Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
Dan Bilawsky reviews Ehud Asherie “Lower East Side”…
www.allaboutjazz.com
In this day and age, when shock-and-awe maneuvers and new-thing sounds tend to get all the plaudits and press in jazz, it says a lot when a throwback duo date is widely admired by critics and fans alike. Such was the case with pianist Ehud Asherie’s Upper West Side (Posi-Tone, 2012), which brought him into contact with like-minded saxophonist Harry Allen and present ...Read More
StepTempest on “The Kung-Fu Masters”…
steptempest.blogspot.com
Tenor saxophonist Sean Nowell, born in Alabama, educated in Boston and New York, has, over the course of his recording career for Positone Records, shown that he can not only swing but also bring the funk. “The Kung-Fu Masters” is his 4th CD for the Los Angeles, California-based label and it would not be out of place that Nowell and his group display their ...Read More
Tim Niland on David Weiss & Point of Departure…
jazzandblues.blogspot.com
This studio LP was recorded the day before Weiss’ band was recorded live for two subsequent albums, and it makes a tidy companion piece for the trilogy of this particular group. The band consists of David Weiss on trumpet, J.D. Allen on tenor saxophone, Nir Felder on guitar, Luques Curtis on bass and Jamire Williams on drums. Naming the group after a famous Andrew Hill ...Read More
Lucid Culture reviews “Venture Inward”…
lucidculture.wordpress.com
Continuing with today’s “why would you want to make a record of somebody else’s tunes” theme, Cookers trumpeter David Weiss has gone the route of reinvention and reassessment with his quintet Point of Departure on their latest album Venture Inward, due out on the 26th from Posi-Tone. It’s both a look back and a step forward from the melodic 60s postbop sou ...Read More
SomethingElseReviews! writes up an in depth look at the new Ehud Asherie disc “Lower East Side”…
somethingelsereviews.com
As like-minded practitioners of traditional jazz, pianist Ehud Asherie and tenor saxman Harry Allen have gotten together to play duets in NYC’s famed jazz clubs such as Small’s. They also paired up for an enjoyable and intimate set on record, Upper West Side, Asherie’s forth album. Now only a year later, Asherie returns with Allen and Lower East Side, where they ...Read More
Midwest Record on “The Kung-Fu Masters”…
midwestrecord.com
Breath taking electric jazz/funk with the sax man giving as much time to the B3 as he does to his own axe. Kicking it with a funked up treatment that turns Hendrix on his head, the good vibes continue to flow in non-stop fashion as the party rolls on and gate crashers try to work their way in. A super sonic stew that really gets the blood flowing, Nowell finds himself on surer fo ...Read More
An interview with Sean Nowell…
Part One
Part Two
Sean Nowell is another fine example of the high level of artistry to come out of the Posi-Tone stable of artists. I was fortunate enough to have Sean field some questions for us on his latest release and jazz in general.
Stockholm Swingin’ does just that…It swing hard! Can you tell us more about the record?
S.N. – “Stockholm Swingin’ began when gui ...Read More
Brent Black takes on “The Kung-Fu Masters”…
www.criticaljazz.com
Zen and the art of improvisation. The human chemistry of abstract creation where limitations of form and function are cast aside for soulful interpretation of a deconstructed melody by the soloist and all those that choose to participate.
That and this is a really cool disc!
More than a jazz disc, Sean Nowell and The Kung-Fu Masters are a multi-media presentation of positive ...Read More
The Jazz Word on David Weiss “Venture Inward”…
thejazzword.blogspot.com
Trumpeter David Weiss, founder of notable groups such as The Cookers and the New Jazz Composers Octet, explores the wide open sounds of late 1960s jazz onVenture Inward with his quintet Point of Departure. With tenor saxophonist J.D. Allen, guitarist Nir Felder, bassist Luques Curtis and drummer Jamire Williams, Weiss sheds new light on overlooked compositional gems by He ...Read More
Victor Aaron reviews David Weiss “Venture Inward”…
somethingelsereviews.com
Sometimes, a good thing is worth repeating.
Venture Inward, Weiss’ debut for Posi-Tone Records due out next week, is a studio song-by-song replication ofSnuck In, save for Andrew Hill’s “Erato” (the only studio cut from the earlier album) being replaced by two other Hill compositions of the late 60s, “Venture Inward” and “Pax.” Also as before, Weiss on trum ...Read More