Adventurous jazz is not always as much fun to listen to as it is on Hero Trio, a stellar meeting of compositions, arrangements, and astute performances propelled by real passion.
Steve Feeney
Jazz Concert Review: Livestream — Billy Hart Quartet at the Village Vanguard
The exhilarating power of live music in a small club blazed forth whenever the momentum built loud and hard toward a stirring transition.
Jazz Album Reviews: Matthew Shipp and Whit Dickey — Unrepentant Proponents of Free Jazz
Decades on, Matthew Shipp and Whit Dickey have grown into mature models of how to keep the faith when following an idiosyncratic muse.
Jazz CD Reviews: Lakecia Benjamin & Dave Liebman Group — Rejuvenating the Past
I’d have to give the edge to Dave Liebman in terms of innovative creative reach. But Lakecia Benjamin more than holds her own in how she gives re-vitalizing attention to some very important musical roots.
Jazz Album Review: Liberty Ellman’s “Last Desert” — Going the Distance
Last Desert proves that guitarist Liberty Ellman and his group can dance when they want
Best Jazz Recordings (and Live Concerts), 2019
Pianist Kris Davis’s Diatom Ribbons and the multi-disc set Nat King Cole’s Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936-43) are among the albums that made more than one list.
Jazz Album Review: jaimie branch’s “FLY or DIE II: bird dogs of paradise” — Into the Outer Reaches
jaimie branch knows music has to be wild and dangerous and beautiful to cut through all the distractions of our times.
Jazz CD Review: Two Quartets Discover Exhilarating New Terrain
The powerful quartets on The People I Love and Terra Incognita work toward locating places beyond notation where, in each moment, new vistas may emerge.
Jazz Album Review: “Swing Symphony” — Quintessential Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis’ Swing Symphony is his third effort in the grand form.
Jazz CD Review: Anthony Braxton – Quartet (New Haven) 2014 — Freely Creative Music
This set of discs will be a delight for any fan of advanced (and incredibly sustained) creativity in music.