J – K – L

All artists filed by last name under J, K and L :

Linda Lerner | Something is Burning in Brooklyn | Iniquity Press

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Something is Burning in Brooklyn is a collection of poems situated in a particular place, but could be anywhere in this country. My hope is that people who live elsewhere, who’ve never been to New York City, will find commong ground in the hardships caused by gentrification, have known what it’s like to be targeted as different, other, who have also pursued a dream, however unlikely to be realized, watched a mother slowly loos her grip on reality, as they are transformed to brother or sister by her dementia. — Linda Lerner Continue reading →

The Kazzrie Jaxen Quartet | Quaternity | NA1060

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Sometimes virtuosic players merge into the thing they were clearly born for. Charley Krachy’s saxophone — where does such beauty of soul come from? Heaven and Earth meet. Kazzrie Jaxen’s piano — earth-scattering harmony and melody. Ascension into liberation, cutting roads through a wilderness sky. Don Messina’s bass — intense, whispered poetry. The quiet between the notes, like Sufic meditation, which effect it has. Drummer Bill Chattin’s rhythms enter a depth of being — beating like a heart to the pulsing weave of the other three voices. These musicians assemble and slowly, with the playing of the music, become the mountain top where God and Man dance in sheer, unobstructed heights and distillation of joy. — Helena Clare Pittman Continue reading →

Stefano Luigi Mangia | Gianni Lenoci | John Cage cagExperience | Amirani Records

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S.L.Mangia has a beautifully flexible voice: extraordinaire extension, multiphonic clearness and a strong lyrical tone that always delivers emotion and elegance. Echoing some Demetrio Stratos peculiar feautures, bending pitches and being simply intense from the sublte whisper to the open throat singing, S.L.Mangia gives here one of his best performances, opening possibilities and getting a new glance to the marvelous and unpredictable John Cage’ s compositions. The voice is supported by experience and classy touch of Gianni Lenoci, a name often appearing on Amirani Records. A nice Mesostic written by Mr. Stefano Pocci appears on the booklet and completes a beautiful record. So be sure to find here a top class Amirani records release! Continue reading →

Mofrancesco Quintetto | Maloca

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MoFrancesco Quintetto The project was born at the end of the academic year 2010/11 of the degree in Jazz Music at ESML, Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa. On the occasion of the last recital of Francesco Valente, on 28/06/11, this quintet has emerged that exhibited with original compositions. Following training began acting in Lisbon in several places where there is a weekly Jazz agenda, and began to act also outside this context (Italian Film Festival, Volvo Ocean Race, Universidade Nova with David Murray, Quinta da Regaleira Jazz etc.). In this past year the quintet have recorded his first album “Maloca”, wich it was released by Art of Life Records. The Quintet proposes a modern jazz and fusion music with Mediterranean and Iberian classic and traditional music. The aim is to join the universal language of jazz music and an array improvisative original arrangements and also expressing the essence of the music from the land of origin of the musicians, in particular different styles and sounds of the Mediterranean. Continue reading →

Max Johnson Quartet | The Prisoner | No Business Records

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Bassist Max Johnson has been building up quite an impressive resume as both a leader and a sideman for a variety of labels. His second release of this year is a collaborative effort with Ingrid Laubrock on tenor saxophone, Mat Maneri on viola and Tomas Fujiwara on drums. You might think that this unit could blow up quite a storm, and indeed they do on a few sections of the recording, but most of the music is given over to slow and atmospheric improvisations. The group shows quite a bit of cohesion and self control in the building of their music, and Maneri’s subtle and patient bowing meshes very well with Ingrid Laubrock who is quite comfortable at low volume and long narrow bands of sound. This is an interesting album, definitely worth picking up if you are interested in patient and slowly developing music that envelops you in a sense of unease. It is all the more powerful when the band really lets loose on more feverish improvisational sections, coming as a shock and keeping the listener on their toes throughout the album, developing the sound of surprise and not knowing what might be around the next corner. — Tim Niland Continue reading →

Dave Liebman | Steve Dalachinsky | The Fallout of Dreams | RogueArt Jazz

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Dave Liebman: Musically conversing with the spoken word is quite a challenge, even more than with a dancer or painter. There are the words and images and then there is the delivery by, in this case, the poet himself. My reactions are probably not much different than anyone else’s would be when hearing an expression or phrase, but to translate that into the horn or other instruments is quite daunting. For this project, my old friend Richie Beirach was around and joined us, another Brooklyn Jewish guy from the same hood. The title poem truly depicts our life in 1950/60s’s Brooklyn, NY…with all its irony, pathos and joy. This was quite a meeting portraying a host of emotions from the three of us.
Steve Dalachinsky: Long relationships even with their lags in time or because of them often present uncanny knowings/empathy/repartee/ the voices at their best mix the way fine blended drinks mix – no dabbling but pure commitment to the work / no false parity or well rehearsed well trained actors doing their parts / just 2 old friends meeting & greeting to share languages/ opinions/feelings/.
2 guys who grow up sharing similar joys despair passion – the true growin’ up blues – drifting apart – reuniting – finding that certain dreams can fall into place – 2 old friends meet become 3 > sweet music is made / tough music / tough words… tough love…. Continue reading →

Tarbaby | Oliver Lake | Marc Ducret | Fanon | RogueArt Jazz

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Violently, this album begins violently, it’s unavoidable, even though the music itself can never be as violent as the subject matter it evokes, it creates the similar effect Frantz Fanon aimed at in “The Wretched of the Earth”……Introducing pianist Orrin Evans is recalling he studied with Kenny Barron, amongst others, before playing with an array of talents from Bobby Watson to Mos Def. Introducing bass player Eric Revis is recalling he studied with Ellis Marsalis, amongst others, before playing with an array of talents from Branford Marsalis to Ken Vandermark. Introducing drummer Nasheet Waits is driving the rhythm compass wild. It is remembering the son of drummer great Freddy Waits (who played with Bill Dixon and Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and Pharaoh Sanders), sponsored at a very young age by Max Roach and Ed Blackwell, acquired power by playing with indomitable leading figures: Andrew Hill, Jason Moran, William Parker, Tony Malaby, Peter Brötzmann… A trio capable of a metamorphic energy, developing itself into a myriad of shimmering shapes, this time with guitarist Marc Ducret, the raging master of brightening and darkening, and with saxophone player Oliver Lake, with his misconduct and turndowns, both embodying/summoning the other, the alteration, as it were with Fanon. Tarbaby and its guests of honor offer a music which is constantly born, it breaks free of its chains, it exacerbates and alters itself, it gives analogical value to the necessary but unclassifiable distinctions, to impressionism and expressionism, to thinking and acting, to order and disorder, it is the music of another possible world, it redistributes wealth as it produces it.… Alexandre Pierrepont, excerpt from the liner notes Continue reading →