Articles by: S. Victor Aaron

Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, One’ (2024)

Thollem – ‘Worlds In A Life, One’ (2024)

Thollem made something entirely new using used parts created by various trios and mold them into a genuine piece of aural art made by a six performers using the intuition of one.

Ches Smith – ‘Laugh Ash’ (2024)

Ches Smith – ‘Laugh Ash’ (2024)

With Ches Smith’s recently-earned reputation comes higher expectations, and his upcoming ‘Laugh Ash’ lives up to it with another ambitious project that’s not a mere repeat of what he’s done before.

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – ‘Jet Black’ (2024)

Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – ‘Jet Black’ (2024)

One of Satoko Fujii’s first ensembles in the mid-90s following her graduate studies was a trio with bassist Mark Dresser and drummer You May Also Like: Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio – ‘Moon On the Lake’ (2021) Kira Kira [Satoko Fujii] – Bright Force (2018) Satoko Fujii + Alister Spence –Read More

Dave Stryker Trio + Bob Mintzer – ‘Groove Street’ (2024)

Dave Stryker Trio + Bob Mintzer – ‘Groove Street’ (2024)

Dave Stryker’s mighty trio got mightier with Bob Mintzer in the mix, justifying picking up ‘Groove Street’ even if you have the group’s other records.

Ahleuchatistas – ‘The Summer We Went West [and East] – Live 2006’ (2023)

Ahleuchatistas – ‘The Summer We Went West [and East] – Live 2006’ (2023)

Ahleuchatistas long ago proved to be a ferocious live act, so ‘The Summer We Went West [and East] – Live 2006’ is a release that needed to happen.

Sunny Five [Tim Berne, David Torn, Ches Smith, Devin Hoff + Marc Ducret] – ‘Candid’ (2024)

Sunny Five [Tim Berne, David Torn, Ches Smith, Devin Hoff + Marc Ducret] – ‘Candid’ (2024)

In the end, the Sunny Five’s ‘Candid’ is a jam record but in this case, the jams expose just how scary talented this assemblage truly is.

Asteroid Ekosystem – ‘Live’ (2023)

Asteroid Ekosystem – ‘Live’ (2023)

‘Live’ proves that adding Ed Kuepper to a very good acoustic jazz piano trio transforms Asteroid Ekosystem into an experimental, improvisation-heavy rock outfit.

How Mike and the Mechanics’ ‘The Living Years’ Helped Bridge an Emotional Gap

How Mike and the Mechanics’ ‘The Living Years’ Helped Bridge an Emotional Gap

Released 35 years ago today, Mike and the Mechanics’ “The Living Years” came to terms with the wreckage left by a simple lack of communication.

Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Mat Maneri + Others – ‘Seven Skies Orchestra’ (2023)

Ivo Perelman, Nate Wooley, Mat Maneri + Others – ‘Seven Skies Orchestra’ (2023)

Ivo Perelman and cohorts prove that sax, trumpet, vibes and stringed instruments can coalesce around spontaneous ideas, if you get the right guys together.

Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann – ‘LP2’ (2023)

Joseph Branciforte & Theo Bleckmann – ‘LP2’ (2023)

By erasing lines of distinction between immediate and contemplated, natural and processed, Joseph Branciforte and Theo Bleckmann crafted something that’s truly novel, yet truly inviting with ‘LP2.’