Articles by Ludovico Granvassu
Benjamin Herman: NRFS
by Ludovico Granvassu
On Tokyo Sessions (Dox Records), Dutch saxophonist Benjamin Herman captures the restless energy of a series of Tokyo musical encounters he develed into alongside drummer and producer Jimmi Jo Hueting and bassist Thomas Pol--an industrious and vivid encounter between the Dutch and Japanese scenes. Rather than the polished Tokyo familiar to jazz tourists, the album plunges into the city's adventurous underground scene, home to distinctive artists such as guitarist and composer Otomo Yoshihide and tenor saxophonist Tomoaki Baba. ...
Continue ReadingDida Pelled: Blues in the Night
by Ludovico Granvassu
Dida Pelled's I Wish You Would (La Reserve) is more than a love letter to the blues, a genre she returns to after the high bar she set with A Missing Shade of Blue (Red Records). It is the definitive statement of an artist whose signature lies in the irresistible contrast between the understated intimacy of her voice--soft, almost delicate, yet impossible to ignore--and a guitar style that is warm, sophisticated and quietly virtuosic, never showy, never a wasted note. ...
Continue ReadingPaulo Almeida, Roy Hargrove, Gegè Telesforo, Jazztropicante, Beto Paciello
by Ludovico Granvassu
Paris--Bogotá; New York--Rome; São Paulo--Basel; Bern--New York; New York--São Paulo... this playlist feels like a masterclass in transatlantic cross-pollination, where ideas, rhythms, and musical identities travel as freely as the artists themselves.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Jazztropicante “La Llave Maestra" Combo Efectivo (Casa Maguey) 0:16 Host talks 4:46 Paulo Almeida “Lembranças Do Boi" Love in Motion (Dox) 5:50 Host talks 11:10 Beto Paciello “Sunset Skies" The Stoic ...
Continue ReadingDida Pelled, Carla Bley, Harry Skoler, Joachim Kühn, Ben Flocks, Joe Webb
by Ludovico Granvassu
Jump into a time-traveling playlist that brings a spectacular 1984 recording by Carla Bley back to the future, at the end of a generations-bridging ride where emerging artists modernize tradition and elder statesmen pay homage to their heroes, or join forces with younger voices.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Harry Skoler “Everything's Cool, Everything's Cool! (for Rahsaan Roland Kirk)" Echoes (Red Brick Hill) 0:16 Host talks 3:48 Joachim ...
Continue ReadingSelma Savolainen, Marquis Hill, Sonia Spinello, John Hollenbeck, Stargazers
by Ludovico Granvassu
Two remarkable emerging singers, Selma Savolainen and Sonia Spinello, bookend a playlist of recent and upcoming releases which range from the adventurous to the spiritual.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Selma Savolainen “Angry Man" In the Shade (Whirlwind) 0:16 Host talks 6:46 Marquis Hill “Blues" (Beautifulism) Sweet Surrender (Black Unlimited Music Group) 8:00 Host talks 12:01 george & John Hollenbeck “Lewis (dedicated to George Lewis)" Looking for Consonance ...
Continue ReadingAngelika Niescier, Vuyo Sotashe, Chris Pattishall, čnaq̓ǐy̓m̓i & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Here is a playlist featuring artists working outside the spotlight, often ahead of the curve, across continents, across scenes.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Peter Erskine “Gumbo Time" Peregrine (Hard Wag) 0:16 Host talks 7:33 Christoph Irniger, Marc Perrenoud “Luce Oscura" New Lines (u n i t) 8:40 Host talks 13:51 Dave Douglas Gifts Quintet “Come Sunday" Transcend (Greenleaf) 15:55 Angelika Niescier “Samo (Bsqt)" Chicago Tapes (Intakt) 22:48 ...
Continue ReadingDave Douglas: Energy Fields
by Ludovico Granvassu
Here is a gem by Dave Douglas featuring the latest all-star incarnation of his Gifts band, now expanded with cellist Tomeka Reid and saxophonist James Brandon Lewis, joining original members Rafiq Bhatia (guitar) and Ian Chang (drums).Two years after the eponymous album honoring Billy Strayhorn, Douglas continues his exploration of foundational jazz composers. On this new chapter--Transcend (Greenleaf Music)--he turns to Duke Ellington, drawing in particular from Ellington's Sacred Concerts, performed between 1965 and 1973.Alongside inventive ...
Continue ReadingLuciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Lucas Niggli: Lawns
by Ludovico Granvassu
Since Carla Bley's passing in 2023, the growing fascination with her songbook--which had already been steadily building for years--has increased exponentially, as more and more musicians turn to her unique blend of melodic clarity and emotional ambiguity. And so, by now, pieces such as “Ida Lupino" and “Lawns" have cemented their place in the pantheon of modern standards, embraced by artists drawn to Bley's knack for memorable themes that feel at once simple and mysteriously open-ended.With its suspended ...
Continue ReadingHélène Duret, Jens Düppe, Jon Irabagon, Louis Matute, Joel Lyssarides
by Ludovico Granvassu
The European and US jazz scenes in a dialogue full of elegance and surprises.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Louis Matute “Le jour où je n'aurai d'autre désir que de partir" Dolce Vita (Naive) 0:16 Host talks 5:20 Jens Düppe “Strolling with Chris" Ism (Enja) 6:30 Host talks 11:30 Jon Irabagon “Focus Out" Focus Out (Irabbagast) 13:29 Hélène Duret “Point commun" Perception (Igloo) 22:45 Joel Lyssarides “Raqs Sharqi" ...
Continue ReadingJavon Jackson, Luciano Biondini, Naïssam Jalal, Florian Pellissier & More
by Ludovico Granvassu
Recent and new releases in a playlist that crosses borders--whether cultural or musical--with a special focus on jazz renditions of popular music (from Dylan to Radiohead to Pavement).Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison “Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Florian Pellissier Quintet “The Movie Critic" Pacifiques Biches (Hot Casa) 0:16 Host talks 3:57 Javon Jackson feat. Lisa Fischer “Gotta Serve Somebody" Jackson Plays Dylan (Palmetto) 5:26 Host talks 10:50 Luciano Biondini, Michel Godard, Lucas ...
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