Michael Ullman
Descriptions of Anna Webber’s music might make it seem intimidating. It is not — her compositions are stirring, amusing, and delightful, particularly in the shell games they play with variety and coherence.
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To my ears, the pieces in Entendre are fascinating, if not particularly funky.
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It’s easy to single out each of these musicians, but listeners will hear the three as nearly one, which is surely what this trinity intended.
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So Miguel Zenón, who on saxophone has the facility of a bebopper, which he uses discreetly, is here a singer as well as an instrumentalist.
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This set proves Monty Alexander a more varied pianist than one might have thought. The Ellis Marsalis album is a final gift from one of America’s treasures.
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Three recordings that testify to the chameleonic power of the (usually) avant-garde pianist Matthew Shipp.
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My guess is that Keith Jarrett probably wasn’t satisfied with this performance. I wouldn’t change a note, a gesture, or a shading.
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He may be extreme as a polemicist, but Ricky Riccardi shines when he sticks to jazz’s history.
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This 1969 concert by the Thelonious Monk Quartet was produced by a high school student and recorded by his school’s janitor. It presents this particular group at its optimistic best.
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Playing vinyl involves holding something in your hand, putting a needle down and, at least on my high end system, listening to sound quality that can mesmerize.
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Arts Commentary: Rich in Creativity — But Nothing Else