02 Jun
The Year We Turned It On by Ben Carr Trio
Monday, 02 June 2008
Published in
Progressive - CD Reviews
This piano-less trio is subtly misleading, because you can listen to it and groove to Carr’s sinuous tenor sax phrasing accompanied by the nuanced, modern rhythm unit of Le…
30 May
Summer Suite by Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York
Friday, 30 May 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Pianist/composer Satoko Fujii divides her time between New York City and Japan while communicating multicolored perspectives via her East and West, large ensemble record…
28 May
Hyper by Eric Vloeimans Gatecrash
Wednesday, 28 May 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
I first became aware of Dutch trumpeter Eric Vloeimans back in 1999 when I received a review copy of his critically praised album Bitches and Fairy Tales, featuri…
Nicaraguan-born pianist Donald Vega first gained national attention by winning Down Beat Magazine's 2007 Student Soloist Award. In 2008 he took first place at the Universit…
26 May
Live At The Nachbar by Duncan/Goldsby/Tiemann
Monday, 26 May 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
The story behind the Nachbar jazz venue can be traced back to the late 1800’s emigration of German immigrants, mainly skilled laborers, to Louisville, KY. Over …
19 May
Conversations with my Family by Mike Garson
Monday, 19 May 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
For over three decades pianist/composer Mike Garson has been best known for his association with pop star David Bowie. Along the way, the multi-faceted musician has pursued…
18 May
Filmtrax: ROBOT (Rats and other Memos) by Rent Romus' Jazz On The line Quartet
Sunday, 18 May 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Saxophonist/composer Rent Romus formed this band when attending the University of California in 1986 yet has also built a solid reputation with his avant approaches to m…
An interesting title, has guitarist Ryan Blotnick's first CD. In his liner notes he basically uses it to answer the age-old question, "If a young, very talented jazz qui…
Fusion jazz guitarist David "Fuze" Fiuczynski, known best for his work with Screaming Headless Torsos, has a discography list as long as an arm and has worked with more art…
This progressive-rock band hailing from the Philadelphia area partakes in slanted iterations of social consciousness amid elements of the macabre, while seamlessly fusin…
Not that keyboardist Angelica Sanchez’ 2008 release is derivative, but she yields fruitful dividends with New York sax hero Tim Berne’s frequent collaborators, bassist D…
25 Apr
Vol 1. Kolkhoznitsa by Kolkhöze Printanium
Friday, 25 April 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
This album by a French band that incorporates so many disparate styles into a singular group-centric voice stands as one of the surprise outings for me, during the 2008 …
24 Apr
The Scene by Dave/Steve The Stryker/Slagle Band
Thursday, 24 April 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
I first heard Steve Slagle about 15 years ago while he was with the Mingus Big Band when it was playing once a week at the Fez in Manhattan. (After a few years at the Ir…
22 Apr
Light In The Dark by Chris Stassinopoulos & Friends
Tuesday, 22 April 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
He’s performed with Vangelis and is considered an integral cog in the wheel of the Greek progressive-rock and avant-garde scenes. Here, drummer, keyboardist Chris Stassi…
16 Apr
A Film By Jerome de Missolz by DVD: Yohimbe Brothers Feat. Vernon Reid & DJ Logic
Wednesday, 16 April 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Here, French director Jerome de Missolz presents a trippy and psychedelic film of the Yohimbe Brothers in concert. Featuring guitar hero Vernon Reid and turntable…
12 Apr
Clockwise by Michael Bates' Outside Sources
Saturday, 12 April 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
I’ve said it before and will restate that bassist/composer Michael Bates possesses the goods to make a notable difference within the progressive-jazz community. With his…
The gentle voicing of Lizzy Parks highlights the orchestral tones of the swirling strings as a canopy of silky piano droplets canvass the songs on her latest CD Rais…
I led 3 lives presents Peace Now, an eleven title progressive-electronica musical endeavour intermingling in many different soundscapes. I led 3 lives is a format…
09 Apr
Brewed In Belgium by Alex Maguire Sextet
Wednesday, 09 April 2008
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British keyboardist Alex Maguire is a stylistic instrumentalist, possessing mega-chops who has proven that jazz hath no borders. Whether performing jazz-rock or aligning…
Saxophonist and composer Idit Shner, who grew up in Israel, joined the faculty of the University of Oregon as Instructor of Saxophone and Jazz Studies in 2006. Her educa…
30 Mar
Pitom by Yoshie Fruchter and Pitom
Sunday, 30 March 2008
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Guitarist and composer Yoshie Fruchter is another of John Zorn's recent musical discoveries who works in the increasingly audible - and visible - world of Radical Jewish Cu…
25 Mar
Gravity and Grace by Carolyn Hume
Tuesday, 25 March 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Keyboardist Carolyn Hume gained notoriety via her five ambient-minimalist albums with drummer Paul May for U.K. based Leo Records. As this recording serves as a follow-u…
I will boldly state that DFA’s fourth outing is its finest achievement to date. Those words might be a tad audacious since the Italian progressive/jazz-rock’s legacy is …
Bassist and composer, Jamie Ousley introduces his composing and arranging mastery by collaborating with longtime friends and band mates, Pianist Phil Strange and Drummer…
In Mercator, pianist/keyboardist Nick Manson has gathered a group of top musicians to record a CD commemorating Roby Duke, who died last year at 51.Manson hails f…
10 Mar
Eyes in the Back of My Head by Cosmologic
Monday, 10 March 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
The press material states that this 2008 release signifies the quartet’s first album that is backed by wider distribution, however it’s the band’s fourth effort to date …
08 Mar
The Same Thing by Darrell Katz's Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra
