This week I had the great pleasure of viewing Yo-Yo Ma’s Tiny Desk Concert on NPR’s website. I’ve been a fan of his playing for years, especially his rendition(s) of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Cello Suites (of which I was introduced to through the legendary cellist Pablo Casals[1]). Like most of the series, the worldly performer
Kyoko Kitamura’s quartet, Tidepool Fauna, just released their debut album “Protean Labyrinth” on August 10. Joined by Ingrid Laubrock on tenor saxophone, Ken Filiano on bass, and Dayeon Seok on drums, Kitamura leads the group through the eight tracks on the record with her brilliant vocalization. While the instrumentation allows for a large and full
A brilliant example of an album that conveys the strength of the musicians playing, Faustian Pact by Kinsmen and Strangers is one record that I could continue to listen to throughout the day at any moment. Consisting of Jon Crompton on alto saxophone, James Wengrow on guitar, and Mike Alfieri on drums, the trio maintains
Charmaine Lee’s record, Ggggg, is an unconventional exploration of noise. The first track “CHUK” gurgles and snores through what sounds like a synthesizer. Immediately, the cover makes sense. Lee’s face is pushed against a glass surface. She looks contained and uncomfortable. The sound we hear is comparable to what one might imagine a body (either animal
Throw Tomatoes is an open call for listeners to honestly respond to the music however they would like to, even if that includes, as Matt Piet states in the liner notes, “If you are revolted by the madness of our method, well, by all means, revolt: throw tomatoes.” The two completely unapologetic and energy filled
Duo records are made for the patient listener. There is typically a special kind of intimacy unfolding that invites interpretation or alienates those within earshot. Depending on the genre (loose use of the term here) and the methodology of the musicians, great ideas can become historic documents or forgotten works. Consider John Coltrane’s Interstellar Space
The opening track on Fodder, released in January this year, sounds like a Friday night in the city … It is alive and crazed, moving in pursuit of a hot moment at a small bar or dancefloor. Though somewhat odd as “fodder” can mean “food,” I listen to this track and feel the energy of
At the height of the 1960s through 1970s Cecil McBee was a very busy man. The bassist extraordinaire had appeared, probably, on hundreds of Jazz LPs ranging from unknown to classic. Just scrolling through my personal record collection, or his Discogs page, can boggle the mind of any collector, or new jack to the game,
Guitarist Matteo Liberatore’s, Solos, released early this year, is a study of sound and the direction it takes when odd objects manipulate seemingly ordinary instruments. Liberatore uses the acoustic guitar the way a visual artist might use the end of a paintbrush. He does not limit himself to strumming or even tapping on the guitar’s surface,
Guest Writer: Vanessa Vargas An immensely talented composer, improviser, and guitarist, Mary Halvorson has been active in the avant-garde jazz scene in New York since 2002. In the past eight years, she has released seven album recordings – six of them demonstrating her skill as a bandleader and one as a solo guitarist. Her original
