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
Engine: Robin Gentien, Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez, Pierre Lauth-Karson
Last spring, in a back room of Albuquerque’s Dialogue Brewing on seven successive Wednesday evenings, the trio Engine—Alejandro Tomás Rodriguez (acoustic guitar, vocals), Robin Gentien (electric guitar, vocals, cascas), and Pierre Lauth-Karson (harmonica, vocals, shakers)—presented a series of seven Encuentros Íntimos, or Intimate Encounters (reviewed here). The first of these events, essentially house concerts, attracted an audience of about 15 people, but word got out, and the last six were standing room only. This new release, available here, captures the final performance with remarkable fidelity and offers a valuable facsimile of the experience shared. Continue reading
hONEyhoUSe: Danielle Andrade, Mandy Buchanan, Yvonne Perea, Hillary Smith, Diane De Leon
People familiar with hONEyhoUSe’s earlier recordings might need to make a small adjustment to their expectations on hearing the new album, Kick Up the Dust, currently available here and at hONEyhoUSe concerts. The sound is different—softer, instrumentally richer, more polished, radio friendlier—but all the hONEyhoUSe earmarks are in place, and the magic is very much in play. Their message remains the same, and it might be summed up this way: “This is the only life/world we have. Ain’t it a beaut. Keep your head up, trust in goodness, and make the best of it. We know you can. Here, let us help.” Continue reading