Satoko Fujii doesn’t play an instrument in her orchestra; she conducts it. Still, there is hardly a more accurate manifestation of her genius artistry.

In unveiling his Superette band, Chris Lightcap shows that he invests a fair amount of serious artistry into his work even when he’s making casually fun music.

feature photo: Bryan Murray Now boasting a remarkable ten albums over twenty years, Satoko Fujii Orchestra New York today takes another step forward with Fukushima (Libra Records), the first new recordings from Satoko Fujii’s American large ensemble project since 2014’s Shiki. The best big band leaders know how to exploitRead More

This doesn’t often sound like big band music, as Fujii draws from every impulse at her disposal.

I used to call this the “whack jazz” (or is that “wack” jazz?) list, but I found that term to be too restrictive for what’s being presented below. You May Also Like: Harrison Bankhead and Paul de Jong – ‘Freedom’ (2020) Bobby Kapp + Matthew Shipp – Cactus (2016) DavidRead More

In years past, I’ve called this the “whack jazz” list and this time we’re going to call it “avant garde and experimental jazz,” but any music that goes too far outside the bounds of convention gets lumped into its own category. You May Also Like: Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog –Read More

Curtis Hasselbring heads up a couple of bands and on the spy-themed Number Stations he rubs them together and watches the sparks fly. You May Also Like: Chris Lightcap – Superette (2018) Tomas Fujiwara, Ben Goldberg + Mary Halvorson – The Out Louds (2016) Mary Halvorson – ‘Cloudward’ (2024)