S. Victor Aaron’s Mid-Year Best of 2014 (Avant Garde & Experimental Jazz): Jimmy Giuffre, Roscoe Mitchell, Jamie Saft/Joe Morris
The appeal of this music is its unbiased diversity and lack of set rules.
Articles by: S. Victor Aaron
Something Else! Interview: Nels Cline Singers drummer Scott Amendola discusses his ambitious Fade To Orange project
Amendola is an affable, do-it-all drummer with a wicked backbeat.
S. Victor Aaron’s Mid-Year Best of 2014 (Modern and Mainstream Jazz): Steve Lehman, Jamie Saft, Matthew Shipp, Joe Beck
The future of jazz looks blindingly bright.
Something Else! exclusive stream: Terje Lie, “You Know” from Bright Moments (2014)
Summer time is here and we could go for a sunny groove, right? Cue up the sounds of beach-lovin’, LA-based Norwegian saxophonist Terje Lie.
S. Victor Aaron’s Mid-Year Best of 2014 (Non-Jazz): Jack White, Me’Shell Ndegéocello, Drive-By Truckers, Lucinda Williams
Here are the seven best albums outside of realm of jazz so far in 2014. So says me.
Peter Van Huffel’s Gorilla Mask – Bite My Blues (2014)
From a punk attitude comes jazz aptitude; Gorilla Mask does it again.
Melissa Aldana and Crash Trio – Melissa Aldana and Crash Trio (2014)
Ready or not, here comes 2013’s Monk International Competition saxophone winner Melissa Aldana. ‘Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio’ marks a solid first step in the post-Big Win phase of her young career.
Gene Segal Quintet – Mental Images (2014)
It was a long stretch between Gene Segal’s first and second albums but ‘Mental Images’ assures that the intervening time was time was spent.
Something Else! exclusive stream: Michael Dease, “Roppongi” from Relentless (2014)
Michael Dease’s big band take on “Roppongi” breathes new life into this little-noticed Randy Brecker gem.
Wolfgang Muthspiel, with Brian Blade + Larry Grenadier – ‘Driftwood’ (2014)
Wolfgang Muthspiel has just begun with ECM but ‘Driftwood’ has the style and sonority of an old vet with the label. This sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship.
