Michael Ullman

Book Review: “Every Song Ever” — Notes From an Enigmatic Ear

July 26, 2016
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Ben Ratliff’s volume about how to listen to music is full of fairly radical but largely undefended assertions.

Jazz CD Review: The Fred Hersch Trio — A Memorable “Sunday Night at the Vanguard”

July 19, 2016
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Time has only made the members of this trio more adventurous as well as accomplished.

Jazz CD Review: Charlie Parker — The Unheard — But Indispensable — Bird

July 11, 2016
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It’s easy to recommend this new two disc set, where the miracle that was Charlie Parker is on glorious display again and again.

Fuse Appreciation: Henry Threadgill — A Pulitzer Prize for “In For a Penny, In For a Pound”

April 22, 2016
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Over the decades, avant-garde jazz musical Henry Threadgill has not only enriched but remade the musical landscape.

Concert Review: Creative Music Convergences, Concert One

April 13, 2016
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Live, the experience of a cosmic rhythm with every stroke is both more intense and more intriguing than on record.

Jazz CD Review: Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith — Exploring Cosmic Possibilities in Sound

March 21, 2016
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Pianist Vijay Iyer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith produce music that is precise and quietly evocative, peaceful and gently probing.

Album Review: Weather Report — Definitively Live

December 29, 2015
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These live recordings capture Weather Report’s sound during its most celebrated years.

Music Feature: Top Jazz Albums of 2015

December 6, 2015
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How does one keep a big band together long enough to make such brilliantly evocative sessions as that by Maria Schneider and the others listed here?

Fuse Album Review: Fresh Improvisational Sounds from Finland’s TUM Records

December 3, 2015
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According to its web site, TUM operates mainly thanks to volunteers. We should be grateful.

Concert Review: Pianist Fred Hersch—A Wonder of a Soloist

October 31, 2015
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As a soloist, Fred Hersch is a wonder: he plays with an active, to the point of restless, two-handed style that sweeps a listener along with its lyrical fervor.

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