Alight
…olist Eyvind Kang and Iranian vocalist Khatereh Parvaneh (www.koushkani.com). Born in Quebec in 1961, François Houle has built a body of work that, as Art Lange has written, “hovers unselfconsciously above categories and styles.” He leads the François Houle 5 and other jazz/creative music groups, and has performed and/or recorded with Marilyn Crispe…
Pursuit
…llow-up to this superb release.” — Dave Wayne, Jazzweekly.com “[Delbecq] figures today among the most inventive musicians on the European scene…Enlightened experimenter of a music decidedly personal in the way it links apparently contradictory influences from the freest improvisation and the ultra-sophisticated constructions of contemporary composer…
In Other Words
…except the first one, as I played on his three recordings [the latest featuring French pianist Benoît Delbecq and British trumpeter Tom Arthurs]. I love his use of more minimal-type structures and some of the improv games he employs, and his sense of melody over extended periods is his own. Steve is a very unique player. I think he comes from a stro…
Wish the Children Would Come On Home: The Music of Wayne Horvitz
…eating a contrastingly freer, darker sonic space than the composed material. Zubin Hensler explains, “We felt it was important to pay homage not only to Wayne’s compositions, but also to his output as an improviser. His improvised work with the late great trumpeter Butch Morris is particularly inspiring to me, and is essential to my understanding of…
Canada Day II
…“There’s something that the different strains of [new and free] jazz from the 60s share: a sense of adventure. All those musics are being renewed and updated today in endless different ways – amazing really, considering the culture wars of the 80s and 90s. I think Chinen says it well: I do take a fixer’s approach to music making. I’m not a breaker….
Dice Thrown
…s the case on Dice Thrown.” — Nils Jacobson, AllAboutJazz.com “…the compositions are highly creative improvisations which seem to live in a space neither part of the jazz nor the classical worlds…Houle explores an inspiring of new range of sounds…Delbecq first of all plays a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand – the most audiophile piano with its extra bass…
Forever
…sentiment without becoming morose or overly introspective…[a] wonderful recording.” — Glenn Astarita, All About Jazz ****1/2 “Working with his band Zony Mash in an acoustic setting, Horvitz creates an album that is rich with flavors. From the introspective grace of “Ben’s Music” to the sly tango of “In the Ballroom”, the disc abounds with warmth and…
You Have Options
…nature and playing music with friends must be two of the best places to be!”) A good example of the level of interplay here is Eisenstadt’s “You Have Options, I Have a Lawyer,” as described by Alex: “Around the 3:00 mark I start playing a syncopated discord figure in the right hand, and check out how Harris’ snare drum jumps right on it…Harris then…
Sandhills Reunion
…e humor and wit comprise a portion of these works, [Eckert] communicates a dappled view of humanity, spanning situations that seemingly occurred during the 1930s and onward. The band delves into a Chicago blues motif and much more throughout this undeniably attractive outing that moves forward with a cinematic flair. It’s easily one of the more refr…
Origami
…minimalism, ambient, noise, and free improv. His original compositions, combining jazz and American classical influences (Ives, Copland), and with an occasional nod to his countryman Bach, often reference a chorale-like serenity. “Origami” (set to a poem in Japanese by Reiko Aoki) begins simply but becomes both fuller and freer as the group collecti…
