Author Archives: Mel Minter

Trumpeter Steven Bernstein Celebrates His Contradictions

Steven Bernstein. Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff.

How can one man be simultaneously so sleek and so greasy, so in and so out—and hip, besides? Maybe, in part, it’s his deep appreciation of the past, the ur-music, and his enthusiasm for its unpredictable and ongoing efflorescence. However he does it, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and band leader Steven Bernstein has made this contradictory fusion his trademark, and he’s just announced Community Music, a project that will release four new albums over the course of a year. Recorded in January 2020 with two of his working aggregations, the Millennial Territory Orchestra and The Hot 9, the albums document his arrangements and compositions, many never before heard, and you can check out (and purchase, if you like) the Community Music sampler, now available on Bandcamp, which offers a track from each album.

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From South America, with Love: Roxana Amed

Roxana Amed

I’ve fallen for another South American female vocalist. First, there was Luciana Souza (Brazil), who was quickly followed by Claudia Villella (Brazil), Claudia Acuña (Chile), and Sofia Rei (Argentina). Now, also from Argentina, comes Roxana Amed, with a poetic turn of phrase, a seductive warmth, and a remarkable instrument.

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Albuquerque Rocks

Most of the rock and roll I listen to is older than dirt. However, the latest releases from Prism Bitch and The Ordinary Things have shifted the percentage of rock and roll in my current rotation and drastically lowered the average age of the material.

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Refreshing New Releases from Randal Despommier and Chris Pattishall

Two artists new to me, alto saxophonist Randal Despommier and pianist Chris Pattishall, bring it with their debut recordings as leaders. The soulful Despommier’s five originals and two covers offer a playlist of his life in multiple genres, while Pattishall recasts Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite in a faithful but near hallucinatory quintet-plus-one version.

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Pianist Omar Sosa Blends ‘Field Recordings’ of East African Musicians with Jazz and Contemporary Elements

Omar Sosa and Olith Ratego

While on tour in East Africa in 2009, pianist/composer Omar Sosa embarked on a musical safari, equipped not with a rifle, but with mobile recording equipment (and a very able sound engineer, Patrick Destandeau), a love of African musical cultures, and a vast imagination. Now, 12 years later, Sosa releases An East African Journey (available March 5), which combines exquisite recordings of traditional musicians with augmentations from Sosa and colleagues—the latest chapter in Sosa’s long-standing fascination with blending the folkloric and the modern, the acoustic and the electronic.

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