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Jake Wark
Javier Red: Life & Umbrella
by Mike Jurkovic
The secret behind Life & Umbrella is that Chicago-based, Mexican-born pianist/composer Javier Red is a studied composer who puts a great deal of thought into the music he presents, both to his peers and to the world. But that music never feels calculated like an equation with an obvious answer. Just the exact opposite. So it is with wiry, creative glee that Red and his Imagery Converter--drummer Gustavo Cortiñas, bassist Ben Dillinger and saxophonist Jake Wark--double down on their bold ...
read moreJavier Red's Imagery Converter: Life & Umbrella
by Hrayr Attarian
Chicago pianist Javier Red and his quartet, Imagery Converter, follow their stimulating debut Ephemeral Certainties (Delmark, 2019) with the equally superb Life & Umbrella. Red dedicates the current release to spreading love and understanding for individuals with autism. The dozen originals which comprise it do not have traditional starting and ending heads, as concepts flow from one to the other. This gives the album its uniqueness and contributes to its thematic unity. The angular Brain Check" starts off ...
read moreJake Wark Quartet: Scrawl
by Troy Dostert
A strong meeting of four of Chicago's leading improvisers, Scrawl is tenor saxophonist Jake Wark's second disc as a leader, after 2016's Tremor (Amalgam Music), which featured the talents of drummer Phil Haynes and bassist Drew Gress. The Chicago scene has long had a collectivist spirit, and it's on display here, as clarinetist Angel Bat Dawid, bassist Jakob Heinemann, and drummer Adam Shead bring their undeniable camaraderie to bear on five engaging Wark compositions. Wark's biting sound has ...
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Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson