Two piano trios, each led by an artist new to me, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto and Henry Hey, speak the same language, but in quite different dialects.
Two Threes with New Releases
Pianist Harold López-Nussa Renovates the Cuban Tradition (at the Outpost 11/19)
Until recently, I was unfamiliar with award-winning Cuban pianist/composer Harold López-Nussa, and so my main interest in the appearance of his quartet at the Outpost was focused more on the phenomenal Swiss-born harmonica player Grégoire Maret, long a favorite of mine, who is a member of the quartet. Then, I heard López-Nussa’s most recent release, Timba a la Americana, and several previous releases, and now I’m as excited to see and hear him as I am to see and hear Maret. This Sunday, November 19, the equally phenomenal López-Nussa will introduce his innovative renovation of Latin jazz. Prepare to be wowed.
Jazzed: New Releases from Dan Tepfer and Miguel Zenón, Myra Melford, Billy Mohler, and Lafayette Gilchrist
Here are four distinctively different projects that fall, to one degree or another, under the jazz umbrella—from the Dan Tepfer and Miguel Zenón duo, Myra Melford’s Fire and Water Quintet, Billy Mohler’s chordless quartet, and Lafayette Gilchrist’s sextet. They offer distinctly different musical experiences, but they all share one thing: no one else sounds anything like any of them.
Vocalist Patti Littlefield Fronts Stellar Band at the Outpost
Vocalist Patti Littlefield has been a popular mainstay on the Albuquerque–Santa Fe scene for many years, but she’s been out of sight for several years thanks to a variety of personal circumstances that sapped her energy. On November 2, at the Outpost, newly energized, she’ll be fronting a band of local all-stars for the first time in almost five years, and you will want to hear what she’s been cooking up.
Alex Murzyn, John Funkhouser, and Terry Burns Release Terrific Album: ‘Artrio—one’
Artrio—one, a new release from saxophonist Alex Murzyn, pianist John Funkhouser, and bassist Terry Burns—resident New Mexicans all—offers a master class in small ensemble jazz and a satisfying reminder of the high quality of the musicians here in New Mexico. They’ll celebrate their work with a CD release party at Q Bar, Friday, October 6. I was honored by their invitation to write the album’s liner notes, which, slightly adapted, also provide this review.