Home » Jazz Musicians » Ryan Sands
Ryan Sands
Javon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan
by Katchie Cartwright
Bob Dylan without the lyric? Javon Jackson's Jackson Plays Dylan makes a strong case. With two exquisite exceptions, the arrangements are purely instrumental, but Jackson manages to draw us in past the words (he knows we can hear most of them in our heads) to the emotional heart of each piece. More than that, he turns the program into a sort of film score. Each song (scene) dissolves into the next via a snippet of its intro. Starting ...
Continue ReadingJavon Jackson: Jackson Plays Dylan
by Pierre Giroux
With Jackson Plays Dylan, tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson delves into one of the great sources of modern song, the work of Bob Dylan. He treats it with reverence, imagination, and a strong respect for jazz tradition. This is not a clever concept album but a heartfelt musician's dialogue with timeless material, influenced by tradition and deep musical listening. Jackson is joined on this release by pianist and keyboardist Jeremy Manasia, bassist Isaac Levien, drummer Ryan Sands, and Grammy-winning guest vocalists ...
Continue ReadingAltus: Mythos
by Angelo Leonardi
Fondato qualche anno fa dal trombettista Dave Adewumi e dal bassista Isaac Levien, il quintetto Altus pubblica il secondo album su Biophilia, l'innovativa etichetta del pianista Fabian Almazan che documenta il meglio della scena jazzistica emergente. Il debutto discografico della formazione è stato registrato nel marzo 2020 col titolo Riot Cycle; è stato pubblicato l'anno successivo ma complice l'isolamento pandemico ha avuto scarsa risonanza. L'organico ha una strumentazione inconsueta con una tromba e due sassofoni in front line ...
Continue ReadingChristian Sands: Embracing Dawn
by Mike Jurkovic
Way back in the mottled history of the 1950s and '60s, record biz guys in sharkskin might kick down a DJ's door and bark: You gotta to hear this single!" But who truly listens to and what exactly is a single these days? Add in the disturbing though elusive truth that any single can take any physical or temporal shape and the evidence just points to one thing: First impressions have doomed many a pundit. If ...
Continue ReadingChristian Sands: Christmas Stories
by Dave Linn
Early on, Christian Sands had a passion for music. He was enrolled in music classes at age four and wrote his first composition at age five. He started playing professionally at the age of ten and studied at the Center for the Arts in New Haven, Connecticut before receiving his Bachelor of Arts and Masters degrees from the Manhattan School of Music. A protégé of Dr. Billy Taylor, Sands released his debut album at the age of 12 and came ...
Continue Reading




