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Marc Michel
Alex Hitchcock: Dream Band: Live in London
by Glenn Astarita
This is a bold expedition into the heart of progressive jazz, rendered across a vast canvas of three enthralling nights at the Vortex Jazz Club in London. This three-CD collection is not just a mere album, but a grand, audacious gathering of talents which blurs the line between a larger ensemble setup and a more intimate, modern band experience. Hitchcock's nifty approach to ensemble creation is at the core of this live recording. Rather than sticking ...
read moreAlex Hitchcock: Dream Band Live In London
by Chris May
Viewed in retrospect, the abiding memory of 2023 is that it produced too many jazz albums prioritizing technical facility over emotional engagement. In London, New York and elsewhere (but not, so it seemed, in Chicago), musicians appeared to focus on virtuosity rather than feeling. Dullsville. For the record, some of those albums that did put soul on, at the least, an equal footing with cerebralism, are to be found in the Best Albums of 2023 round-up which can be read ...
read moreTom Ollendorff: Open House
by Chris May
There is technical excellence, there is pretty, there is a well-honed trio, there is an in-sync guest saxophonist, and yet, and yet.... Open House is London-based guitarist Tom Ollendorff's follow-up to A Song For You (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2021), his debut, which also featured bassist Conor Chaplin and drummer Marc Michel. The vibe is the same as on the earlier album, but there are differences in the detail. This time out, five, rather than eight, of ...
read moreFabia Mantwill: Em.Perience
by Angelo Leonardi
«Non mi interessa in quale stile o genere possa essere classificata questa musica—dice Fabia Mantwill—che sia jazz, classica, folk, canzone d'autore, soul. Penso che i confini stiano diventando sempre più sfocati». Il debutto discografico della giovane bandleader, sassofonista e cantante tedesca contiene elementi di tutti quei generi musicali e non ha alcun senso cercare etichette. È comunque certo che la 28enne artista di Berlino è un talento tanto versatile quanto singolarmente precoce per questi anni: ha fondato ...
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