Michael Ullman
This disc is mainly a showcase for guitarist Nels Cline’s compositions as well as his cleverness at commanding group improvisation.
Read More
Every guitarist should listen carefully to this album. And then maybe some Johnny Smith.
Read More
Ronnie Cuber makes the high-speed acceleration sound lyrical as well as virtuosic; the band obliges with solos that come off as much more than your standard bop band running the changes.
Read More
Miguel Zenón’s extraordinary writing for strings and saxophone makes use of ever-changing textures generated out of jazz, Puerto Rican folk, and classical music.
Read More
You might argue that this session was forgotten, but this new release shouldn’t be thought of as lost — because no one was looking for it
Read More
Nightconcert contains enough that is new and fresh to make this album one of the exciting discoveries of the year.
Read More
One of the most astonishing sets of my week in Montreal featured two Frenchmen, accordionist Vincent Peirani and soprano saxophonist Émile Parisien.
Read More
Among the festival’s highlights: pianist-singer Jeremy Dutcher, who arrived on the stage of the tiny space Gésu dressed in shorts and a long flowing black robe with a hood.
Read More
Pianist Harold López-Nussa is his own bold and expressive rhythm section.
Read More
There are no missteps on this disc. Buster Williams and company make all the complications swing, mightily.
Read More
Arts Commentary: Rich in Creativity — But Nothing Else