Roberto Magris/Denis Razz Quartet - In Action

In Action
Roberto Magris/Denis Razz Quartet
JMood Records

Roberto Magris – acoustic and electric piano, keyboards, Hammond organ, Mexican whistles
Denis Razz – alto and soprano sax, flute
Karlo Ilić – acoustic bass, electric guitar, oud
Rajko Ergić – drums, percussion and soprano sax 

This 2-disc set covers a LOT of ground, from CTI-style jams with electric piano to post-bop and more abstract pieces. I'm only familiar with Magris, but all the musicians acquit themselves well. Razz can burn on the alto and Magris seems to be at home no matter the setting.

Each piece is good on its own merits, but the extreme breadth of styles makes for a somewhat disjointed listening experience. If you purchase, I would think about sequencing the tracks differently and having the more mainstream pieces separate from the other selections.

https://jmoodrecords.bandcamp.com/album/in-action-2

What I'm Listening To - April 3 edition

 Here are some of the albums I've found rewarding to listen to over the past few weeks:

The Solastalgia Suite
Kris Davis and the Lutosławski Quartet
https://krisdavis.bandcamp.com/album/the-solastalgia-suite-hi-res-24bit-96k

Patterns from Nature

Quinsin Nachoff
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GF1YWKYC/ref=sr_1_2?

Landings

Ingrid Jensen

https://www.newvelle-records.com/products/ingrid-jensen-landings

Biotic

Shawn Lovato

https://shawnlovato.bandcamp.com/album/biotic

Stars

Martin Wind

https://www.newvelle-records.com/products/martin-wind-stars

John Vanore - Easter Island Suite

John Vanore - composer, trumpet
Michael Mee - alto saxophone, flute
Bob Howell - saxophone, bass clarinet
Brian Landrus - bass clarinet
Greg Kettinger - guitar
Ron Thomas - piano
Craig Thomas - bass
Other musicians unidentified

I don't know much about John Vanore, although he did a nice reimagining of Oliver Nelson's Stolen Moments a few years ago. Easter Island Suite is Mr. Vanore's composition, and it features four parts or movements that work well individually and collectively. I'm not familiar with any of the musicians except Brian Landrus, and since John is Philly based, I'm guessing that's where these guys are from.

The arrangements are no frills, in the sense that they don't have a lot of unusual colors or instrumentation. They work well, though, and provide a lot of solo space to his band, especially the saxophonists. Easter Island Suite is a recording I've returned to multiple times, which says something with the amount of music I listen to!

Convergence - Reckless Meter

Greg Gisbert – trumpet
John Gunther – tenor saxophone
Mark Patterson – trombone
Eric Gunnison – piano
Mark Simon – bass
Paul Romaine – drums

Reckless Meter from the group Convergence is a really nice straight-ahead date featuring original compositions from the band. Everyone acquits themselves well; Eric Gunnison on piano is a standout. It’s great to hear from John Gunther, an underrated tenor player who reminds me a little of Tina Brooks. John had some nice CDs on the old CIMP label.

https://caprirecords.com/album/reckless-meter/

I'm back...!

Due to popular demand from, well, no one in particular actually, I've decided to give my music blog another go. I was surprised to see my last post was way back in 2017! I think what's brought me back is the fact that there's so much good music being released that isn't getting its just due. 

I've decided to change how I write in a couple of ways:

• I'm going to keep my posts brief. This will allow me to be more prolific with my entries without taking too much time away from other interests and responsibilities.
• I'm going to be a little more frank than I was in the past. I generally review what I really like, so don't expect to see negative reviews, but I'm going to hold myself to calling it as I see it, the positive and any perceived shortcomings.

Hopefully, I can help jazz fans find out about some great music. Here goes.