The mood, texture and grain of the 2019 film “Adrift in Soho” begs for music that’s complex and compelling. Composer Anthony Reynolds makes full use of jarring dissonance, shrieking, wailing strings, the beats of a terrified heart and the occasional lyrical lick to help tell the story of Soho, London in the 1950s. With its... Continue Reading →
Guitarist Giorgos Tabakis has invited bass clarinetist Rebecca Trescher to a musical exploration of tone and interval, shading and hue in the new CD “Dual Nature.” Some tracks feature them together, bobbing and weaving; others are standalone solos. The instrumentation is an exciting and fresh treat for the ear. The ability to create textures is... Continue Reading →
Music is not just an accompaniment in film or TV; it’s another voice that tells the story. The whirlwind career of John Beasley, who arranged and conducted the original music for the movie “Let Them All Talk” and countless other projects, is proof that music is its own borderless and fascinating language. Being attuned (literally)... Continue Reading →
In his 2019 breakout debut “Fulfillment,” multi-instrumentalist Zac Zinger explores an impressive breadth of musical instrumentation. Without exception, all the tracks feature a sonic exploration where he whips, caresses, attacks and bends notes with excellent accompaniment (pianist Kana Dehara, bassist Adam Neely and many others). Zinger is as much at home in creating melody with... Continue Reading →
The new CD by Agnar Már Magnusson riffs off the Icelandic folk songs that have formed the leader’s musical essence. There’s an air of suspense and a depth to the title track “Mor” that plays like a turning point in life. A pulled-back tempo and sluggish brushes with a solemn bass line keep the listener... Continue Reading →
The fussy ligature for today’s sax and clarinet musicians has had its day in the sun. It looks like a fairly obvious solution, but a ring-style ligature that hugs the reed to the mouthpiece is looking to replace the traditional knobbed metal fixture. Newly launched, the Gen Sax mouthpiece was devised by sax player Gen... Continue Reading →
The breeze in her voice is everything: “Castles in the Air” from Laura Weinbach and Anton Patzner has a tempo and mood that glide the song gently forward. Just released, the single is another gem from the duo who pair together like a PBJ. Also new, the well-timed (and fabulously named) “I’m Not Really in... Continue Reading →
It’s like play, like repartee: each voice or instrument stands up to do a poem. In this case, three poems. This is sax player José Lencastre’s new album “Anthropic Neglect” which features guitar (often used percussively with myriad attacks on the strings); a sax that stops, starts, repeats a motif, breathes and starts again; and... Continue Reading →
Two friends who create music from puzzle pieces that snap harmoniously into one another are about to release their first EP called “Hidden Depths.” It's an easy ride to the perfect bite: great melody, skilled improv and intuitive pacing, featuring Chris Bestwick on guitar, Graeme Flowers on trumpet and friends (see below), otherwise known as... Continue Reading →
