Jazz
Two big bands, two different sides of the tradition.
A couple of adventurous pianists decided, as their latest solo releases confirm, to use forced isolation as a spur to inspiration.
It’s rare to find a band that so naturally assimilates its individual voices to strike a collective palette.
Radiating a shaman-like mysteriousness, Maria Schneider prowled the performance space, calling forth dark twists and turns from the collective while summoning anguished expressions from the soloist.
The life of a working musician is not a second-class life, and Mimi Rabson’s is Exhibit A: “I try to get past the limits of the definitions and get to the joy.”
This live performance recording showcases the Boston-based singer/pianist Kemp Harris’s merrily eclectic approach — it is a thought-stirring and animated musical excursion.
One disc pays expert homage to the late pianist Harold Mabern; pianist Yoko Miwa’s latest album supplies much appreciated exuberance.
On Welfare Jazz, Viagra Boys succeed through their skillful manipulation of pure bombast, spurred on by haywire grooves as well as plenty of oversized personality.
Boston’s Fred Taylor was by turns (and often simultaneously) a recording engineer, promo man, artist manager, talent scout, press agent, newspaper columnist, concert promoter, club manager, nightclub owner, restaurant, and movie house owner.
Jazz Special Feature: Chick Corea (1941-2021) — Memories and Impressions
Fuse critics pay homage to Chick Corea performances and recordings that they found memorable.
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