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Jamile & Vinicius Gomes, feat. Joe Martin: Boundless Species
by Jerome Wilson
Vocalist Jamile and guitarist Vinicius Gomes bring their common backgrounds in Brazilian music to bear on a wide-ranging collection of songs here. It is expected that the two, assisted by bassist Joe Martin, would create an intimate atmosphere in their performances of songs by Ivan Lins and Milton Nascimento. The surprise is that they do the same thing to songs by American artists such as Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and Wayne Shorter. Jamile's voice is a powerful complement ...
Continue ReadingOded Tzur: Make A Sound
by David Bruggink
Make A Sound marks the first full release from saxophonist and composer Oded Tzúr's fledgling label, Sky River Music. After a pair of fiery albums for Enja Records and a string of esteemed releases on ECM Records, Tzúr sets out in a new direction with a set of tracks channeling deeply personal expression through his Indian-influenced jazz. He is accompanied on this journey by an experienced group of collaborators: Joe Martin (bass), Nasheet Waits (drums), Vanraj Shastri (sarangi), and Gilad Hekselman (guitar). Guitar and sarangi bring entirely ...
Continue ReadingJerome Sabbagh: Stand Up!
by Joshua Weiner
While much great jazz has emerged from one-off encounters among musicians, there is a lot to be said for the synergy of longstanding working bands. The former may provide more spontaneity and produce fireworks, but it can also lead to the occasional dud due to a mismatch in approach. Players in a working band, in contrast, gain a deep knowledge of each other's artistic choices, learn what works and what does not, and--by definition--must be doing something right, since their ...
Continue ReadingOded Tzur: Make A Sound
by David Bruggink
Storytelling has been part of Oded Tzur's modus operandi since his first album, his reed playing enfolding drama, tension, and narrative shifts like any spellbinding tale. In this 2025 single, the instinct comes into even sharper focus, as he accompanies a newly-assembled band with his words and voice for the first time on record. Tzur is no stranger to accolades, having won much acclaim for his instrumental releases (e.g., the superb My Prophet, ECM Records, 2024). Introducing vocals may ...
Continue ReadingDave Kikoski: Weekend At Smalls
by Pierre Giroux
Few pianists capture the resilient spirit of the New York City jazz scene as convincingly as Dave Kikoski. With his release Weekend At Smalls, he affirms his reputation as one of post-bop's most energetic stylists. Recorded live at the renowned West Village club Smalls, the album features Kikoski engaging in lively conversation with bassist Joe Martin, veteran drummer Billy Hart and longtime friend and collaborator trumpeter Randy Brecker. The result is a vibrant record of straight-ahead fluency that both revisits ...
Continue ReadingTony Tixier: Poems Never End
by Neil Duggan
Serendipity is the art of everything being in the right place at the right time, and so it proved for Tony Tixier on a whirlwind trip to New York City. Recorded during a single afternoon and without a predetermined plan for the session, the album Poems Never End was recorded in one take, with nothing added, taken away, or otherwise embellished in post-production. Frenchman Tixier is a highly versatile pianist who has worked in most small group formats ...
Continue ReadingJerome Sabbagh: Heart
by Chris May
AAJ occasionally publishes reviews which call out the barbarism of digital-only albums (Heart is not one of these, please hang on in there). Item: the review of Brazilian saxophonist and flautist Vinicius Mendes' Macunaismo Tardio Vol. 1&2 (Notes On A Journey, 2024). The two albums collected on that vinyl double-LP, blinders both, were originally released separately as digital-only albums. Unsurprisingly, each failed to make any significant impact on jazz audiences either in Brazil or internationally. Notes On A Journey eventually ...
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