A sax is a playground to Derek Brown, who has perfected a “slap-tongue” technique that explores the instrument percussively while being extremely lyrical. He has drawn inspiration, he says, from disparate musicians as Bobby McFerrin, Sonny Rollins, Green Day, Rachmaninoff and Justin Bieber. In his newest CD “All Figured Out,” Brown uses funk and bounce... Continue Reading →
Releasing this month on the Italian label GleAM Records, the new CD “A Congregation of Folks” by front man/sax player Daniele Germani presents some top-notch material. On the track “The Capitalist Creed,” his sax strolls and peeks into the corners, braced by morphing chord blocks on piano and the soft swell of cymbal crashes and... Continue Reading →
The new CD that drops 3/12/21 from pianist/composer Julian Hartwell called “LYVELIFE” is an invite to enter a world where music makes you feel sublime. The song “Rough Sketch” has a big band vibe with some stellar breakouts from sax and trumpet and vocals that skillfully skirt the edges of scat, as Hartwell bounces and... Continue Reading →
The band that reveres the Italian classics and plays them with gusto and amore has a new CD called “Back in the Swing of Things.” Originally slated for release on Valentine’s Day, the delay is now timed with the re-opening of Pizza Express Soho. The album is comprised of eleven colorful and dynamic tracks like... Continue Reading →
The latest album by Quebec-based composer and saxophonist Mehdi Nabti pulls from a keen interest in and detailed knowledge of music from the African continent, Europe and Asia. What he has come up with is informed by his understanding of established and novel modes, but the result is natural, easy to get and vibeful. The... Continue Reading →
A fascinating primer on taking care of your woodwind or horn from Mike Jacobsen, the owner of Grey Door Music in Australia. He began his career in 1992, and while being a great technician and artisan, he continues to learn from his industry peers and instrument manufacturers. Advice, tips and how to keep loving on... Continue Reading →
Originally created to honor the memory of his deceased father, a just-released film “Song for Our People” from writer/director Mustapha Kahn is an emotional and stunningly produced documentary that is like conversations with friends over a cup of coffee. A studio-full of talented musicians discuss their experiences as Black Americans, and is interspersed with a... Continue Reading →
What makes “Draft” – the latest CD from Hairetis Harper (comprised of Yiagos Hairetis and Marie-Christina Harper) – unique and familiar at the same time is that the music explores moods and harmonies while playing on (literally) the characteristics of different instruments with strings. Combining the qualities of the Cretan lute and electric harp, the... Continue Reading →
Focusing on a strong pulse and melody lines that float right up to the top, Dan Klug’s group The Consecutives is about to drop its newest release simply called “Volume 2.” The Brooklyn-based band acknowledges its funk and blues patterns that are also injected with jazz. From Vol. 1, “Glide” has a fat and confident... Continue Reading →
