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Baiju Bhatt & Red Sun: Nataraj
by Mike Jacobs
Swiss / Indian violinist Baiju Bhatt and his group Red Sun take you on a multi-ethnic thrill ride, layered with standout performances from guests Mohini Dey, Stephane Edouard, and {Nguyen Le. From the album, People Of Tomorrow (Neu Klang, 2023). ...
Continue ReadingSora Ichikawa: Straying in Alpacas
by Scott Lichtman
The song “Straying in Alpacas" is an immensely satisfying and hard-driving tune, filled with melodic turns, alto peals, rhythmic stops, and thundering walking bass lines. While it sounds as if it could come from Steps Ahead or Yellowjackets in an earlier era, the piece is actually a concoction of rising Japanese pianist Sora Ichikawa. Ichikawa released his first album in 2023 and since has demonstrated his talents in jazz, R&B, and contemporary formations, as well as adding ear-bending electronic touches ...
Continue ReadingJames Brandon Lewis: Remember Brooklyn & Moki
by Carl Medsker
"Chasing Energy, and that energy can be any type" is how James Brandon Lewis describes his multifaceted musical journey (Jazzwise, November 2024). That journey has taken him through gospel, punk, chamber, blues, reggae, hip-hop, soul, post-bop and free jazz. Along the way, he made a detour to Morocco to study Gnawa music. Lewis integrates all of these into a forward-looking take on this music we broadly call jazz. Art, literature, history and science inform his compositions, amply demonstrated in his ...
Continue ReadingAlina Bzhezhinska & Tony Kofi: Tabula Rasa-Blank Slate
by Ian Patterson
Having played together since 2015, harpist Alina Bzhezhinska and saxophonist Tony Kofi have developed a keen musical understanding. In 2024 they released the gorgeous duo album, Altera Vita (BBE Records), which moved the late Chris May to write: “This ineffably beautiful and restorative disc succeeds resoundingly in its mission statement. This is, say the duo, to offer listeners something that “guides us through the turbulence and discord" of what has become “an era yearning for serenity, spirituality and peace." Amen ...
Continue ReadingDanylo Vinarikov Ensemble: Ethiopian (DZ'OB Deconstruction)
by Ian Patterson
A danceable cocktail of Afro-Caribbean-cum-Latin rhythms, “Ethiopian" stems from a salsa-ish motif supplied by saxophonist and leader Danylo Vinarikov that burrows under the skin and refuses to budge. Vinarikov's tenor looks as old as the Carpathians, but his sound and that of his ensemble, whilst rooted in the jazz tradition, is refreshingly contemporary. Short and punchy solos from Misha Lyshenko on electric keyboard, and then Vinarikov, lead into a fiery rhythmic vamp, spurred by bassist Yuriy Buzilov and drummer Dmytro ...
Continue ReadingKateryna Ziabliuk: 23 Ways To Forget Oneself
by Ian Patterson
The cryptically titled “23 Ways To Forget Oneself" will, if given the attention it deserves, spirit the listener away from their daily concerns--perhaps even forgetting themselves along the way--for just under nine minutes. Kateryna Ziabliuk works her keys like a sculptor, chiseling surely but steadily, gradually revealing a form--her increasingly fluid lines tinged with Ukrainian folk melodies, and briefly tipping a wink to Thelonious Monk. There is something of Keith Jarrett in Ziabliuk's improvisation, the way her left hand maintains ...
Continue ReadingJon Cleary And The Absolute Monster Gentlemen: Go To The Mardi Gras
by Mike Jacobs
What better way to celebrate Fat Tuesday than with one of the reigning champion purveyors of that jazz/blues/funk gumbo the Crescent City is noted for. And even though it may be startling to learn that Mr. Cleary is a British expatriate, no one need check his papers. As this tune illustrates, his complete assimilation of the NOLA musical ethos is the only pedigree he needs. ...
Continue ReadingEnsemble Novo: E Preciso Perdoar
by Carl Medsker
Sultry, sensuous, intimate. That longing for someone or some place. Ah, Brazilian music. Ensemble Novo has been serenading fortunate Philadelphians with choro, samba, and bossa nova since 2013. “E Preciso Perdoar" ("You Must Forgive") from Carinhoso (Frosty Cordial Records, 2021) showcases their gentle, swinging way with the bossa nova. Written by Carlos Coqueijo and Alcivando Luz then made famous by João Gilberto and Stan Getz, it is a gorgeous song. The many renditions include a touching tribute by ...
Continue ReadingDeep Tone Project: Torero Hallucinogene
by Ian Patterson
The curiously titled “Torero Hallucinogene" (Hallucinogenic Bullfighter) is a haunting, brushes-steered ballad from Ukrainian outfit Deep Tone Project--the collaborative quartet of double bassist Konstantin Ionenko, tenor saxophonist Viktor Pavelko, guitarist Aleksandr Pavlov and drummer Pavel Galitsky. Two years on from its debut, Flow (Fancy Music, 2014), Deep Project's follow-up Onward found its home on Jordi Pujol's Fresh Sound New Talent label--a fitting stable for a quartet of international pedigree. Pavelko's serpentine tenor lines quietly beguile throughout, but it ...
Continue ReadingJames Williams: I Fall In Love Too Easily
by Artur Moral
Several factors hinder the enduring legacy of a figure like James Williams: a limited discography as a leader, curtailed by his deep commitment to teaching and early death, the frustrating unavailability of much of his published work in both physical and digital formats, lacking even a partial retrospective compilation, and, not a minor issue, a name that complicates searches and causes ongoing confusion on streaming platforms and websites. This makes his current visibility scarce and fragmented. The ten records with ...
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