Daniel Carter | Shanir Ezra Blumenkrantz | Kevin Zubek | Chinatown | Not Two Records

This recording by Chinatown an unusual trio made up of downtown’s wildly diverse music scene, finds the venerable free player Daniel Carter still doing his thing, this time with a young, unique rhythm section. Bassist Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz’s playing is muscular and gutteral, and his bowing is turgidly pleasing. On this outing he also shows off his prowess on the oud. Drummer Kevin Zubek, mostly self-taught, has an unconventional drumming style—spacious and asymmetrical, largely eschewing standard jazz or even free jazz rhythms. He sits oddly high at the kit and attacks with what seems an impossibly awkward comportment to some, but produces percussive music that transcends technique. This trio toured Poland last year, where they developed a strong rapport from the sound of it, and landed a recording deal with the Polish label Not Two. — All About Jazz Continue reading

Trio Tarana | Five Nights | Not Two Records

If cutting-edge music presages the course that society will takethen this release from Trio Tarana indicates that at some point we will be heading down the right path. Percussionist Ravish Momin leads a trio of musicians with diverse ethnic backgrounds with the stated purpose “of sharing their unique Asian-American musical concept and identity with different audiences, worldwide.” With Five Nights, recorded live at Washington DC’s beautiful Freer Gallery of Art amidst their excellent Asian collections, the band has exceeded its aim by producing a session that can serve as an example of cultural harmony to all people. The instrumentation is string-based but has Momin’s startling North Indian percussion at its heart. The combination of Jason Kao Hwang’s violin with Shanir Ezra Blumenkranz’s bass and oud exudes a wide sound palette that conveys lovely understatement and graceful lines, along with blistering solos. — Elliot Simon Continue reading