Julian Lage

Following his Grammy-nominated 2009 debut Sounding Point, virtuoso guitarist Julian Lage returns with the evocative and finely wrought Gladwell - the second effort by his offbeat, eclectic group with cellist Aristides Rivas, percussionist Tupac Mantilla, bassist Jorge Roeder and saxophonist Dan Blake. The album unfolds according to a fanciful and story-driven plan, as Lage explains: "We began playing with the idea of creating a story we could use as a guiding light in our writing process.... The result was the development of an imaginary and forgotten town known as Gladwell.... As a metaphor, Gladwell presented us with a clear architecture, to compose songs that evoke feelings of people and places we hold dear." Sweeping, colorful and thrillingly executed, the album opens with "233 Butler," named for the Brooklyn street address of vintage instrument shop, Musurgia

A Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz: Part 4

by Ian Patterson
August 5, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The fourth installment of A Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz--a series developed with the cooperation of the Ukrainian Institute--introduces four more highly talented jazz artists/groups from Ukraine. The vast range of personal musical identities attests to the strength, depth and originality of contemporary ...

Soweto Kinch, Theo Croker, Julian Lage, And More

by Colin Muirhead
July 6, 2025

Featuring music by acts performing in North East England soon and showcasing new releases, with tracks by Soweto Kinch, Theo Croker, Zo? Gilby, Knats, Julian Lage, and more. Playlist Soweto Kinch “A People With No Past" from The New Emancipation (Soweto Kinch Recordings) 00:00 Theo Croker “prelude 3" from Dream Manifest (Dom Recs) 08:54 ...

A Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz: Part 3

by Ian Patterson
May 14, 2025

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 The third installment of A Brief Guide To Ukrainian Jazz--a series developed with the cooperation of the Ukrainian Institute--introduces five more highly talented jazz artists/groups from Ukraine. The vast range of personal musical identities attests to the strength, depth and originality of contemporary ...

Beyond Genre: Brian Marsella��s Expanding Musical Universe

by Nenad Georgievski
May 14, 2025

Brian Marsella is a pianist and composer whose work defies easy categorization. Whether leading his genre-blurring trio with bassist Trevor Dunn and drummer Kenny Wollesen , or collaborating with avant-garde luminary John Zorn, Marsella brings a rare blend of technical brilliance and emotional depth to every performance. Born in Philadelphia and based in New York since ...

Dayna Stephens: Closer Than We Think

by Jack Bowers
April 15, 2025

A few brief observations: first, New York-based Dayna Stephens is an excellent saxophonist. Second, the other members of his quartet on Closer Than We Think, Stephens' twelfth album as a leader, are similarly proficient. Third, Stephens clearly had a specific plan in mind before entering GB's Juke Joint to record the album in May 2023, one ...

Big Ears Festival 2025

by Mark Sullivan
April 8, 2025

Big Ears Festival Knoxville, TN March 27-30, 2025 This year's festival again featured several spotlighted events (but none of them required special ticketing, as was tried last year). “Across the Horizon" was a series of concerts combining Americana and ambient music, curated by Bob Holmes and the band SUSS. “Age ...

Jenny Scheinman: A Violin In The Wild

by Lawrence Peryer
March 16, 2025

Today, the Spotlight shines On violinist and composer Jenny Scheinman.Jenny Scheinman grew up on California's remote Lost Coast, and now she brings us music that captures the wild beauty of her roots. Her double album All Species Parade (Royal Potato Family, 2024), brings together jazz and folk to create something wholly original that feels ...

February Looks Good at SFJAZZ

by Ronald Davis
March 4, 2025

I Dischi del 2024 secondo Ludovico Granvassu

by Ludovico Granvassu
January 2, 2025

Spesso molti articoli sulle “migliori uscite dell'anno" iniziano con una premessa quasi apologetica ("questi non sono necessariamente 'i migliori album dell'anno,' ma 'i miei preferiti';" “�� tutto soggettivo;" “domani avrei scelto titoli diversi;" “ho potuto selezionare solo dieci album," ecc.)? Queste dichiarazioni sembrano riflettere il disagio del redattore, costretto a riassumere un vasto ecosistema artistico selezionando ...