this side of the pond at least. This was certainly the case for me when I got my copy of More … Continue reading

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Magalí Sare & Manel Fortià’s ReTornar

Two Catalonian jazz/folk musicians take us on a tour of the Iberian peninsula, with an excursion or two into Latin America, in their boundary-ignoring second album together ReTornar. Magalí Sare has an immensely supple and emotive vocal instrument, and she … Continue reading

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