A flood of recent releases is clogging up my in-box. Here are a few quick takes to get things moving again. Continue reading
Susan Abod
Vocalist/songwriter Susan Abod will celebrate the release of her new album, What’s Not Wrong?, this weekend in Santa Fe—and there’s a lot to celebrate about this jazzy chanteuse and her music. Continue reading
Max Moran. Photo by Jason Kruppa.
Powered by a new generation of New Orleans players, Neospectric, bassist Max Moran’s first release as a leader, rides a groove from the Crescent City’s funky tradition right into the 21st century. Continue reading
Two acknowledged masters of the vibraphone, Stefon Harris and Joe Locke, and a promising newcomer, Yuhan Su, each have new releases that will make vibrafans vibrate all over. Continue reading
New releases from the duo of pianist Kazzrie Jaxen and guitarist Bud Tristano and from the duo of pianist/vocalist Carol Liebowitz and saxophonist Birgitta Flick open cinematic landscapes of sound whose coherence, continuity, and complexities hang on a succession of momentary impulses. With the exception of only three tracks, the music flows not from the promptings of sheet music but from intuitive, collaborative improvisations that are as disciplined as they are unpredictable. This is not something that you will find yourself humming. Instead, it is music to immerse yourself in, the way divers immerse themselves in the ocean. The best description of this music and how to approach it that I’ve encountered comes from clarinetist Bill Payne: “Well, here’s a good way to look at it. If you just imagine the music as movie music—and you’re the movie—you’re set.” Continue reading