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Paul Cornish
Jalen Baker: Be Still
by Neil Duggan
When studying to become a jazz drummer, students are often exposed to other percussion instruments in the course of their studies and sometimes that results in finding a specialty. That was the case for Jalen Baker, who started experimenting on the vibraphone and has now gone on to be one of the most compelling players around. Be Still is his second album. It follows on from his debut album, This Is Me, This Is Us (Outside in Music, 2021). He ...
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by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophonist and record executive Cory Weeds presents another album in the series of releases by up-and-coming black artists, to give them a voice which might not otherwise be heard. In this case, the artist is vibraphonist Jalen Baker; he and his frequent collaborators, pianist Paul Cornish, bassist Gabriel Godoy and drummer Gavin Moolchan, run through some songs which have been both inspirational and representational to Baker as his career has developed. The opening number “T'Was" ...
read moreJalen Baker: This is Me, This is Us
by Troy Dostert
Joining the ranks of young vibraphonists with skills galore, Jalen Baker brings a lot to the table on his debut record, This is Me, This is Us. Like Joel Ross, Sasha Berliner and Warren Wolf—the last of whom provides liner notes for the album—Baker's ambition goes beyond instrumental virtuosity. His compositional aims are just as impressive, as he offers a string quartet to complement several of his smartly written pieces, many of which reference pressing social and political challenges.
read moreMax Gerl: Tbilisi
by Phillip Woolever
In a four-song display of highly skilled writing and musicianship, Max Gerl provides deep liftoff points for a versatile quartet to roll through thirty-three minutes of distinctly different pieces in a widely comprehensive range of jazz contexts. The songs share similar length and instrumental dexterity, but that's about it. In Gerl's thematic landscape, most uncommon ground is prime musical territory. “Tbilisi" is a sax-based romp that swings for the fences with a big band aesthetic. Aaron Shaw delivers ...
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