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Erik APPLEGATE: – Two’s Company – Artist Alliance

by Audiophile Audition | Mar 4, 2017 | Jazz CD Reviews

Erik APPLEGATE: – Two’s Company – Artist Alliance, 57:17 (2/1/17) ****: (Erik Applegate; bass/Dana Landry; piano/ Steve Kovalcheck; guitar/ Paul McKee; trombone/ Kenyon Brenner; tenor saxophone/ Tom Amend; piano) A fine bassist collaborates with five faculty members of the University of Northern Colorado on a set of duos. Sometimes I grow a little tired of the instrumentation of the modern jazz ensemble and its restricted sonority. Trumpet, saxophone, guitar rhythm section plus or minus a guitar very nearly form a convention. In those moments, I wish I could ask all of the instruments to leave the stage but for the bass, plus one other. The duo would clear the air and provide a paring down and concentration of musical idea and expression. The result would be a more personal form of communication. As it happens, I have just discovered a new CD, digging deep into the pile, led by a bass player who collaborates with five different players in a set of duos. Erik Applegate, the leader, does not have to go far to find his friends. They are all fellow instructors at Northern Colorado University music program. Applegate has played with some big names in the business as has […]

Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications

by Audiophile Audition | Nov 10, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications SSC1469, 41:40 ***: An intriguing release. (Nick Sanders – piano; Logan Strosahl – alto & tenor saxophone) You have to give credit to Nick Sanders and Logan Strosahl for getting this album entitled Janus released. Imagine, if you will, the pitch meeting with Sunnyside Communications wherein the duo wanted to record a disc that would feature their interpretations of music from medieval, Baroque and contemporary classics, as well as bebop and modern jazz. Clearly the individuals in charge of the label thought it was worth the risk. Was it ? Both Sanders and Strosahl are first class musicians having graduated from Boston’s New England Conservatory. This is where they first encountered each other and started playing together. Clearly, they are like-minded and highly accomplished collaborators as evidenced by the first track entitled “Sigma”. This original composition by Nick Sanders flits along the jagged edges of classical/free jazz at a confident pace. Diving into jazz’s oblique territory with Thelonious Monk’s “Thelonious,” the duo demonstrates their comfort with the number as they tackle Monk’s stylistic intricacies. Another number that falls into this category is the composition “Be-Bop Tune” by the two principals, […]

Jane Ira Bloom, sop. sax – Early Americans – Outline

by Audiophile Audition | Jul 25, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Soprano saxophonist finds that three is the perfect number. Jane Ira Bloom – Early Americans [TrackList follows] Outline OTL142, 52:18 [5/13/16] ****: (Jane Ira Bloom – soprano saxophone, co-producer; Mark Helias – bass; Bobby Previte – drums) Soprano saxophonist Jane Ira Bloom does something new on her latest album, the 52-minute Early Americans. On her 16th release as a leader, she strips the proceedings down to a trio format. The result is a dozen Bloom originals (and one Broadway standard) which crackle with sustained fortitude, snap with swing and groove, and pop out from the speakers or headphones with auditory aplomb. Bloom is joined by two longtime musical friends: bassist Mark Helias (who first collaborated with Bloom in the mid-70s) and drummer Bobby Previte (who has worked with Bloom for 15 years). It’s not hard to imagine the simpatico synergy which filters through each tune, and listening confirms Bloom, Previte and Helias’ uncanny communication. There are many standouts. The CD opens with two memorable pieces. “Song Patrol” introduces a magnificent melodic theme via Bloom’s sincere soprano, while Helias and Previte contribute freely-moving rhythms. This is modern jazz but doesn’t stray into free or avant-garde territory. There’s a lithe bass/drum duet […]

Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy – Out of the Blue – Cuneiform

by Audiophile Audition | Feb 4, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Finnish jazz and improvisation which is unpredictable and eclectic. Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy – Out of the Blue [TrackList follows] – Cuneiform, Rune 413, 41:23 [10/16/15] ****: (Raoul Bjorkenheim – electric guitar, producer; Pauli Lyytinen – tenor, bass and soprano saxophones, mey; Jori Huhtala – doublebass; Marrku Ounaskari – drums) There is a side to modern jazz where allogamy, or cross-fertilization, is the norm rather than the opposite. It’s where lines get blurred: jazz fusion, prog rock, postmodern material, raucous noise, and more commingle. Guitarists such as Nels Cline, Bill Frisell and Sonny Sharrock have fused those lines. Finland’s Raoul Bjorkenheim is another guitarist who tackles disparate, but somehow connected, improvisational ground. His quartet, eCsTaSy, put out a debut in 2014. In late 2015 Raoul Bjorkenheim/eCsTaSy issued a sophomore release, the eight-track, 40-minute outing, Out of the Blue. Like its predecessor, Out of the Blue is a mix of harder-edged tunes and longer pieces which have elliptical shapes. Moods can suddenly shift, textures can be intimate one moment and strident the next. The overriding process is music which is very aware of its own individuality. Several tracks showcase Bjorkenheim’s electric guitar, and are paced with tinges of rock and toughened jazz. Opener […]