So long, RVA!
The following reviews are of two new releases on OA2 Records. The two musicians featured here are both young Chicagoans, and these albums are their firsts as leaders on the label. I reviewed both initially on Twitter and have consolidated them here. Ben Neuman – Introductions Neuman slips a waltz arrangement of “Blame It On […]
Originally reviewed by Dean Christesen on Twitter: @RVAjazzTigran HamasyanRed Hail Plus Loin Music2009Some may remember the album review I conducted on Twitter back in March. Like it or not, I did it again, this time with a young (b. 1987) Armenian pianist named Tigran Hamasyan and his newest album Red Hail. I don’t necessarily predetermine […]
Scott Burton and Glows in the Dark, along with Fight the Big Bull, will be hosting Matana Roberts for a performance on May 22, 2009, at MUSE Creative Workspace. Matana Roberts The Chicago Project Central Control International 2008 Within the first 90 seconds of The Chicago Project’s first track, at least three different themes are […]
by Joey Ciucci Cameron Ralston is the foundation of Richmond’s avant-garde scene. While drummer Brian Jones may be the patriarch and champion of the city’s movement towards a freer, more cohesive, more aware sound, Ralston–who plays bass for Ombak, Fight the Big Bull, Glows in the Dark, Boots of Leather, and Ilad–has emerged as a […]
Originally reviewed by Dean Christesen on Twitter: @RVAjazz I tried something new today with this newly released album from the Songlines label. While listening, I reviewed it in pieces on Twitter. Twitter users know that each entry can be no more than 140 characters, so each statement I made about the music had to be […]
by Roberto Curtis In their sophomore album, Alive in Richmond, NO BS! Brass Band ventures into a sophisticated territory few bands in Richmond tend go. Thoughtfully composed, recorded and mastered, the surgical precision of these songs set a bar that seems hard to clear. As if the technique of the 11-15 musicians involved (several members […]
by Dean Christesen Brightly dodging around the melody of “Jelly Roll,” the M.A.P. Trio abandons the original harmony of the first few lines, instead stating the melody in unison. And so goes the challenge of performing Charles Mingus’ music with a trio: sacrifices of the original composition must be made, but the ways that those […]
by Dean Christesen The most interesting instrumentation in a contemporary jazz album of 2008 goes to New York Electric Piano. Originally a trio of Fender Rhodes, bass, and drums, the group’s fourth record adds to it Leon Guenbaum’s unique Samchillian keyboard, acoustic piano, saxophones and flutes, male and female vocals, and “soundscape.” The same flame […]
by Roberto Curtis Saxophonist Tony Malaby–known for his ominously playful composition style–has teamed up with New York contemporary drummer John Hollenbeck and avant garde cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm to create Warblepeck, an album that is as experimental as it is fun. Billed as the Tony Malaby Cello Trio, the group’s virtuosity creeps up behind the obvious […]
by Dean Christesen This review has been published by All About Jazz. Visit Fight the Big Bull on the web. Track listing: Dying Will Be Easy; November 25th; Grizzly Bear; In Jarama Valley. Personnel: Matt White: guitar, tunes; Pinson Chanselle: trap kit; Cameron Ralston: bass; Brian Jones: percussion; Bob Miller: trumpet; Reggie Pace: trombone; Bryan […]
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