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John Christensen
Precarious Towers: Ten Stories
by Jack Bowers
Precarious Towers is a Midwestern-based quintet whose second recording, Ten Stories, is as bare-bones an album as one could imagine: a plain CD (without name or artwork) resting in a pale-blue jacket (no tray or protective sleeve) that includes a list of songs, composers and personnel plus recording details. That's it. From a reviewer's point of view, however, such cosmetic details are irrelevant, as the only component that matters is the music itself. Judged solely on that ...
read moreKenny Reichert: Deep Breath
by Richard J Salvucci
Kenny Reichert is a jny:Chicago-based guitarist of broad background, Berklee training, and wide-ranging tastes in pop and jazz. He has self-released one studio album, Interpretations (2015). Reichert records mostly originals. If you are looking for influences, “Spears" (a play on “Sphere"?) sounds Thelonious Sphere Monk-ish enough, with plenty of solo space for saxophonist Tony Barba woven in. Barba can hold his own with anyone. Reichert does not shy away from vocals either. His lyricist and singer is Alyssa ...
read moreJohannes Wallmann: Precarious Towers
by Dan McClenaghan
Pianist Johannes Wallman set himself up with a hard act to follow when he released 2021's Elegy For an Undiscovered Species (Shifting Paradigm) an ambitious set of the leader's distinctive compositions played by an all-star quintet and string orchestra. It is a jazz with strings that leans to a spirited jazz side--cerebral and approachable at the same time. Precarious Towers, Wallmann's 2022 offering, finds the pianist bringing in a different quintet, one which proves itself as adept as ...
read moreTony Barba: Blood Moon
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Madison-based saxophonist Tony Barba is a sonic chameleon, able to wrap catchy melodic themes around a variety of different genres. His ear for melodies is on full display on his newest outing for the Midwestern label Shifting Paradigm Records. In interplay with Chicagoan guitarist Matt Gold and the Madison-based rhythm section of John Christensen on bass and Devin Drobka on drums, Blood Moon sees Barba drawing from reggae as much as from pop and country, together interpreted with jazzy sensibilities ...
read moreJohn Christensen: Dear Friend
by Mike Jurkovic
Madison Wisconsin based bassist/composer John Christensen begins his debut, Dear Friend with the namesake track, a quietly rolling, reflective impression that might at first remind one of a backing track for any number of 70's singer-songwriters. It's a pretty piece, a wonderful starting point for a very melodic, almost nostalgic listen. The next composition, “Something Said in Passing" keeps the nostalgic vibe, as guitarist Dave Miller recreates any number of 60's pop sounding guitar punctuations, giving way to ...
read moreJohn Christensen: Dear Friend
by Friedrich Kunzmann
Madison-based double bassist John Christensen is certainly no rookie to jazz, even though Dear Friend would appear to be his debut album. After attending the University of North Texas, Christensen chose to follow a more personalized education and set up camp in San Francisco. It is in the bay area that he committed to extensive gigging with numerous projects before moving to Madison in 1999. Today, nearly two decades later, the bassist demonstrates the vast qualities he picked up on ...
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