Pianist/vocalist Patricia Barber is the Alanis Morissette of the jazz world. Her serpentine, poetic songs teeter between deftly witty and awkwardly Latinate. Each album is more ambitious than the last, taking her deeper into avant-garde territory both lyrically and instrumentally. Verse is no exception. Case in point: “I Could…
The popular vibist’s fourth solo outing is also his most ambitious, something appealing, yet often odd and maddening in an attempt to cast jazz as cinema. Simply listening to the multiple moods, colors, and atmospheres here can bring many possible interpretations to just what his theory is, but the…
With his second album Black Action Figure, Stefon Harris still is finding his footing as an innovator, yet he is well on his way to developing his own exciting sense of style. At its core, this is fairly traditionalist hard bop, but there is energy and unpredictability to Harris’…
A Cloud of Red Dust marks Stefon Harris’ solo recording debut. The classically trained Harris plays both the vibraphone and percussion on this release, and his classical influence is never far from the surface. He employs a large band, including horns, flute, and percussion, all of which add color…
Kindred is unusual in that it’s a co-led session, pairing two of the most creative young improvisers in jazz: vibraphonist Stefon Harris and pianist Jacky Terrasson. (Harris frequently switches over to the more percussive-sounding marimba.) On most tracks they’re joined by bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Terreon Gully, with…
01 THE HOUSE OF BLUE LIGHTS 02 NEVER LET ME GO 03 BRILLIANT CORNERS 04 RINGO OIWAKE 05 TEA FOR TWO
Priscilla Ahn comes from the same singer/songwriter circle that spun off Sara Bareilles and Cary Brothers, having cut her teeth in a dizzying array of L.A. venues before wooing Blue Note Records with her gently confident music. Like the material of many L.A.-based musicians, Ahn’s songs brim with sunshine…
Despite the metaphysical suggestion in Spirit Fiction’s title, this is Ravi Coltrane’s most cerebral, process-oriented recording to date. This does not mean, however, that his debut offering for Blue Note Records is dry or academic. There is an abundance of emotion and sensual detail, most of it expressed gently,…
Pianist James Hurt is a very talented musician, and his solos show a superb ability to improvise in an original style. For this recording, he has assembled a variety of groups, ranging from duo to septet to showcase his talents. He sounds best with rhythm along or with his…
