Author Archives: Mel Minter

Messing Around with the Nealand/McDermott Duo and with Ben Goldberg

  • Aurora Nealand
  • Tom McDermott
  • Ben Goldberg. Photo by John Rudoff.

The duo of Aurora Nealand and Tom McDermott inhabit a musical world quite different from that of Ben Goldberg, but they all share several characteristics. They are comfortable in a number of different genres. They have no problem mixing those genres. They are superb composers, whether with paper and pen or on the fly. So they get to share this post. On Live at Luthjens, Nealand and McDermott cover a wide swathe of American music (and one Polish piece) in their inimitable way, and in Plague Diary, Goldberg finds a way to while away the time productively and, at times, mesmerizingly.

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New Releases from Artists Familiar and New (to Me)

  • Falkner Evans group: Matt Wilson, Steve Nelson, Ron Horton, Evans, Ted Nash, Michael Blake, Belden Bullock. Photo by Jimmy Katz.
  • Phraim: Marc Mezgolits, Peter Primus Frosch, Nina Reiter, Stephan Plecher. Photo by Felix Groteloh.

On Marbles, pianist/composer Falkner Evans employs a sextet (occasionally septet) of stellar and well-known New York musicians to produce richly colored harmonies across nine original compositions. On Tides, the Swiss quartet Phraim, fronted by vocalist Nina Reiter, delivers a robust collection of distinctively original compositions that blend elements of rock, jazz, and art song.

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Two New (to Me) Pianists Light Up My Ears

  • Rudy Royston, Art Hirahara, Melissa Aldana, Joe Martin. Photo by Sara Pettinella.
  • Mara Rosenbloom, Rashaan Carter, Anaïs Maviel

Pianists Art Hirahara and Mara Rosenbloom remind me how little I know about the jazz world. Though I’ve been writing about it in one place or another for almost 20 years, it still has many pleasant surprises in store for me. The latest recordings by each of these pianists are prime examples.

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New Releases from Omer Avital—Qantar and Dennis Kwok Offer Original Jazz

  • Qantar: Alexander Levin, Omer Avital, Eden Ladin, Ofri Nehemya, Asaf Yuria. Photo by Lior Tzemach.
  • Dennis Kwok (foreground) and the Dennis Kwok Jazz Orchestra

Further proof, if any were needed, that jazz is a global music is delivered by these new releases from people who are not from the United States. On New York Paradox, the Moroccan/Yemenite bassist Omer Avital offers original compositions inflected with the vibes of Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East, and his quartet grooves them beautifully. From Canada comes multireed player Dennis Kwok, heading a well-disciplined big band of millennials playing his original suite, Outward Bound.

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Deep in the Heart of Jazz: New Albums from George Burton and Jimmy Greene

  • George Burton. Photo by Lauren Desberg.
  • Jimmy Greene. Photo by Anna Webber.

A few weeks ago, when I complained about many jazz solos sounding the same these days, I discovered that I was not alone. One colleague put it this way: “Too many jazz degrees, not enough jazz players.” Well, we don’t need to worry about that on these two releases. Most of these folks have jazz degrees, and they are all jazz players.

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