All artists filed by last name under M, N, O and P :
This is a rare thing: an album of guitar music where the guitar isn’t really the point. Put a different way, it’s the ideas that are given the focus, not the chops. There are many jazz players out there who do put the music ahead of the flash (Bill Frisell being a prime example), but hardly ever in a solo setting. — Mark Saleski Continue reading
It’s hip, heady and wildly entertaining! It is a fluid and prismatic session, where the musicians also delve into avant-chamber stylizations, evidenced by Gesture Talk, featuring their interweaving dialogues and distinct separation of registers. No doubt, the program is a study in mood inducing improv via semi-structured patterns, circular ostinatos and more. Yet we wouldn’t expect anything less from these consummate instrumentalists who sound like they’ve been performing as a unit for decades, which of course isn’t the case. – Glenn Astarita, Jazzreview.com – Feb. 2009 Continue reading
Beauty is unearthed and unabashedly displayed throughout Hidden Fresco, the latest release from the German duo of Albrecht Maurer and Norbert Rodenkirchen. Their use of medieval instruments to explore contemporary sounds cultivates a fresh perspective on modern improvisation. The warm timbre of the instrumentation softens the edge of harsh dissonance while enhancing tonal resolve. There’s a sense of urgency that permeates the entire disc. Maurer (gothic fiddle) and Rodenkirchen (medieval flutes and harp) are not intent on wasting sonic space. From the frenzied opening notes of the title track to the passionate evocation of “Behind,” the duo is unwavering in their search for musical unification. … Maurer and Rodenkirchen are both technical masters; their incorporation of percussive effects, chords, and rapid lines portray sympathetic artists who are able to push the boundaries of archaic instrumentation to express a full range of emotion. — John Barron – Jazzreview.com / 2007 Continue reading
This recording is a virtuosic tour-de-force. The technical achievement of this music stands on its own and defines Nicole Mitchell as an innovator and expressive artist with a depth of mastery that surpasses even that which we already know about her. Consider the exacting precision of every sound made here, the multi-phonics, the sustain and variation of pitch, the rhythmic phrasing, the sheer beauty of the intonation, the arch and fluid execution of every phrase regardless of the velocity or density of notes, and the. tremendous and complex variety of timbre, articulation, and variation of groove. All of these elements make Engraved in the Wind a masterful work of solo music, a great achievement for Nicole Mitchell and a deeply rewarding listening experience for the rest of us. — Joe Morris, November 2012 Continue reading
tHe nyX ProJect The title we chose for this project is the name given by the Greeks to the NIGHT, which was not only a moment of the day but most of all a primordial goddess. NYX is mother to good-natured children like Hypnos (Sleep), Oneiroi (Dream), Hesperides (sunset Nymphs associated with dance and chant) and Philotes (Pleasure of love, Friendship, Tenderness) … but NYX generated also terribly ill-natured children among which Thànatos (Death), Moros (Doom), the Keres (goddesses of violent death), the Moirae (the”Fates”, the three crones who control destiny, in Rome known as “le Parche”) Continue reading
The title “Two for Joyce” is actually a homage to the writer James Joyce, who has been both an inspiration and a passion for us: the music was recorded live in a theater in Trieste, Italy (where he lived for some time) where a life-sized statue in his honor was erected. Continue reading
I have always been involved in a lot of duo projects with all types of improvisors, from all types of musical backgrounds. This has a little to do with economics, and a lot to do with a search for deeper friendships -and/or mentorships. There are new, organic worlds-of-sound that two connected people can create when given the chance to develop intimately, over time, with honest reflection. Generally speaking, there tends to be a specific musical aesthetic at play in my duo projects, sometimes with very strict rules or a very defined direction – my duets with Jon Irabagon, Charlie Looker (Period) & Jamie Saft (Kalashnikov) immediately come to mind. The playing with Kirk is altogether different. Kirk and I just play. Kirk swings, kirk sings, kirk explores extreme registers of the cornet, and I just play, moment-to-moment. A truly pleasurable improvised music. – Mike Pride Continue reading
Not Two, 2013 | MW 896-2 | CD Rodrigo Amado – saxophone | Jeb Bishop – trombone | Miguel Mira – cello | Gabriel Ferrandini – drums Recorded by Joaquim … Continue reading
Eklisia Sunday (Not Two) was recorded near Bodrum, Turkey on May 15 2011, seven months before the Wels festival. The event presumably marked the belated release of a Konstrukt/Brötzmann album, Dolunay (ARES), which they had recorded in 2008. Konstrukt is an Istanbul-based improv group; not one I’ve previously known, although it also collaborated in 2011 both with Marshall Allen and—as documented on the album Live at Akbank Jazz Festival (Re:konstruKt)—Evan Parker. The usual Konstrukt lineup—Korhan Futaci, tenor & soprano saxophones; Umut Çağlar, electric guitar; Özün Usta, double bass, djembe, gong, bells; Korhan Argüden, drums and “old k zildjian cymbals” — here becomes an septet with the addition of Brötzmann (tenor & alto saxophones, clarinet) and additional guests: Hüseyin Ertunç, acoustic piano, küstüfon, gong; and Doğan Doğusel, double bass, küstüfon. An eighth player, Barlas Tan Özemek stands in for Umut Çağlar on the third and longest track. — Dalston Sound Continue reading
Christian Skår Winther: Electric Guitar | Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard: Electric Bass | Anja Lauvdal: Korg MS10 | Heida Karine Johannesdottir Mobeck: Tuba | Joakim Heibø Johansen: Drums Recorded and mixed … Continue reading