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Brian Landrus: Just When You Think You Know
by Jack Bowers
Brian Landrus, best known for his eloquent performances on baritone sax, shows his versatility--as player, composer and arranger--on Just When You Think You Know, his tenth album as leader, adding tenor sax, bass clarinet, flute, alto flute and bass flute to enlarge an impressive arsenal of musical weaponry. In fact, Landrus unlimbers the baritone on only three of the album's fourteen eclectic numbers--all of which he wrote and arranged. He plays tenor sax on five selections, one or another of ...
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 ReadingBill Frisell: In My Dreams
by Jack Kenny
At the opening of Beautiful Dreamer, Bill Frisell's biographer, Philip Watson, recounts a formative dream Bill Frisell once had--an experience the guitarist has said permanently altered the way he thinks about sound, color, and the nature of “real music." In the dream, Frisell enters a dark building, climbs into a vast library, and encounters hooded, monklike figures gathered around a table. “We want to show you what things really are," they tell him. First, they reveal “what colors really look ...
Continue ReadingAubrey Johnson, Helen Sung, Dave Douglas, David Hajdu: Lives of the Saints: Portraits in Song with Words by David Hajdu
by Vic Albani
Chi diavolo è David Hajdu? Ce lo insegna il web: David Hajdu (nato nel 1955 a Phillipsburg, New Jersey con origini ungheresi e italiane) è un editorialista laureato alla New York University, autore e professore statunitense alla Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. È stato critico musicale del New Republic per 12 anni ed è redattore musicale di The Nation. Ha dapprima lavorato come illustratore e poi ha cominciato a scrivere per testate di un certo livello quali il Village ...
Continue ReadingLisa Hilton: Extended Daydream
by Neil Duggan
Lisa Hilton's success story continues with her 31st release, Extended Daydream. Her considerable body of work makes frequent chart appearances and measures streams in millions. She appears in various group formats, but on this occasion, the focus is on her quintet. That quintet is based around her longtime trio with bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Rudy Royston, augmented with the return of tenor saxophonist JD Allen, who has appeared on eight of Hilton's previous albums, along with another ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Alloy
by Giuseppe Segala
La lega di metalli a cui si riferisce Dave Douglas nel suo ultimo lavoro è quella delle trombe nella front-line. Tre personalità differenti, che si fondono in un tenace amalgama musicale, il cui prodotto ha caratteristiche di versatilità, elasticità, brillantezza, empatia. Ma è senz'altro possibile estendere tali caratteristiche all'intera formazione messa in scena dal trombettista, scaturita da una commissione del Festival of New Trumpet Music. Un gruppo inedito e singolare nel suo organico strumentale, con una coppia di ritmi accanto ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Alloy
by Glenn Astarita
Dave Douglas continues his alchemical pursuits with Alloy, forging a trumpet-centric ensemble that elevates group dialogue to new heights--proving that in jazz, three is not a crowd, it is a conspiracy of cool. Commissioned for the 23rd season of the Festival of New Trumpet Music, the project pairs the leader with British trumpeter Alexandra Ridout and New Hampshire's Dave Adewumi, creating a brass coalition where collaboration outshines competition, like diplomats dodging discord. The title nods to the art of melding ...
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