If you’re thinking that a solo trombone can’t hold its own on eight tracks spanning up to nine minutes a piece, well, you’d be forgiven. You’d also be wrong. The TANK’s unearthly soundscape fills Clausen’s songs with a lush carpet of harmonic interplay, so rich as to border on the bizarre. (See: Clausen’s take on “Pure Imagination” from Willy Wonka.) Notes can resonate in The TANK for up to 45 seconds.
Uniformly compelling from the first note to the final fade, every track on Siegel’s latest is a highlight, and each musician has their time to shine. The album kicks off by dialing up the jazz quotient on the first couple of tracks, and “Sabotage,” in particular, with its swinging, Monk-ish outlines, almost evokes a Blue Note album.
The album features three very distinctive writing styles from this triad of Seattle stalwarts, with a pair of Wayne Shorter gems amongst the offering. The result is a recording that features some of Seales’ most introspective and deeply lyrical playing, supported by Johnson and Korn as equal partners.
The new album, Diaspora, from Seattle jazz accordionist Josh Hou is a special treat, bringing Hou’s Chinese and Malaysian heritage into the jazz fold, all tied together by this humble instrument.
It’s the original material on the album that allows us to tap into Weinstein at his purest. True to his mercurial form as a player and composer, the tunes don’t hew to one style or mood.
This Is Now is full of energy, from the cymbal that opens the first tune, “Harrod’s Creek,” to the audacious swing of “Bahia,” which closes the album. Certainly, the recording gains enormous energy from being recorded live at Boxley’s. Production values are so stellar it sounds as though it were recorded in the studio
Martin Budde’s new album titled, “Back Burner” published by Origin Records is reviewed. The album is a case study in bucolic soundscapes and rich, undulating dynamics
Nick Torretta’s new self-released album, “Vepser Suite” is reviewed. The album is a five-movement suite for string orchestra, woodwinds, harp and Torretta’s own tenor sax improvisations
Paul de Barros reviews Riley Mulherkar’s self-titled album “Riley” released on Westerlies Records.
Akshaj Turebylu previews Nancy Erickson Lamont’s latest album “Through the Passages.”
Earshot Jazz honors jazz as a vital Black American art form through live performance presentations, artist advocacy, and community engagement.
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