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DAVID LIEBMAN·ELLERY ESKELIN·TONY MARINO·JIM BLACK - Different But The Same...
On first inspection, teaming up saxophonists Dave Liebman and Ellery Eskelin might seem to have the potential for an acute dose of musical schizophrenia. But closer consideration reveals that there is...
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FRANCISCO MELA & CUBAN SAFARI - Tree of Life (2011)
A safari, in essence, is all about the idea of an encounter between the tamed, usually in the form of adventure-seeking humans, and the wild, which they aim to explore. The same could be said for the...
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MELVIN RHYNE - Classmasters (1999)
Melvin Rhyne was born in Indianapolis in 1936 and started playing the piano shortly after. At 19 years old, Rhyne started playing piano with then-unknown tenor saxophonist Rahsaan Roland Kirk but...
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GARY HUSBAND - A Meeting Of Spirits (2006)
Pianist and percussionist Gary Husband is one of the world's most gifted musicians. It would be more accurate to say that he is not merely supremely talented but also a true virtuoso of both drums and...
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MATT WILSON QUARTET + JOHN MEDESKI - Gathering Call (2013)
When he is not occupying the drum chair of one of dozens of bands that he is called upon to inject with his contagious effervescence, drummer Matt Wilson can be found leading his two bands, Arts &...
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RAN BLAKE - Plays Piano Solo (1965)
ESP Disk's 50th anniversary reissue series continues to unearth valuable documents from the history of cutting edge music. Back in the 1960s, when jazz was becoming marginalized as popular music and...
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RAN BLAKE·CHRISTINE CORREA - Out of the Shadows (2009)
The spectacular second coupling of pianist Ran Blake and vocalist Christine Correa, Out of the Shadows is one of the most extraordinary albums of 2010. Both are wonderful storytellers in their own...
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ENRICO RAVA - Renaissance (2002)
Tracks01. It Ain't Necessarily So (G. Gershwin)02. Dear Old Stockholm (Traditional)03. Good Bye (G. Jenkins)04. My Funny Valentine (R. Rodgers)05. Vision (E. Rava)06. Fran Dance (M. Davis)07. Nature...
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ENRICO RAVA - What A Day (1990)
Tracks01 - What A Day (E. Rava) 02 - Dyani (E. Rava) 03 - Titina (E. Rava) 04 - Sun Bay (E. Rava) 05 - You Don't Know What Love Is (Raye & De Paul) 06 - Outsider (E. Rava) 07 - Tempo Di Migrare...
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ENRICO RAVA - The Words And The Days (2007)
For some, jazz is an either/or: either it's deeply and clearly rooted in the American tradition, or it isn't jazz. What's not necessarily apparent with musicians seemingly distanced from that...
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JUHANI AALTONEN QUARTET - Conclusions (2009)
This quartet with Iro, Uffe and Reiska has provided me with an excellent opportunity to reflect on my five decades of performing improvised music. In a way, I see this recording as a summation of some...
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LOUIS SCLAVIS SEXTET - Ellington on the Air (1992)
Louis Sclavis - a French clarinetist from Lyon is a unique figure in world jazz. He has collaborated with many musicians such as Cecil Tylor, Evan Parker, Lol Coxhill, Tony Oxley, Peter Brötzmann, the...
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TIM HAGANS & MARCUS PRINTUP - Hubsongs (1997)
Hub Songs not only functions as a heartfelt, loving tribute to Freddie Hubbard, one of the greatest trumpeters in bop history, but it's a dynamic, engaging session in its own right. Both Tim Hagans...
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TOMEKA REID QUARTET - Tomeka Reid Quartet (2015)
Simply seeing the names of the musicians in this band made me do a double-take. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara, bassist Jason Roebke, guitarist Mary Halvorson are all in cellist Tomeka Reid's quartet?!? The...
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BERNARDO SASSETTI - Unreal·Sidewalk Cartoon (2006)
The music on Unreal forms a mysterious soundtrack. After reading the part of the liner notes that were translated into English, the general story is still very unclear (a lot gets lost in translation)...
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PAOLO FRESU·FURIO DI CASTRI - Evening Song (1991)
Evening Song, recorded in Bologna in '91, affirms their music in the panorama of European jazz, establishing - paradoxically - the characteristics of the duo in a project that has no fixed points...
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ROLAND HANN & GEORGE MRAZ - Romanesque (1982)
Originally made for the Japanese Trio label and released domestically by Black Hawk, this was at least the sixth duet album that pianist Roland Hanna made with bassist George Mraz. Hanna takes seven...
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RAN BLAKE·JAKI BYARD - Improvisations (1981)
This very interesting release matches together Ran Blake and Jaki Byard in a set of piano duets. Because Byard (who can play credibly in virtually every jazz style) is highly flexible, he was able to...
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MÁRIO LAGINHA·BERNARDO SASSETTI (2003)
Tracks01. A Menina e o Piano (M. Laginha) 02. Senor Cáscara (B. Sassetti) 03. O Sonho dos Outros (B. Sassetti) 04. Take the A Train (Billy Strayhorn – arreglo de M.Laginha) 05. Fuga (para 2 Pianos)...
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BOB MOVER - The Night Bathers (1986)
When one considers the instrumentation (alto, piano and guitar) and the personnel (Bob Mover, Paul Bley and John Abercrombie), it is not surprising that this date is full of thoughtful, chance-taking...
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