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Yusef Lateef: Alight Upon the Lake: Live at the Jazz Showcase
by Pierre Giroux
Some nights vanish into the ether, while others wait, patiently, until the world is ready to hear them. Such is the case with Alight Upon the Lake: Live at the Jazz Showcase. Resonance Records has released this adventurous 1975 recording as a limited-edition 180-gram 3-LP set and a 3-CD release, which feels less like an archival project than a living document. Yusef Lateef, ever the seeker, arrives here not merely as a saxophonist and flutist but as a guide through ...
Continue ReadingYusef Lateef: Alight Upon the Lake: Live at the Jazz Showcase
by Troy Dostert
One of the legendary figures of Detroit jazz, Yusef Lateef experienced a truly distinctive path of artistic development, with a trajectory which took him from swing, bebop and R&B in the 1940s and 1950s through a deep immersion in world music, funk and classical idioms during the 1960s and beyond. Somehow incorporating all of these disparate strands and more, Resonance Records' three-disc extravaganza, Alight Upon the Lake, gives us a thorough glimpse of Lateef's multifaceted identity in the company of ...
Continue ReadingKenny Barron: Sunset to Dawn
by Angelo Leonardi
Dalla fine degli anni ottanta Kenny Barron s'è universalmente imposto presso la critica e il grande pubblico del jazz fino a essere considerato nel suo pieno valore: uno dei massimi stilisti del piano jazz contemporaneo. Questa riedizione della Time Traveler dal catalogo Muse ce lo presenta nel 1973 al debutto da leader, quando alle soglie dei trent'anni era ancora un musician's musician, dopo il prestigio che aveva acquisito accanto a Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Hubbard, Yusef Lateef e altri. Successivi dischi ...
Continue ReadingKenny Barron: Songbook
by Angelo Leonardi
82 anni, magistrale protagonista del pianismo moderno, Kenny Barron raccoglie suoi vecchi e nuovi brani per affidarli all'interpretazione di cantanti. I testi sono della sua vecchia amica Janice Jarrett (eccetto “Minor Blues Redux" scritto da Catherine Russell & Paul Kahn) e gli interpreti vocali vedono nomi ben noti come Cécile McLorin Salvant, Kurt Elling, Catherine Russell e Ann Hampton Callaway accanto agli emergenti Kavita Shah, Ekep Nkwelle e Tyreek McDole. Barron si ritaglia il ruolo di sensibile accompagnatore, intervenendo con ...
Continue ReadingMartin Wind: Stars
by Pierre Giroux
A chamber-jazz glow hangs over Stars a sessions featuring renowned bassist and composer Martin Wind, with a quietly luminous quartet including legendary pianist Kenny Barron, exceptional clarinetist Anat Cohen, and imaginative drummer Matt Wilson. The album feels less like a blowing date than a late-night conversation among old friends, where each phrase is weighted with warmth and meaning. The opening track is Aaron Bell's “Passing Thoughts," which conveys a blue-tinged melancholy told through a few carefully-chosen phrases. Cohen's ...
Continue ReadingPierre Giroux's Favorite Jazz Albums of 2025
by Pierre Giroux
The story of my selection of the top jazz albums of 2025, is, fittingly a conversation between past and present. New recordings by working bands and veteran leaders proved that the language of swing, blues and modern harmony is still being spoken with conviction, while carefully curated reissues reminded us just how deep the tradition runs. Equally compelling were the previously unheard sessions finally brought to light, offering a fresh glimpse of great artists caught in unguarded, inspired moments.Together these ...
Continue ReadingKenny Barron: Songbook
by Pierre Giroux
Kenny Barron's offering Songbook is a deeply personal milestone in the pianist's career. Long regarded as one of the most lyrical voices in modern jazz, Barron fulfills a long-held dream by revisiting thirteen of his original compositions, now reimagined with words by lyricist Janice Jarrett and performed by a talented cast of vocalists spanning different generations. Joined by his longtime trio with bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake, Barron creates an album that effortlessly blends instrumental mastery with vocal ...
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