October 1st, 2022
Tyshawn Sorey Goes Deep into Jazz The avant-garde experimental drummer-composer puts his stamp on standardsBy: Fred Kaplan
The drummer Tyshawn Sorey has made his mark mainly as an experimental musician, composer, and conductor—a McArthur Genius Grant winner who spans the gamut between contemporary classical and avant-garde jazz, with stints as sideman to the likes of Marilyn Crispell, Roscoe Mitchell, and Anthony Braxton. But lately he’s taken small steps toward the mainstream, playing in Vijay Iyer’s trio and now, with Mesmerism, leading his own trio on an album of standards. Except for... Read More
September 17th, 2022
Cassandra Wilson Destroys Artificial Musical Boundaries And Celebrates Good Tunes From the archives: Michael Fremer reviews Cassandra Wilson's superb 'New Moon Daughter'By: Michael Fremer
(This review originally appeared in Issue 7, Spring 1996.)Joni Mitchell may have written “The Circle Game,” but it took Cassandra Wilson to grab pop by the throat and drag it around in one of the widest, deepest grooves of an unlikely circle you’ll ever hear, reconfiguring it as simmering, steamy jazz/blues. If you start this disc on the third track, “Solomon Sang”—a Wilson original—you might even be fooled into thinking it was Joni in her most recent smoky... Read More
September 13th, 2022
A Hip Trip Of A Mose Allison Anthology From the archives: Steve Guttenberg reviews Rhino's 2CD 'Allison Wonderland: The Mose Allison Anthology'By: Tracking Angle
(This review, written by Steve Guttenberg, originally appeared in Issue 5/6, Winter 1995/96.)Is Mose Allison the coolest man alive? Do “cool” people still use that word? Whatever the jargon, Mose Allison defined the whole concept. This groovy 2CD set covers a great deal of ground: the years 1957-1990; 47 tracks from six different labels. This music doesn’t fit easily into any one category—a lot of jazz, plenty of blues, definitely rock, a bit of country—so its appeal... Read More