Album Reviews

Review: Irreversible Entanglements’ ‘Who Sent You?’

In their debut and the live album released a year ago, Irreversible Entanglements wowed audiences with energetic free-jazz poetry performances,…

6 years ago

Review: Ambrose Akinmusire’s ‘on the tender spot of every calloused moment’

Tonic, minor third, fourth, minor fifth, fifth, minor seventh. While this describes the blues scale, such a summation misses the…

6 years ago

Review: Aaron Parks’ ‘Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man’

In ancient Greek mythological lore, Hephaestus, the god of technology, created a giant bronze automaton named Talos who was powered…

6 years ago

Review: Shabaka and the Ancestors’ ‘We Are Sent Here By History’

From the Thirteenth to the Seventeenth Centuries, the powerful Mali Empire ruled Western Africa. Encompassing modern Mauritania, Niger, Gambia, Guinea,…

6 years ago

Review: Nicholas Payton’s ‘Quarantined with Nick’

Throughout history, musicians have used the direst of circumstances, including widespread pandemics, to expand their artistic boundaries and examine unexplored…

6 years ago

Review: Takahiro Izumikawa’s ‘Life is Your Thoughts’

There is a Japanese proverb dating back to at least the 16th Century: 一期一会 . Roughly translated, it means “each…

6 years ago

Review: Nduduzo Makhathini’s ‘Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds’

Due to the nation’s rich jazz history, it may appear surprising that a 2020 release - Nduduzo Makhathini’s Modes of…

6 years ago

Review: R.A.P. Ferreira’s ‘Purple Moonlight Pages’

On Purple Moonlight Pages, R.A.P. Ferreira is extremely loose and free, at times even nonchalant, but he is always impressive…

6 years ago

Review: Lakecia Benjamin’s ‘Pursuance: The Coltranes’

In the over fifty years since John Coltrane’s death, dozens, if not hundreds, of recordings have honored his artistic genius.…

6 years ago

Review: Hailu Mergia’s ‘Yene Mircha (የኔ ምርጫ)’

In January 2013, Brian Shimkovitz, the head of Awesome Tapes From Africa, found a cassette tape in a shop in…

6 years ago