With its double reeds and complicated fingerings, the bassoon is one of the most difficult wind instruments to master. But for an artist dedicated to conquering the tool, great music can result. With its somehow equally mysterious and romantic tone, the bassoon provides tonal color unlike any other instrument. And while the bassoon has found […]
Since the 1970s, Marilyn Crispell has been a major figure in creative music, pushing the piano into new realms, whether her hands are on its keys or in the instrument itself. While Crispell has some beautiful solo, trio, and quartet recordings to her name, it seems she has a particular affinity for the intimacy of […]
Over the past two and a half decades, pianist-composer Sylvie Courvoisier has established a formidable career in combining concepts from European chamber music and avant-garde jazz. In the process, she has collaborated with such other luminaries as John Zorn, Wadada Leo Smith, Evan Parker, Ken Vandermark, and Mary Halvorson. Like Courvoisier, guitarist-composer Halvorson has a […]
The second part of our conversation with Dave Liebman covers his incredible debut as a leader, Lookout Farm (ECM, 1973). But it focuses primarily on two of the saxophonist’s more recent projects. First, we discuss his longtime collaboration with pianist Richie Beirach and their recent five CD release – with special guest Jack Dejohnette– Empathy […]
For over fifty years, Dave Liebman has been at the forefront of musical creativity. Whether his time as a sideman with artists including Miles Davis and Elvin Jones or his own works like Lookout Farm (ECM, 1973) or The Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner (CMP, 1986) or his various recordings with Quest, he has […]
Over the past decade, Canadian ensemble BADBADNOTGOOD has established itself as a powerful force in creative music. The group initially emerged from the shared love of hip hop by three students – Matthew Tavares, Alexander Sowinski, and Chester Hansen – at Humber College’s jazz program. Jump forward a few years and the addition of saxophonist […]
We continue our conversation with Steven Bernstein by discussing his Community Music project more generally and what distinguishes Tinctures in Time (Royal Potato Family, 2021) from the forthcoming three albums in the series. We also consider Sexmob’s continued legacy on the twenty-fifth anniversary of the groundbreaking band’s founding, including the uniqueness of Bernstein’s choice to […]
Since arriving in New York over forty years ago, Steven Bernstein has established himself as a powerful voice in music. One commonality across most of his work has been a consistent refusal to be boxed into a particular style or approach. Many may point to his relationship to the downtown music scene. In 1990, the […]
We continue our conversation with Christian McBride by discussing his thoughts on the connection between music and sports, his work as a DJ, the concept of genre, and some more on the Newport Jazz Festival and his role as its Artistic Director. Part one of our discussion can be found here. PG: Miles Davis used to […]
From its founding in 1954 until 2019, the Newport Jazz Festival had been canceled only once, for a single year following the unruly behavior of non-attendees in 1960. The event also spent a decade relocated in New York City, but still bore the Newport moniker, continuing its legacy from afar. But, as with much else, […]
