Category Archives: Previews

Kristina Jacobsen and Meredith Wilder Take ‘Elemental’ Approach to New Album

Kristina Jacobsen and Meredith Wilder. Photo by Jesse Littlebird Photography, © 2018.

Two of the region’s admired singer/songwriters, Albuquerque’s Kristina Jacobsen and Meredith Wilder, the latter now residing in Louisville, Colorado, are this week releasing their much anticipated EP, Elemental, whose six cowritten tracks illuminate recent personal challenges and epiphanies in their lives. The handmade album also offers a testament to the process of songwriting collaboration that the two have been exploring over the last couple of years. They’ll celebrate the release with two appearances this weekend in Albuquerque. Continue reading →

Guitar Heroes Honor the Late Guitar Hero Steve Maase on the Release of His Book, ‘Music Theory You Can Use’

Steve Maase. Courtesy of Lily Maase.

This Saturday at the Outpost, the Inaugural Steve Maase Legacy Guitar Summit will celebrate the life of local guitar legend Steve Maase and mark the official worldwide release of his book, Music Theory You Can Use, a guitar method book over 20 years in the making. Presented by his daughter Lily Maase, a formidable guitarist, producer, bandleader, and educator in her own right, and Guitar Dad Productions, the event includes three generations of Steve’s students. Included are several top-drawer names in the guitar world—Tim Pierce and Mikey Wright, whose work has backed such artists as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, and Elton John on more than 1,000 albums; and Eric McFadden—each of whom, like Lily herself, began their journey up the fingerboard here in Albuquerque under Steve’s tutelage. They’ll be joined by the rhythm section of the Great Blue Whales, the Albuquerque band with whom Steve played for years. “What we’re really trying to do is present an evening-long overview of who my father was as a player and how he touched us as a musician,” says Lily. The evening will include both some of Steve’s original music that has never been heard before, which Lily will play, and the music that helped shape him as a musician. Continue reading →

Circuit Rider Embraces the Mystery

Circuit Rider: Bill Frisell, Ron Miles, and Brian Blade. Photo by John Spiral.

Circuit Rider comprises three of the most accomplished—and most generous—musicians on the planet: cornetist Ron Miles, guitarist Bill Frisell, and drummer Brian Blade. They ride into Albuquerque on February 25 for an Outpost fundraiser, and they bring with them a timely musical message that is reflected in both their material and their approach to it. Continue reading →

Interview with Pianist/Composer Omar Sosa: Messages from Spirit, Light, and the Ancestors

Omar Sosa

Back in 2004, when Cuban pianist and composer Omar Sosa released his masterwork, Mulatos, I described him as the otic equivalent of the Very Large Array, and as the years have progressed, his ears have only gotten bigger. They suck in electronic and acoustic sounds from North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, Arabia, and Asia, which he weaves into organic sonic tapestries on the warp of Afro-Cuban–inflected jazz, often in collaboration with artists from around the world.

This week he brings his Quarteto AfroCubano—his musical home base, if you will, featuring Cuban saxophonist Leandro Saint-Hill, Mozambican electric bassist Childo Tomas, and Cuban drummer Raul Pineda—to the Outpost. I had the opportunity to interview him a couple of weeks ago. His positive energy is infectious, both on the phone and at the piano. He spoke with great animation and frequent laughter on topics ranging from his musical mission to his latest recording (the sublime Transparent Water, reviewed here) to the profound influence of Thelonious Monk.

Our edited conversation, along with details about the upcoming concert, follows. Continue reading →

Saxophonist Glenn Kostur Celebrates Excellent New Album with CD Release Party

Glenn Kostur Group (from left to right): Jim White, drums; Erik Applegate, bass; Dana Landry, pianos; Steve Kovalcheck, guitar; and Glenn Kostur, saxophones.

It may take you a while to get past “That’s the Way of It,” the opening track of saxophonist Glenn Kostur’s new album, The Way of It (Artist Alliance Records), because you may keep hitting the repeat button. An optimistic blues shuffle with a hard bop edge, this Kostur original has a punchy head that can bubble up out of nowhere while you’re loading the dishwasher or daydreaming at a red light, and set your head to bobbing.

It’s an excellent start to this welcome collection of 10 mainstream tracks—6 originals and 4 standards—with Kostur on bari and tenor, backed by Steve Kovalcheck (guitar), Dana Landry (pianos), Erik Applegate (bass), and Jim White (drums). Kostur will celebrate the album’s release in concert at the Outpost this Thursday with these same sidemen, as well as special guest vocalist Hillary Smith. “That’s the Way of It” could well open the set, so don’t be late. Continue reading →