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Tommy Crane

Tommy Crane is a NYC and Montreal based musician. Crane has recorded and performed with Ambrose Akinmusire, Melissa Aldana, Briars of North America, The Mingus Big Band, Linda Oh, Thus Owls, Aaron Parks, Richard Reed Parry, Logan Richardson, Bing and Ruth, Becca Stevens, Half Waif, Port St Willow, and Wood River.

In 2017 Crane was commissioned by the Lincoln Center, NY, to create a multimedia piece titled "Preservation" in collaboration with filmmaker Tracy Maurice. Crane's composition was performed live and released as a full-length album in 2019. In addition to Crane, the recording features performances by Colin Killalea (Albert Hammond Jr.), Eliot Krimsky (Here we go magic), and Greg Chudzik (Steve Reich).

In 2017/2018, Crane toured extensively with Melissa Aldana and recorded the Grammy Nominated album "Visions" with the band. Crane is also a core member of Aaron Parks's "Little Big" (whom he met and befriended at a jazz camp in NYC when they were both 15 years old). They've recorded two albums together. Crane also taught improvisational ensembles at the Accademia Nazionale del Jazz - Siena Jazz in Italy (2019-2020). He contributes original compositions to various WNYC and NPR podcasts and is also a Sunhouse artist.

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13
Album Review

Aaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man

Read "Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man" reviewed by Pat Youngspiel


Back with his second effort under the Little Big moniker, Aaron Parks stretches out the concepts that had been established on the group's debut recording and presents an even tighter display of original jazz meets pop blended instrumentals. As on predecessor Little Big (Ropeadope Records, 2018), each bar and every measure of each track have been carefully conceived, logically constructed and unwound to form a complete picture. The foundations are through-composed, the band's interplay however is as dynamic and lively ...

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Album Review

Aaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man

Read "Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man" reviewed by Mike Jurkovic


Upon initial listening, there is a deceptive lightness-of-being borne throughout Little Big II: Dreams of A Mechanical Man that may or may not come off to some, or most, as slightly too poppy a venture. But pianist Aaron Parks and his road-running cohorts, rock toned guitarist Greg Tuohey, bassist David Ginyard, Jr and drummer/percussionist Tommy Crane, are intuitive dealers with aces high up their collective sleeve. Hewn from the same lithe, exploratory spirit which sparked his communicative 2008 ...

1
Album Review

Melissa Aldana: Visions

Read "Visions" reviewed by Serena Antinucci


L'ultimo progetto della sassofonista cilena Melissa Aldana, governato da invasioni e tensioni musicali, è il ritratto schietto della vita nel suo continuo divenire, fatto di stacchi improvvisi, passi indietro e sguardi critici sulla realtà. In Visions (Motéma Music, 2019) ci sono architetture sonore difficili da verbalizzare e, a volte, le parole scompaiono timidamente sommerse dai suoni. Gli undici brani del disco sono il risultato di un profondo studio, di una vitalità trascinante, a volte mista al dolore. Aldana, ...

10
Album Review

Melissa Aldana: Visions

Read "Visions" reviewed by Friedrich Kunzmann


Compositional and instrumental virtuosity always walks along a razor's edge between self-indulgence and purposeful accomplishment. On Visions, sought after saxophonist Melissa Aldana proves that she doesn't only master balancing this edge but that she can also go beyond the complexities of structure, scales and improvisation and naturally create her very own musical aesthetic. In interplay with an all-star cast of equally dynamic sidemen—Sam Harris on keys, Pablo Menares on bass, as well as drummer Tommy Crane and Joel Ross adding ...

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Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

When Is Ancient?

Chromatic Audio
2020

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Visions

Motéma Music
2019

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La Madrina

From: Visions
By Tommy Crane

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