Interviews

Most press releases for new albums proclaim how their latest offering is the artist’s “most personal statement yet” or the artist’s “most fully realized to date.” Omni (Intakt, 2026), the sixth recording by tenor saxophonist James Brandon Lewis’s stellar quartet does this as well. But, here, such claims may prove true. Omni is certainly the ensemble’s… Read more: Review: James Brandon Lewis Quartet’s ‘Omni’

 We begin with a question. When is the optimal time for a rising artist to invite a bevy of guests to perform on the album? For six-time Grammy-nominated alto saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, the choice to present her self-described “guest flair” came from practically the outset. Her third album, Pursuance: The Coltranes (Ropeadope, 2020), featured ten… Read more: Review: Lakecia Benjamin’s ‘We Dream’

Trumpeter. Composer. Bandleader. Arranger. Conductor. Steven Bernstein is many things, with those five descriptors only scratching the surface of his capabilities. He’s made music for films, had his compositions choreographed by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater and Twyla Tharp, and has worked with several progressive jazz artists. He was also instrumental in Levon Helm’s late-career success, which… Read more: Review: Steven Bernstein’s ‘ResoNation Trio’ and ‘Ultra Resonance’

We continue with the second half (read part one here) of our conversation with Joe Morris to discuss some of his recordings, improvisation and composition, and the hidden creative music gem that is New Haven, Connecticut. PostGenre: Earlier you mentioned how you don’t want to sound like other guitar players. You have recorded several duo… Read more: Unlimited World of Possibilities: A Conversation with Joe Morris (Part Two)

As if it were not enough for many to so willingly force music into genre-labeled boxes, the division does not stop there. Intra-category distinctions often serve only to further divide and categorize. The best example would be the imposition of the mindset that there are certain schools of performance within a particular category. For instance,… Read more: Unlimited World of Possibilities: A Conversation with Joe Morris (Part One)