Jazz
Nels Cline 4 is a group that can cross musical and cultural boundaries with exhilarating ease.
Lionel Loueke is a unique voice, who has managed to bring a number of influences together without weakening or undermining any of them.
Pianist Harold López-Nussa is his own bold and expressive rhythm section.
On these two discs you’ll find masterfully played, engaging excursions into the tonal beyond.
There are no missteps on this disc. Buster Williams and company make all the complications swing, mightily.
The show had an undercurrent that brought to the fore all the issues that have put Wynton Marsalis at the center of the culture wars.
By taking the stage with 15 musicians, none of whom is female, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra presents the music as segregated and outdated.
Perhaps the idea is for the listener to come up with their own ideal blend, sort of a mix and max approach regarding the strengths in each disc.
While perhaps not more than the sum of its parts — that would be hard to imagine — the music on this tribute disc has its own vitality and stands well on its own.
Jazz Commentary: Greg Hopkins Big Band at Ryles — Whither Big Bands?
At this time in the Boston jazz scene, there are no ongoing spaces for big bands and, predictably, the number of such ensembles has shrunk.
Read More about Jazz Commentary: Greg Hopkins Big Band at Ryles — Whither Big Bands?