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Barry Deister Quintet: An African Suite
by Scott Lichtman
It is not uncommon for jazz artists to borrow from world music to enliven their pieces--adding a dash of spice as it were. It is even rarer (with Latin jazz being an exception) for musicians to dive deeply into indigenous music forms and deliver an authentic, integrated sonic concept. Most unique are album-length projects that successfully meld genres while delivering an ear-pleasing, swinging whole. In this most special category comes An African Suite, a remarkable album from Barry ...
Continue ReadingBarry Deister: Hemispheres
by Jack Bowers
Tenor saxophonist Barry Deister labels his sextet on Hemispheres a Collective, and for good reason--two of the musicians on Deister's fourth album are from the U.S., the others from Melbourne, Australia. Although the way they managed to work that magic isn't spelled out in the album's notes, the group performs seamlessly on seven of Deister's original compositions, which would seem to indicate that everyone was in the same studio in Preston, Australia, when the session was recorded in February 2023. ...
Continue ReadingThe Barry Deister Quintet: Music for Jazz Quintet & Strings
by Richard J Salvucci
Some music really does speak to the soul, inadvertently, but effectively, nonetheless. And there are painters, real painters, of whom Barry Deister is one. And so are the musicians who accompany him on this truly beautiful set of compositions. Since these are difficult times, there are days when everything seems to be an effort. It is beyond reassuring to play something that is somehow edgy, but in a calm way, and not contrived, but deep and searching. “Music for Jazz ...
Continue ReadingBarry Deister Quintet: Crows - The Portland Images Project
by Jack Bowers
Crows, a new recording by saxophonist Barry Deister's quintet, embodies a series of tone poems designed to depict in musical terms various features of the area in and around Portland, Oregon--a locale that Deister and his colleagues call home--as part of the Portland Images Project. Their themes range from ephemeral ("Winter Wind," “Fog," “Cascade Sunrise") to material ("Yellow Flower," “The Falls," “Crows") with one ("Burnside Blues") depicting a street that traverses the length of the city and theoretically splits it ...
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