CD reviews
On Aaron Diehl
This review appears in the May 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Aaron Diehl Trio Live at the Players (ind.) By David R. Adler Pianist Aaron Diehl is a young Juilliard graduate, a scholarly devotee of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson and even earlier figures. His work on record reveals absolutely no debt to hip-hop, indie rock,
On David Bindman
This review appears in the May 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — David Bindman Ensemble Sunset Park Polyphony (ind.) By David R. Adler It takes a wealth of ideas and inspiration to fill two CDs, and saxophonist David Bindman justifies his large-canvas approach at every step on Sunset Park Polyphony. There are four substantial pieces on
On Kenny Garrett
This review appears in the April 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Kenny Garrett Seeds from the Underground (Mack Avenue) By David R. Adler Alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett took an electric turn on his 2008 Mack Avenue debut Sketches of MD, a live album that harked back to his ’80s apprenticeship with Miles Davis. He ventured
On Jeremy Pelt
This review appears in the March 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Jeremy Pelt Soul (HighNote) By David R. Adler If working bands are a rarity in jazz today, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt seems not to have gotten the memo. Soul is his fourth album to feature the same steady quintet lineup, with JD Allen on tenor,
On Johnathan Blake
This review appears in the March 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Johnathan Blake The Eleventh Hour (Sunnyside) By David R. Adler It’s always worth noting when a respected sideman ventures out as a leader. But debuts are sink-or-swim affairs, so what of Johnathan Blake’s The Eleventh Hour? It swims, and thanks primarily to a sideman’s
Andrea Centazzo, Peter Paulsen (and Dave Ballou)
This review appears in the February 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — Andrea Centazzo, Moon in Winter (Ictus) Peter Paulsen Quintet, Goes Without Saying… (SquarePegWorks) By David R. Adler These two discs are worlds apart in some ways, but there’s a link to be found in the acute, versatile trumpet of Dave Ballou. Both sessions feature
On the Metta Quintet
This review appears in the February 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record: — Metta Quintet Big Drum/Small World (ind.) By David R. Adler An album by the Metta Quintet always begins with a premise. The group’s 2002 debut, Going to Meet the Man, was inspired by James Baldwin’s short stories. Subway Songs (2006) evoked the bustle of
On Ilhan Ersahin
This review appears in the January 2012 issue of The New York City Jazz Record. — Ilhan Ersahin’s Istanbul Sessions Night Rider (Nublu) By David R. Adler As founder of the club Nublu, tenor saxophonist Ilhan Ersahin has had a notable impact on live music in New York, increasing the creative traffic between jazz improvisers, beatmakers, world music bands and avant-gardists of