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Search resuls for: "Martin Johnson"


5 mentions found


☆ ‘The Last Quiet Place’ by Ingrid Laubrock Review: A Jazz Sextet’s Outsize Sound
  + stars: | 2023-04-06 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: +1 min
Perhaps emblematic of complicated economic times, jazz musicians are doing more with less these days, especially when it comes to midsize ensembles. Drummer Tomas Fujiwara , guitarist Mary Halvorson , trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Anna Webber all lead midsize bands that are unusually expansive in their sound. Saxophonist and composer Ingrid Laubrock , a sometime collaborator of Ms. Halvorson’s, follows in this lineage with her new recording, “The Last Quiet Place” (Pyroclastic). Ms. Laubrock, who is 52 years old, chose her title after reading Elizabeth Kolbert ’s books “The Sixth Extinction” and “Under a White Sky.” The themes of global extinction and humanity’s impact on nature led Ms. Laubrock to consider ports of serenity, though they may be more internal than external. Although the saxophonist has participated in numerous sessions with performers who lean toward the softer side, the music here is lithe, sprawling and at times intensely spiky.
☆ ‘Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles’ Review: All You Need Is Jazz
  + stars: | 2023-02-08 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: +1 min
Since his emergence on the jazz scene in the early ’90s, pianist Brad Mehldau has become well known for a supple touch on the keyboard and unique, spiky compositions, but much of his stellar reputation is built on his choice of other repertoire. Shortly after he began recording as a leader, he surprised jazz aficionados with exceptional covers of songs by Radiohead, Soundgarden, Massive Attack and many others from rock and electronic music. He made this material sound like a natural part of jazz, presenting it alongside more conventional fare such as the music of Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane and Antônio Carlos Jobim and other standards. After several recent releases that focus more on original material, he’s returned to other people’s music with his latest recording, “Your Mother Should Know: Brad Mehldau Plays the Beatles” (Nonesuch, Feb. 10 release), and it showcases a dramatic change in his approach.
☆ ‘Phoenix’ by Lakecia Benjamin Review: A Maturing Saxophone Tone
  + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: +1 min
Alto saxophonistLakecia Benjamin often plays with a big, broad tone, and that’s for a good reason. The New York native grew up in the predominantly Dominican neighborhood of Washington Heights, and her first gigs were playing merengue and other Latin dance styles. Then some of her post-collegiate bookings were in large venues performing alongside stars like Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys , Prince and Stevie Wonder . Ms. Benjamin’s two most recent recordings, “Pursuance: the Coltranes” (Ropeadope, 2020) and “Phoenix” (Whirlwind, out now), showcase a new diversity in her sound. The new recording’s title refers to the world emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and dealing with the post- George Floyd racial reckoning.
☆ ‘From the Dancehall to the Battlefield’ by Jason Moran Review: Tribute to a Jazz Forefather
  + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
During the past 25 years, Jason Moran has established himself as one of the most cutting-edge pianists and composers in jazz, but some of his most compelling work has been historical in nature. In 2007, he produced the live performance “In My Mind,” a reconsideration and exploration of the work of Thelonious Monk and that jazz great’s iconic 1959 Town Hall concert. In 2011, he presented “Fats Waller Dance Party,” which celebrated the stride-piano master and legendary raconteur and led to a recording three years later. His latest project focuses on an oft-overlooked pioneer of jazz, James Reese Europe (1881-1919), a composer and bandleader who mentored such vital early 20th-century musicians as Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle and whose early work prefigured jazz.
☆ ‘Sparkle Beings’ by Angelica Sanchez and ‘Seismic Shift’ by John Escreet Review: A Jazz Trend of Note
  + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Martin Johnson | ) www.wsj.com   time to read: 1 min
Some jazz trends that may come to define this decade are already taking shape, and a major one is happening at the keyboard. Pianists are moving with greater ease and intent between melodic passages and abstract ones, and doing so more routinely than before. But while some younger players (such as David Virelles , Marta Sánchez and Micah Thomas ) have adapted the technique, this isn’t a youth movement. Such veterans as Angelica Sanchez and Sylvie Courvoisier have made it a prominent part of their arsenals, as have midcareer players like John Escreet and Orrin Evans . Angelica Sanchez’s “Sparkle Beings” (Sunnyside, due out Sept. 23) and Mr. Escreet’s “Seismic Shift” (Whirlwind, Oct. 7) both feature stellar sidemen and showcase this style along with other increasingly influential aspects of their work.
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