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Pete McGuinness: Mixed Bag
by Angelo Leonardi
Quella che Pete McGuinness guida a New York è tra le poche orchestre capaci di coniugare smagliante professionalità tecnica, ricercatezza e fantasia. È una big band incantevole eppure è meno nota di quanto meriti e quest'album è solo il quarto registrato in due decenni di vita. McGuinness ha operato come trombonista dalla fine degli anni ottanta e come bandleader dal 2006, dopo aver messo a frutto gli studi svolti con Bob Brookmeyer e Bill Holman. Da qualche anno ha dovuto interrompere l'uso del ...
Continue ReadingPete Mills: This Is Now
by Jack Bowers
As usual, swing is king on This Is Now, Canadian-born tenor saxophonist and composer Pete Mills' sixth recording as leader, one wherein the high-powered opening number (and title song) sets the pace for what is to come on this bright and upbeat session while showing that Mills and his quintet mean serious business. As is true of most contemporary tenors, you would be hard-pressed to pick Mills out of a lineup; on the other hand, his technique is ...
Continue ReadingPete Mills: This Is Now
by Mark Corroto
Let us imagine asking a sociologist whether something like musical FOMO, fear of missing out, exists. Pete Mills makes a convincing case that it does with This Is Now. Even though we have the recorded evidence, there is a lingering sense that something special happened in the room, something listeners can hear but not fully share. The result is a kind of envy: Mills and his band are clearly having a great time, and their camaraderie radiates across all twelve ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Branker: Manifestations of a Diasporic Groove & Spirit
by Dan McClenaghan
At the time of this writing (early 2026), the United States is beset by an odious president, a racist sociopath who seems hellbent on erasing all references to achievement or success of anyone of African descent--leaving aside that we are all of African descent; but some made the relocation to North America involuntarily. Stubborn resistance and unvarnished artistic statement--shoulders pulled back, chins jutting forward--are tools to fight the evil fool(s), and Anthony Branker does his part. Uppity (2013), ...
Continue ReadingPete McGuinness: Mixed Bag
by Pierre Giroux
With Mixed Bag, Pete McGuinness once again affirms his place among the elite of modern big band composers and arrangers, presenting a luminous tapestry of jazz idioms that ranges from the exuberantly traditional to the adventurously modern. As the title suggests, the album is a delightful potpourri. However, rather than feeling scattered or unfocused, McGuinness weaves his eclectic inclinations into a coherent and emotionally engaging statement. He brings to bear not only the encyclopedic command of a seasoned jazz craftsman ...
Continue ReadingThe Pete McGuinness Jazz Orchestra: Mixed Bag
by Jack Bowers
Award-winning arranger Pete McGuinness has chosen to name the fourth recording by his stellar New York-based Jazz Orchestra Mixed Bag, a term whose meaning may be construed as positive or less so, depending on the context. As he explains in the album's liner notes, McGuinness accentuates the positive, writing that to him, “Variety has always been the spice of life. I don't like the feeling of being pigeon-holed into a certain bag...For this project...I've included many 'bags' that I love ...
Continue ReadingJoe Fiedler Trio 2.0: Dragon Suite
by Glenn Astarita
Joe Fiedler steers this trio with the gusto of a trombone maestro who has gigged everywhere from Sesame Street's cheery lanes to prolific stints in the modern and free jazz realms. Guitarist Pete McCann and drummer join him Michael Sarin for a duo with pedigrees juicier than a medieval feast. McCann's strings have sung for heavyweights like Lee Konitz and Maria Schneider, his fingers weaving through jazz's tapestry with a knack for both finesse and fire. Sarin is a rhythm ...
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