Pianist Satoko Fujii leads with a powerful forces that captivates. Accessible for traditional bebop as well as avant garde listeners, her music stirs the imagination . . . A highly energetic pianist, a rollicking acoustic bassist, and a versatile drummer join forces on Illusion Suite to combine jazz’s tradition with leading-edge ideas. ― Jim Santella, All About Jazz Continue reading
It’s a particularly encouraging to hear a pianist of her generation who is possesed of such a mature concept of space-it’s one thing to use space, and quite another to use it interestingly…This is a most artfully-done endeavor. — Chris Kelsey, Cadence. Continue reading
Combines two piano voices in subtle, quiet interplay. The music has a crystalline spareness about it, the two players so intertwined it sounds almost like one voice. There is a floating lyricism to the music…like delicate dance…sheer beauty.” — Michael Rosenstein, Cadence Continue reading
Szilard Mezei– viola | Peter Bede – tenor sax | Adam Meggyes – trumpet, cornet | Erno Hock – double bass | Hunor G. Szabo – drums. Recorded 25 May 2010 by Laszlo Valik, L.V. Hang Studio, Budapest, Hungary. Mixed and mastered by Szilard Mezei. Cover graphic by Erzsébet Mezei. Continue reading
With the onset of fan donation pages all over the Internet artists, musicians and inventors of all sorts can now speak directly with their fans and solicit funds for all types of projects. Some are fantastical like ‘help me turn into a cat’ fund or ‘help make my paper clip rocket ship a reality’, but more often than not it is a musician with a book of songs that means the world to them and are looking for a way to make their vision a reality. There are even added perks to sites like these. They come in the form of incentives for the public’s donations, such as a copy of the completed album or even executive producer credits. The Max Johnson Quartet is a success story born from this new artist driven way to produce music. From a business model to recording and art work, (fantastic by the way if you can get a close look at it) to getting Not Two Records to back the recording. — Philip Coombs Continue reading
This collaborative quartet was formed in the winter of 2008, when Rempis took advantage of one of his regular trips home to visit family in Boston to start a musical relationship with some of his favorite musicians in that city. Having known Pandelis Karayorgis for almost a decade through fellow musicians Nate McBride and Ken Vandermark, the two decided to round out a quartet with the wide-ranging capabilities of Forbes Graham on trumpet, and the old-school driving swing of Luther Gray on drums. Since that time, the group has normally played once or twice a year in Boston, working on a set of compositions brought in by all its members. The band recorded in December of 2009, a recording which is came out on the Polish label Not Two Records in 2012 as “Instruments of Change.” — Stu Vandermark, Boston Jazz Scene Dec 2010 Continue reading
Even if this is free jazz, the music “dances”. It is quite physical, an emanation of happiness, and definitely a joy to listen to. And for those who want to know what the title means, the answer is unsurprisingly “You Shall Sing …” Singing and playing and dancing …. only to be enjoyed! Stef Continue reading
Takeo Moriyama – drums | Masahiko Satoh – piano | Peter Brötzmann – alto & tenor saxes, tarogato, B-flat clarinet. Recorded at the Manngha Hall, Krakow, Poland on November 8, 2011 by Rafal Drewniany. Mixed on March 5, 2012 by Peter Brötzmann and Rafal Drewniany at DTS Studio. Produced by Marak Winiarski and Brötzm. Art and design: Brötzm. Photos: Peter GannushkinAll music by Brötzmann/Satoh/Moriyama. FMP-Publishing Continue reading
This band, like the best in the tradition, has linked time-past with time-present, invoking both shared musical history and individual agency as a totality (not a spectrum) that is as irreducible as timbre: timbre-upon-timbre combining into a meta-timbre that is evocative of the band itself, individual components giving way to the band as a corporate individual. (A corporation actually deserving of personhood.)The band—as the missile—moves screaming through the space it inhabits while triggering memory, history and time…however— unlike the missile—it does not end in a fiery crash or dull misfire, but continues on. — Jeff Kaiser, 13 December 2011 Continue reading
If your mind wants to think, let it! Merely bend away like a martial artist. Let the thoughts fly as they will and the universe will have its way with the music. You can count on that always. The mind? Don’t trust it when it comes to improvising. Trust your heart. Trust your gut. Trust life. When you trust like that you can dance on the razor’s edge and have a blast! — Michael Levy Continue reading