Saturday, 08 March 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Performance jazz albums are a rare gem, and composer, guitarist and co-founder of the Jazz Composers Alliance Orchestra, Darrell Katz embarks on the adventure with the s…
This 2008 effort marks the Canadian quartet’s fifth release and inaugural album for this estimable New York City-based progressive-rock and jazz record label. And after …
03 Mar
Confession and Release by Moonbound
Monday, 03 March 2008
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Fabio Trentini is a well-known European record producer and leads this project under the moniker of the musical entity Moonbound, which is a compelling release recorded …
02 Mar
Jack In The Green - Live In Germany: Recorded Between 1970-1993 by DVD: Jethro Tull
Sunday, 02 March 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Progressive-rock’s one and only Jethro Tull is nearing forty-years of service as a unit and its legacy continues via this 2008 DVD that highlights its performances in Ge…
27 Feb
Biomasa by Planeta Imaginario
Wednesday, 27 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
This Spanish jazz-rock octet has been creating a buzz since the launching of its 2004 release titled Que Me Dices. Yet greater exposure should be in order with th…
25 Feb
An die Musik by Nobu Stowe & Alan Munshower with Badal Roy
Monday, 25 February 2008
Published in
Progressive - CD Reviews
As a Psychologist/Neuroscientist, Baltimore resident Stobu Nowe might have some added insight, regarding the mind’s elucidation of melody within freely improvised musica…
22 Feb
The Pond by Manuel Mengis Gruppe 6
Friday, 22 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
His debut release Into the Barn was one of the unanticipated surprises of 2005. And as the liners intimate, Swiss trumpeter Manuel Mengis doesn’t rush into things…
20 Feb
Trial By Headline by Brainville 3
Wednesday, 20 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Legendary performers from legendary progressive-rock bands carve out their own little oddball niche on this live recording. Here, vocalist/guitarist Daevid Allen (Gong &…
15 Feb
Life in Leipzig by Ketil Bjornstad & Terje Rypdal
Friday, 15 February 2008
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The legacy of these two Norwegian musicians’ affiliation reverts back to 1994 when "The Sea" quartet was inaugurated and issued by this estimable record label. But due t…
15 Feb
Life in Leipzig by Ketil Bjornstad & Terje Rypdal
Friday, 15 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
The legacy of these two Norwegian musicians’ affiliation reverts back to 1994 when "The Sea" quartet was inaugurated and issued by this estimable record label. But due t…
14 Feb
Kick The Jazz by Jazz Crusaders featuring Wayne Henderson
Thursday, 14 February 2008
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Trombonist Wayne Henderson has been in the music business for the past 50 years. At the age of 68, he is taking the bebop gallops of Dizzy Gillespie and the swinging tra…
14 Feb
Music For Pictures by Trey Gunn
Thursday, 14 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
This 2008 effort by fretless touch guitarist/bassist Trey Gunn looms as a natural extension or perhaps progression of his evolving musicality, hearkening back to his ini…
14 Feb
Les Onze Tableaux de Lescouade by Michel Blanc
Thursday, 14 February 2008
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French drummer/percussionist and composer Michel Blanc is an idea-man and gifted technician who records for a cutting-edge record label that enlists artists who m…
13 Feb
Rotator by Michael Adkins Quartet
Wednesday, 13 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Canadian tenor saxophonist Michael Adkins has called New York City his home since 1998, after two stints at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. In turn,…
10 Feb
Dune by HUMI (Hugh Hopper & Yumi Hara Cawkwell)
Sunday, 10 February 2008
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Yumi Hara Cawkwell, is a psychiatrist who relocated to the UK in 1993 and went on to receive a PhD in composition at City University in London. She’s won several …
New York native, saxophonist and composer Jon Gordon began playing at the age of ten. Early years of lengthy practice led to solo appearances with the Julius Grossman or…
07 Feb
Hallway of Dreams by Kingfisher Sky
Thursday, 07 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
This is a superfine debut release by a Dutch progressive-rock band that seemingly aims to make a difference within the grand scheme of matters. Fronted by classically-tr…
The opening cut, "gNash," informs us of the album’s message: "The squeamish need not apply." A slightly off-kilter beat by Motian and Hebert underpins Kolker’s and Aberc…
04 Feb
January by Marcin Wasilewski Trio
Monday, 04 February 2008
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Beauty takes on various shapes and colors with this 2008 release, highlighting the broad talents of Polish pianist Marcin Wasilewski and his fellow countrymen. The trio …
01 Feb
Do The Hate Laugh Shimmy by Pete Robbins
Friday, 01 February 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
The title of saxophonist/composer Pete Robbins’ new 2008 effort is named after an e.e.cummings poem. And while he’s uncertain about the literal meaning, the phrase insti…
E_L_B is made up of three highly technically skilled and artistically developed musicians who originally came together and released their first CD in 2001. Now, seven ye…
29 Jan
Another Morning by Matt Jorgensen
Tuesday, 29 January 2008
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Drummer/percussionist Matt Jorgensen’s regular band releases this disc, Another Morning, their fourth studio recording on the Origin label. The longtime band mate…
25 Jan
Soundwall by Taylor's Universe with Denner
Friday, 25 January 2008
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Progressive - CD Reviews
Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor could conceivably become an ambassador for the overall betterment of progressive-rock. His 2008 release conveys a sense of anti…
With her first release for ECM Records in over a decade, legendary vocalist Norma Winstone aligns her multifarious talents with a German-Italian duo for a jazz-chamber l…