John Fordham
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Rochford showcases his signature alchemic touch, featuring seven electric guitarists in a fusion of improv, reggae and romantic pop.
7mo
From breezy swing to scampering synths, folksy harmonies to stark wails of the soul, Salvant’s crystalline vocals shine across her ingenious experiments.
8mo
The US saxophonist pulls back the vocals of his last record to present a new ensemble and all-original repertoire, resulting in an ideal balance of ingenuity and rapport.
11mo
The free-collective energy of one of Braxton’s most intuitive groups jostles and enchants as a mirror of life’s rhythms.
5mo
With bassist Tim Lefebvre and drummer Eric Schaefer, the German pianist’s unpredictable live album nimbly traverses the genre’s history.
1y
At times, Celebration Volume 1 can seem more like a Buddhist meditation than a jazz album – yet it’s full of the enthralling purposefulness that was this foursome’s calling card.
1y
The octogenarian joyfully whispers and warbles his way through sublime tone poems, impassioned tributes and traditional spirituals with an all-star band.
2y
Improvising around Iyer compositions and numbers by Stevie Wonder, Roscoe Mitchell and more, these musicians foreground openness and receptivity.
2y
The Brooklyn jazz guitarist’s beautifully interwoven tracks are full of welcome surprises.
2y
Émile Parisien’s soprano sax is the standout on this diverse and inventive set, which blends kora with Anatolian shindigs, klezmer with agile accordion.
3y
Amaryllis exposes avant-funk, fast bass-walking jazz, jubilant brass choruses and slow-sighing rumination to eloquent improvising from young vibraphone original Patricia Brennan, trumpet star Adam O’Farrill, the tersely punchy Jacob Garchik (trombone) and Nick Dunston (bass), mercurial drummer Tomas Fujiwara, and Halvorson herself.
4y
Belladonna is quieter, but it still buzzes with contrasts: graceful sways of string harmony against Halvorson’s guitar-chord throb and chattery ascents, slurred whale-song sounds over drifting background hums, squealing note-bends within almost Django Reinhardt-like runs, rollercoaster melody full of hard-accented turns and fast-strummed resolutions.
4y
Drummer Blake joins with Dezon Douglas, Immanuel Wilkins, Joel Ross and David Virelles to create enthralling post-bop, soul jazz and Coltraneian pop.
2y