Hugh Masekela’s Live in Lesotho is a great album of celebratory music intertwined with a beautiful story of homecomings of Miriam Makeba and himself. The region of southern Africa has deep meaning to me, so while I won’t go into super detail about the history of the record, I will talk about my relationship with
So you survived one jazz marathon, and you’re reminded by the wet wristband still on your arm after showering that there’s at least one more marathon to go. The second night of the Winter Jazzfest Marathon is full of, perhaps, even more difficult decisions, which is to say it has scheduled so many intriguing and
Winter Jazzfest is upon us, finally fulfilling the promise of a true “winter squall” that New York’s weather alert system so dramatically texted you about. Though it started days ago with some of its higher profile satellite events, real heads know the heart of the festival isn’t in manageable one-show-per-night events, but rather in the
Los Angeles-based alto saxophonist Patrick Shiroishi is set to release another record, this time on the Thin Wrist label. For this release, Shiroishi delved into the personal and political terrain of concentration camps both as they relate to his family history and in the current cycle of immigrant and minority oppression, in what feels nothing
Editorial based on interviews written and conducted by Eline Marx Patricia Nicholson is an artist and the founder and director of the free jazz organization Arts for Art (AFA). In 2016, I was interning at Arts for Art and taking one-on-one dance classes with Patricia when William Parker suggested I interview her in the perspective
Percussionist Flin van Hemmen has been a catalyst for many things happening in New York since he arrived in 2007. He has released two records under his own name, Drums of Days in 2016, and just in September he followed with Casting Spells & the Coves, both on Neither/Nor Records. He has also been a central figure
Guest Reviewer: John Pietaro Composer: Benjamin Barson, Librettist: Ruth Margraff (Nejma Nefertiti, tracks 7-8) From its opening notes, US composer-baritone saxophonist Ben Barson’s suite for this “epic jazz opera” speaks of the revolutionary politics from which it is derived. With a firm grasp on the canon of liberation music before him, Barson (a student of
Carlo Costa has played a transformative role on the New York improvised music scene since he moved here in 2005. Originally from Rome, he studied at Berklee College of Music before moving to the city and studying with master percussionist Susie Ibarra through CUNY-City College. Since arriving in New York, Costa has been a major
Ami Yamasaki is a vocalist from Japan who has been doing innovative work for quite a few years now. I had the opportunity to see her perform with alto saxophonist Chris Pitsiokos in the Limited Resources series at Muchmore’s on February 6, 2019, and after that I approached her to do an interview. Yamasaki just
Aron Namenwirth’s Hurricane begins with a quiet storm gaining momentum. As sound unfolds the images on the album cover are imbued with meaning. The dark painted spirals suggest a kind of “fun house” trip to come; one where sounds bend and contort until traditional bass, percussion, and piano sounds abstractly familiar. The opening chord of
