Glenn Astarita

Born: August 21

I own a jazz/blues club (Water's Edge Bar & Grill) in Slidell, LA and write for Downbeat magazine, the New Orleans Weekly Gambit, All About Jazz and other music related mags/zines. Play the drums (briefly studied with Andrew Cyrille) and trying to start a house band at the club. Did some freelance photography years back, i.e. Corporate Functions, landscapes, drunks. Also spent time in a rainforest in Indonesia.

I'm an Information Technology Consultant (Not too persistent, but pushy by nature.) Hence, results oriented. Resumes are available upon request

Ches Smith: Clone Row

by Glenn Astarita
August 30, 2025

Ches Smith, the San Diego-born Sacramento-raised drummer who studied philosophy at the University of Oregon before diving headfirst into the Bay Area's experimental music scene, has long been one of modern jazz's most restless spirits. His deep resume includes work with Marc Ribot, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Mary Halvorson and Nels Cline, cementing his reputation as ...

Soft Ffog: Focus

by Glenn Astarita
August 27, 2025

Soft Ffog, a Norwegian jazz-prog quartet from Bergen, emerged with their self-titled debut in 2023. Led by guitarist Tom Hasslan, the band features keyboardist Vegard Lien Bjerkan, drummer Axel Skalstad and bassist Trond Frønes. With nods to 1970s giants like Camel, Focus Soft Machine and Mahavishnu Orchestra, they blend intricate prog rock with improvisational jazz, evoking ...

PlainsPeak: Someone to Someone

by Glenn Astarita
August 26, 2025

Jon Irabagon's PlainsPeak delivers a soulful homecoming via a love letter to Chicago with its debut, Someone to Someone. Ditching the tech-heavy sprawl of his earlier work like Server Farm (Irabbagast, 2025), the leader returns to Chicago's gritty roots with a lean acoustic quartet that is all heart and sly wit. Irabagon, a Chicago-born ...

Nicolas Ferron Trio: Multiverse

by Glenn Astarita
August 20, 2025

The Nicolas Ferron Trio hails from Montreal's vibrant jazz scene where guitarist Nicolas Ferron has been slinging strings alongside local heavyweights like Rémi-Jean Leblanc and Benjamin Deschamps. With Multiverse, Ferron--joined by Jonathan Cayer on B3 organ and Louis-Vincent Hamel on drums--crafts a sonic wormhole that blends psychedelic rock, a punky attitude and experimental jazz. This eight-track ...

Matthieu Clement: RUMA

by Glenn Astarita
August 20, 2025

Mathieu Clement, born in 2001 in Luxembourg, is a dynamic 24-year-old drummer and composer (with a mature talent that belies his age) now based in Cologne, Germany. He began playing the drums and vibraphone at the age of seven, studied at the Hochschule f��r Musik und Tanz, and was part of the JugendJazzOrchester NRW. Clement's discography ...

Irene Schweizer - Rudiger Carl - Johnny Dyani - Han Bennink: Ir��ne's Hot Four

by Glenn Astarita
August 19, 2025

Ir��ne's Hot Four represents a significant posthumous release from the legendary Swiss jazz pianist Ir��ne Schweizer, who passed away in 2024. This release captures a rare 1981 concert in Zurich featuring Schweizer alongside her companions Rüdiger Carl, Johnny Dyani, and Han Bennink. It is a quartet that existed for only around a year and a half, ...

Russ Johnson: To Walk On Eggshells

by Glenn Astarita
August 18, 2025

Russ Johnson, a Chicago-bred trumpeter with a knack for adventurous jazz, joins forces with Swiss bassist Christian Weber and drummer Dieter Ulrich, both stalwarts of the Zurich jazz scene. Johnson's resume boasts collaborations with everyone from Lee Konitz to his own genre-bending Russ Johnson Quartet, while Weber and Ulrich have carved out reputations as nimble improvisers, ...

Rent Romus, Tatsuya Nakatani: Uplift

by Glenn Astarita
August 17, 2025

Venerable woodwind ace, composer and fierce improviser Rent Romus has long been a cornerstone of the West Coast's avant-garde jazz scene. Tatsuya Nakatani, a Japanese-born percussionist and sound artist, is renowned for his innovative approach, wielding an arsenal of drums, gongs and indigenous instruments. He often crafts visceral soundscapes that dance between silence and chaos. Together, ...

Gayle Ellett & The Electromags: The Painted River of Light

by Glenn Astarita
August 6, 2025

Gayle Ellett and The Electromags' The Painted River of Light“ is a sonic expedition that feels as though it was lifted from a vivid, psychedelic vision, carefully refined and imbued with contemporary polish. This is the third release for the group led by Ellett, who fronted the legendary progressive rock band Djam Karet. The album is ...