Ornette Coleman had burst into the public consciousness with his quartet, but for his two-week……...
Summer 2021
Prelude
The three big-band records from Turkish-born composer Mehmet Ali Sanlikol feature little of his piano playing, but…
Hello Future (Outside In Music), the sophomore album from pianist-composer Jorn Swart’s forward-looking trio, Malnoia, is rooted in the deep……...
Pianist and composer Yoonmi Choi traces the roots of 7 Days (Next Level), her majestic, genre-bending new trio album,……...
Traditions
Joe Chambers is the first to admit it: He messed up big. Having participated in……...
Contempo
At some point while they were recording Inflexion, the long-in-the-making debut album by the Russell Ferrante……...
Blu Notes
Nothing in modern music has managed to sound quite like the trio drummer Paul Motian……...
Magazine Features
Is there such a thing as “band at first sight?” The short but musically rich history……...
“The history of ‘creative music’ is kind of like the history of storming places,” Vijay Iyer……...
There’s an architectural principle that the triangle is the strongest shape: Three sides and three……...
“Underdocumented” is not an adjective that applies to pianist Matthew Shipp, who turned 60 last……...
Joe Lovano’s 2019 album, eponymously titled Trio Tapestry, opens with unhurried saxophone against an assortment of……...
Auditions
Charlie Hunter, Skerik and Stanton Moore of Garage a Trois (Photo: Courtesy the artists) When……...
Whether invoking ancestral tradition or innovating modern sounds, string musicians strive for a connection with……...
Ches Smith Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic) Drummer-composer Smith, who has immersed himself in Haitian vodou music……...
French saxophonist and composer Alban Darche has sourced 14 musicians from four different countries to……...
Since forming his group the Turnaround three decades ago, Puerto Rican trumpeter, bandleader, and composer……...
Exhilarating, cosmic, sublime: All come to mind when describing Breathe, the latest release from Hammond……...
Few jazz pianists arriving on the scene since the 1960s have been able to sidestep……...
Bass trombonist Jennifer Wharton’s second release with Bonegasm — a four-trombone frontline with rhythm section……...
Given the tremendous level of artistry on these two concerts — duo performances featuring pianist……...
Miguel Zenón is known as much for his methodical explorations of his Puerto Rican heritage……...
The most striking thing about Alexa Tarantino is her alto saxophone sound — not because……...
In the context of Charles Lloyd’s storied musical life, the Marvels might be viewed as……...
The innate cry of James Brandon Lewis’ tenor saxophone is the primal force that drives……...
Coda
Originally published on May 28, 2021. By Bill Milkowski It’s tough to accept the passing……...