South African pianist and composer Nduduzo Makhathini brings his trio, with bassist Zwelakhe-Duma Bell le Pere and drummer Kabelo Boy Mokhatla, and his new album, uNomkhubulwane, which records a spiritual journey from grief to hope, to the Outpost this Sunday.
The must-listen pile is reduced by two more, with short reviews of these new releases from an unusual trio (Bill Frisell, Kit Downes, and Andrew Cyrille) and a more traditional quartet (Ben Wendel, Gerald Clayton, Linda May Han Oh, and Obed Calvaire).
On Thursday, October 31, Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet will make its debut performance at the Outpost. Comprising five stellar improvisers—Melford (piano and melodica), Ingrid Laubrock (saxophones), Mary Halvorson (guitar), Tomeka Reid (cello), and Leslie Mok (drums)—the group plays vivid, life-affirming compositions by Melford, a sensitive synesthete, inspired by the paintings of Cy Twombly, specifically his Gaeta Set (For the Love of Fire and Water). Musically Speaking had the opportunity to speak with Melford, one of the brightest luminaries on the jazz scene.
Slowly but surely I am reducing the height of the must-listen pile. Here are short reviews of two keepers from the Tobias Hoffman Jazz Orchestra and violinist Jenny Scheinman.
Summertime presents a number of obstacles to listening, so I’m going to try to catch up on a few previous releases while also checking out some newer ones by posting some briefer reviews. This week, we feature five releases from five very different jazz neighborhoods: cellist Janel Leppin’s Ensemble Volcanic Ash; clarinetist Anat Cohen’s Quartetinho; guitarist and bassist, respectively, Rich Peare and Don Messina; drummer Matt Wilson’s Good Trouble quintet; and flautist Jamie Baum’s Septet +. Something for just about every jazz fan.
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