Articles by: S. Victor Aaron

Ivo Perelman,  Ray Anderson, Joe Morris + Reggie Nicholson - 'Molten Gold' (2023)

Ivo Perelman, Ray Anderson, Joe Morris + Reggie Nicholson – ‘Molten Gold’ (2023)

Ivo Perelman is up to his usual tricks o ‘Molten Gold,’ making up melodies on the run with trombone great Ray Anderson for four amazing improvisations.

King Loosestrife - 'Echelon Beam' (2023)

King Loosestrife – ‘Echelon Beam’ (2023)

As King Loosestrife, Brett Nagafuchi offers a mishmash of alluring ideas that are often cohered by a theme of creatively atypical approaches.

Naya Baaz [Rez Abbasi + Josh Feinberg] - 'Charm' (2023)

Naya Baaz [Rez Abbasi + Josh Feinberg] – ‘Charm’ (2023)

With Naya Baaz’s ‘Charm,’ Rez Abbasi and Josh Feinberg channel their adventurous spirits into spiritually satisfying music.

Ross Hammond - 'Batch 8' (2023)

Ross Hammond – ‘Batch 8’ (2023)

Ross Hammond calls ‘Batch 8’ “stripped-down groove music,” with songs that are simple riffs that serve as the stage for tasteful guitar performances.

Anthony Wilson - 'Collodion' (2023)

Anthony Wilson – ‘Collodion’ (2023)

With ‘Collodion,’ Anthony Wilson managed to turn what would be a stressful situation for lesser musicians into a cozy listening experience.

Chick Corea Elektric Band - 'Light Years' (1987, 2023 reissue)

Chick Corea Elektric Band – ‘Light Years’ (1987, 2023 reissue)

If you just want to hear Chick Corea and his mates shred like rock stars, 1987’s ‘Light Years’ by his Elektric Band is a good place for that.

Meshell Ndegeocello - 'The Omnichord Real Book' (2023)

Meshell Ndegeocello – ‘The Omnichord Real Book’ (2023)

This creative burst mostly came with help from jazz luminaries, but ‘The Omnichord Real Book’ still sounds like the singular Meshell Ndegeocello.

Eberhard Weber - 'The Colours of Chloe' (1974, 2023 hi-res reissue)

Eberhard Weber – ‘The Colours of Chloe’ (1974, 2023 hi-res reissue)

Ebarhard Weber’s 1974 debut ‘The Colours of Chloe’ deftly assimilates classical, jazz, folk and even world fusion into an impressionistic whole.

Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen + Edward Vesala - 'Triptykon' (1973, 2023 Hi-Res reissue)

Jan Garbarek, Arild Andersen + Edward Vesala – ‘Triptykon’ (1973, 2023 Hi-Res reissue)

Jan Garbarek would continue to produce great records for ECM in the years and even decades that followed, but there won’t ever be another ‘Triptykon.’

Location Location Location [Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog + Mike Pride] - 'Damaged Goods' (2023)

Location Location Location [Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog + Mike Pride] – ‘Damaged Goods’ (2023)

Michael Formanek, Anthony Pirog and Mike Pride produce the kind of inspired music that comes from jamming – even if the record wasn’t made that way.