Flow Trio, "Set Theory" Live at the Stone, Sounding Better Than Ever
The Flow Trio do that. Flow. They flow in a free manner. They flow because each player sets up the other players with what he does, allowing them to invent fertile extended collective improvisations. You can hear that at great length on their Set Theo…
Vibrant Historical Reconstruction with Brian Carpenter’s "Hothouse Stomp"
Early jazz was not a matter of three or four bands with monster soloists playing in a vacuum. Not every band had the over- powering playing of Armstrong, Oliver or Keppard gracing the front line. And jazz as it flowered was not merely a showcase for s…
Francois Carrier Trio + 1 with Bobo Stenson, "Entrance 3", EnTRANCEs
Francois Carrier has style. He keeps a balance between sound, linear content and expressivity in ways that are original and enlivening. When he gathered his alto, his trio and guest Bobo Stenson on piano at the Vancouver Jazz Fest in 2002, there was s…
Ken Peplowski Keeps It Fresh and Vibrant with "In Search of. . . "
For someone who is playing within a tradition, it is important to keep inspiration high, to keep yourself challenged and contributing on a high level. Where perhaps some have fallen victim over time to a kind of creeping fungus of the repertoire, the …
Delfeayo Marsalis’s New Version of Ellington’s "Sweet Thunder"
Duke Ellington’s post Newport-1955 work for Columbia to me is one of the cornerstones of his output. The suite in tribute to Shakespeare, Such Sweet Thunder, first recorded for the label during that period, I rank high on the list of my Ellington favor…
Sunny Murray in Duet with Sabir Mateen: "We Are Not at the Opera," 1998
Many if not most of the readers of this blog will know that drummer Sunny Murray is the godfather of “free” drumming. He played with critically important improvisers of the new thing musical explosion in the early sixties (like Ayler, Taylor) and he de…
Bob Gluck’s Exceptional Piano Trio Outing: "Returning"
Bob Gluck goes his own way. He is an excellent pianist, with harmonic and melodic ideas to spare. His recent Returning (FMR 292-0710) finds him in formidable company. Drummer Dean Sharp has the sensitivity and big ears to thrive in the intimate free-or…
Elliott Caine Sextet Live On "Hippie Chicks" CD
Despite the psychedelic title (Hippie Chicks On Acid)(Wondercap 07006) and the tongue-in-cheek cover art, this CD documents a modern hard bop sextet date shading into energy territory (something like Lee Morgan in the Lighthouse period).
Trumpeter Ell…
Nordic Connect Weigh In With The Tuneful "Spirals"
Nordic Connect? Yes. We have the band’s Spirals, their second CD (Artist Share 0097), a jazz-rock present day program with some tuneful originals penned by the various band members. Ingrid Jensen appears to be the bandleader and she turns in some very…
Toots Thielemans’ Harmonica Live with His European Quartet
Everybody knows that Toots Thielemans IS jazz harmonica. He is the man. He phrases like a horn. Others have followed in his wake but he continues to lead the way. If you listen to the late George Shearing’s Quintet in the early 50s, when Toots was the …
