Tomeka Reid

Chicago based cellist, composer and educator, Tomeka Reid has been described as "a remarkably versatile player," (Howard Reich, Chicago Tribune). Equally adept in classical and jazz contexts, Ms. Reid predominantly finds herself in experimental and improvisatory settings and composes for a wide range of instrumentation, from big band to chamber ensemble. Ms. Reid's music combines her love for groove along with freer concepts. Ms. Reid is an integral part of Dee Alexander's Evolution Ensemble, Nicole Mitchell's Black Earth Ensemble/Strings, Mike Reed's Loose Assembly, the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) Great Black Music Ensemble, and co-leads the internationally recognized string trio, Hear in Now with performances in Poznan, Poland; Paris, France; Rome, Venice, Milan, Italy; Soazza, Switzerland; and in the US: Chicago, New York and Vermont

PIVOT

By Mats Gustafsson

Label: Silkheart Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: The Sensation of Sliding; Blowing out from Chicago; Epistemological Glide; Drops of Sorrow. Accelerating; PIVOT Duos 1; PIVOT Duos 2; PIVOT Duos 3; PIVOT Duos 4; PIVOT Duos 5; PIVOT Duos 6; Unmeasured Mile; I am aware. Standing in Snow.; Drifting against the Wind.; Popular Music Theory.

The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

Label: Out Of Your Head Records
Released: 2025
Track listing: Revue; Mingus Gold: Nostalgia in Times Square; Mingus Gold: Alice in Wonderland; Mingus Gold: Better Get Hit in Your Soul; My First Winter/Touchic; Choo Choo.

Nicole Glover, James Brandon Lewis, Sarah Wilson and Myra Melford with Michael Formanek and Ches Smith

by Hobart Taylor
July 16, 2025

Nicole Glover's “Memories, Dreams, Reflections" James Brandon Lewis's “Abstraction is Deliverance" and Myra Melford with Michael Formanek and Ches Smith make a “Splash." Playlist Angelika Niescier Tomeka Reid Savannah Harris “Hic Svnt Dracones" from Beyond Dragons (Intakt) 00:00 Host Speaks 11:12 Akira Kosemura “ The Walking Man" from Mirai (Schole) 12:15 Nicole Glover “No. ...

Intakt Records

by Hobart Taylor
July 9, 2025

This week we celebrate the outstanding Swiss independent label, Intakt. Also, we have an extended work by the emerging artist Rico Jones, and a nuanced composition from trombonist/composer John Yao and his “17 piece instrument." Playlist Shuteen Erdenebaatar / Nils Kugelmann “What Will Remain" from Under the Same Stars (Motema) 00:00 John Yao “Early ...

The Hemphill Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Troy Dostert
May 13, 2025

One of the most multifaceted saxophonists to come out of the 1970s-80s jazz avant-garde, Julius Hemphill exuded both fervid power and delicate sensitivity, always with an underpinning of swing to help anchor him within the jazz tradition. While his iconic releases like Dogon A.D. (Mbari, 1972) and Flat-Out Jump Suite (Black Saint, 1980) are rightly considered ...

The Hemphill Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Mark Corroto
April 29, 2025

Let us borrow a famous tagline from the dairy industry: Got Hemphill? If not, it is time to take a closer listen. Julius Hemphill (1938-1995) was a towering figure in the creative music scenes of both St. Louis, where he co-founded the Black Artists' Group (BAG), and New York's vibrant loft jazz scene of the 1970s ...

The Hemphill String Stringtet: The Hemphill Stringtet Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill

by Glenn Astarita
April 27, 2025

The Hemphill Stringtet's debut album, Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill is a vibrant tribute to the late jazz composer and saxophonist Julius Hemphill (1938--1995). This string quartet, featuring violinists Curtis Stewart and Sam Bardfeld, violist Stephanie Griffin and cellist Tomeka Reid, reimagines Hemphill's compositions with a fresh chamber music perspective. Formed in 2022, the ensemble ...

Sylvie Courvoisier & Mary Halvorson, Silke Eberhard & Yannick Peeters

by Maurice Hogue
March 10, 2025

Time to celebrate the women of today's creative jazz and at the same time recognize International Women's Day. New releases include Bone Bells from the magical duo of pianist Sylvie Courvoisier & guitarist Mary Halvorson, Being A Ning from German saxophonist Silke Eberhard's killin' trio, and Italian bassist Silvia Bolognesi's Jungle Duke which explores the music ...

PNY Quintet: Over the Wall

by Giuseppe Segala
February 18, 2025

PNY �� l'acronimo che unisce Parigi e New York. All'insegna di tale tracciato avviene l'incontro che sta all'origine di questo CD, sfociato nella registrazione di Over the Wall. Anche se l'album �� a nome collettivo, e se nell'ordine dei musicisti elencati in copertina sono in prima fila i ben noti Steve Swell e Rob Brown, una ...